94 africandesignmagazine . com
Reviews
BOOK REVIEW
Hidden Johannesburg
I
n Hidden Johannesburg , Paul Duncan provides a snapshot of 28 of the city ’ s architecturally and culturally significant buildings , alongside superb photography from Alain Proust . Some date from the early 20th century , when Johannesburg was transforming itself from mining camp to modern metropolis . Others speak to the influences that shaped the city : cultural , ethnic , historical , religious and commercial . There are churches and cathedrals , synagogues and mosques , as well as schools , homes , places of business and even a prison .
Sir Herbert Baker and his partners had a hand in many notable buildings that predate WWI : the cloistered quads and crypt of St John ’ s College Houghton ; Glenshiel in Westcliff , now the headquarters of the Order of St . John ; legendary Northwards in Parktown , once owned by landlord John Dale Lace and his socialite wife Josie ; Bedford Court , home of mining magnate Sir George Farrar and now part of St Andrew ’ s School for Girls ; and Villa Arcadia , a Parktown mansion built to the exacting standards of Florence Phillips ; St . George ’ s Parish Church in Parktown , and St . Michael and All Angels in Boksburg .
Places that speak of another life and time , or capture the spirit of occupants long gone include Nelson Mandela House in Vilakazi Street , Orlando West , where he lived from 1946 until his arrest in 1962 , now a museum that attracts visitors from all over the world . Satyagraha House , in Orchards , was home to Mahatma Ghandi . In nearby Kew was the home and studio of sculptor Edoardo Villa and many of his works are still in situ .
Click here to read more
AUTHORS : Paul Duncan PUBLISHER : Penguin Random House ISBN : 978-1770079922 PAGES : 240
Click here to buy the book