Johannesburg

The Johannesburg suburbs of Saxonwold, Parkwood, Forest Town & Westcliff are steeped in nostalgia.

At the turn of the 19th century, Johannesburg was a sprawling mining camp with a cosmopolitan maniacal society digging for gold in an attempt to become overnight millionaires.

Brilliant prospectors & entrepreneurs needed homes that would boast of prosperity, and birth was given to the grand mansions of Parktown, shortly to be followed by the beautiful homes on sprawling grounds in Westcliff.
Land to the north of The Parktown & Westcliff Ridges became the Sachsenwald Forest, it’s sole purpose at that time to provide timber for the mines. 1396 acres of land were planted with more than a million eucalyptus trees.

In 1925 Sachsenwald was proclaimed and became Saxonwold.  Two hundred acres of land were set aside for public use and became the Hermann Eckstein Park and Zoological Gardens. Thousands of trees gave way to extend Forest Town and create homes in Saxonwold and Parkwood. 

With the burgeoning economy and a multitude of homes needed, smaller dwellings were being built in Forest Town for the workers and domestic employees of the Lords & Ladies of Westcliff and Parktown.

The Hermann Eckstein legacy remains to this day.  The world class zoo, the zoo lake, the war museum and the sports fields are symbols of an affluent yet philanthropic attitude of the Rand Lords of yesteryear.

With land available in Saxonwold, three and five acre plots were allocated around the donated Herman Eckstein Park, which became known as Millionaires Row. (Only a handful of these properties are now situated on one-acre sites and are in great demand.)

With gold, diamonds, minerals and a growing economy, town planners divided Saxonwold into a small percentage of one-acre sites, with the vast majority of land divided into 2023m².  These portions of land, soon found the new owners to mainly be merchants or corporate management staff.

Families needed schools, hospitals, nursing homes, a university and houses of worship. To this day those very institutions that originated when Saxonwold was a baby, are among the most treasured and sought after in Johannesburg.

Parkwood to the north, and slightly west of Saxonwold, was divided into l000m² portions. 2 adjoining plots were often sold together, and occasionally a 2000m² plot finds its way onto the market.

Forest Town, within walking distance of the university, found great favour with the professional fraternity, and many university dons have spent their
entire residential lives in this desirable, charming small village atmosphere.

Although modernization prevails, these lovely old suburbs still have beautiful tree lined streets, with delightful and interesting homes. Some are new and modern, whilst others are very much of the old world.  They are all within a stones throw of every modern amenity, be it a shopping mall or world-class private clinic.  The Zoo Lake, is probably the most frequented public open space in any of the suburbs and abounds with waterfowl.  Artists have been meeting and exhibiting at this spot for many years, and with a popular ethnic restaurant in the precinct, a wonderful cosmopolitan atmosphere prevails.  Ideal for early morning strolls, or perhaps an energetic jog, the lake and zoo area enhance the suburbs.