Heritage Weekend
13th September 2025
Name of Tour
Fascinating Fordsburg
Type of Tour
Bus & Walking Tour
Date
13th September 2025
Time and Duration
9h00 (2.5 Hours)
Max no of people
45
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
Fordsburg has it all – a long (and explosive) history, beautiful buildings, incredible food, and fabulous fabrics. There’s even an old public lavatory with links to the infamous Battle of Fordsburg during the 1922 Rand Revolt. This is where the South African Air Force first went into action – against their own people!
So, join your guide Alison Wilson for an unforgettable walk through this dynamic hub as we follow the Blue Plaques through Fordsburg, bringing stories of this fabled neighbourhood to life.
Please note: wear comfortable walking shoes and bring along sun protection and drinking water.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale. And don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Rd, Parktown
Name of Tour
Activism in Action: Joburg City Library and Beyers Naude Square
Type of Tour
Bus & Walking Tour
Date
13th September 2025
Time and Duration
9h30 (2 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
After standing dark for four long years, the Joburg City Library finally re-opened to the public on Women’s Day, 9 August 2025. It was a moment for celebrations and congratulations, both for civil society (the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation and Johannesburg Crisis Alliance spent more than a year advocating on behalf of this vital civic resource) and the city authorities, who worked collaboratively and effectively to deliver results.
But the hard work doesn’t stop there. Now it’s time to look beyond the library and tackle the wider Beyers Naude Square precinct – once Joburg’s original outdoor market square, located right in the centre of town.
It won’t be an easy task. As is generally the case in the inner city, the square is facing multiple issues that will require coordinated action across various city departments and agencies. Yet, despite the challenges, there is a small but dedicated group of individuals and organisations who have committed themselves to uplifting this crucial public space in the heart of Joburg.
So, join your guides David Fleminger and Joy Campkin-Smith for an enlightening walk around the library and Beyers Naude Square. In addition to chatting about the library saga, we’ll recount the history of the square, take a look at City Hall and the Rissik Street Post Office, and consider the way forward. We’ll also be visiting a very special bookshop and, if possible, experience the panoramic view from the penthouse of the refurbished Barbican building.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale. And don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Rd, Parktown
Name of Tour
The Rand Club – A Work of Art
Date
13th September 2025
Time and Duration
10h00 (2 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
Born just a year apart, Johannesburg and Rand Club have grown together for more than thirteen decades. As such, the growth of the city is intertwined with the history of the Club – a luxurious space where the fortunate few could escape the dusty streets and hot Transvaal sunshine in a town established at the heart of the richest goldfield in the world.
So, join your guides Brian McKechnie and Alison Andrew as they explore the story of the Rand Club and its incredible art collection, including important works by John Meyer, Thomas Baines, Henry Pegram, Jehudo Epstein, Bridget Bird, Owasu Ankomah and other significant South African and international artists.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, do set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale and don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
JCAF & The Holocaust Centre
Date
13th September 2025
Time and Duration
14h00 (2 Hours)
Max no of people
30
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
Join your guides David Gurney and Charlotte Beukes for a visit to two landmark buildings that combine to make one powerful journey of remembrance and creativity.
We begin with a tour of the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre, where the striking architectural combination of brick, granite and symbolic forms invites reflection on memory and resilience.
Then, we’ll walk to the nearby Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation (JCAF) that has transformed an old tram shed into a vibrant creative hub. JCAF is currently presenting “Structures”, the second in its Worldmaking trilogy, featuring artists and architects from the Global South exploring how space, place and identity are shaped. From immersive installations to fragile, thought-provoking cityscapes, the exhibition speaks to the poetry and politics of belonging.
Together these two landmark buildings form a powerful cultural corridor where history and art meet.
Please note: the bus will drop us off and there will be a 25 minute walk back to Holy Family College. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring along sun protection and drinking water.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, do set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale and don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Villa Arcadia – High Arts and Craft
Date
13th September 2025
Type of Tour
House Tour
Time and Duration
14h15 (2 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
Spend the afternoon wandering through the beautiful Italian-inspired Villa Arcadia. Originally built as the palatial residence of prominent Randlord and MP Sir Lionel Philips and his influential wife, Florence (founder of Johannesburg Art Gallery).
Designed in high Arts and Crafts style by Sir Herbert Baker in 1909, this classic Parktown mansion has been beautifully restored by Hollard Insurance (the current owners) and is a delight to behold.
So, lose yourself in a bygone era as guides Nicola Noble and Alison Andrew share stories of the villa’s original owners while appreciating Arcadia’s elegance and superb craftsmanship. Just seeing Lady Phillips’ indulgent sunken bath surrounded by hand-painted Delft tiles is an experience to savour!
Please note: bookings for this tour will close on the 9th September as a tour attendee list needs to be shared with Hollard in advance.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale. And don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Ferreirasdorp – Home of the Struggle
Date
13th September 2025
Type of Tour
Bus & Walking Tour
Time and Duration
14h30 (2 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
Join your guides Karen Curry and Luke Gonçalves for a fascinating visit to Ferreirasdorp in the inner city. Although small in size, many of the struggle stalwarts we venerate today lived and worked in the area.
Along the way, we will remember those communities whose rights were so brutally ignored. We will also be walking in the footsteps of the giants including Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, George Bizos, both Sisulus (Walter and Albertina, whom we meet on a love seat), Canon Ridout and his St Alban’s Cathedral, not to mention ‘Kathy’ Kathrada and Ahmed Timol.
Although we will only be meeting these heroes in spirit, some of the buildings where they worked or were detained are still standing – despite the work of the bulldozers – so don’t miss this opportunity to experience the evocative ‘Home of the Struggle’.
Please note: this is an inner city walking tour. Please leave your valuables at home and take care with your phones/cameras. Also, please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring along sun protection and drinking water.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, do set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale and don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
14th September 2025
Name of Tour
Northwards – Pride & Joy
Date
14th September 2025
Type Tour
House Tour
Time and Duration
9h30 (2 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
Standing proudly on the edge of Parktown Ridge, Northwards is a Joburg icon and Sir Herbert Baker’s most romantic mansion.
Built for the flamboyant John and Jose Dale Lace, Northwards is filled with stories of glittering galas and scintillating scandals, of financial failures and ruinous fires, of reconstruction and survival.
And no-one knows Northwards better than the inimitable Neil Viljoen. So, join us for an exclusive guided tour with Neil as he takes us from the cellar to the attics, and feel a glimmer of the glamour that passed through the great hall of Northwards all those years ago.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, do set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale and don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Killarney – Hollywood Glamour and Art Deco Swank
Date
14th September 2025
Time and Duration
9h45 – 10h00 (2.5 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
Home to a movie mogul, as well as jet-setters, actors and aviators, the suburb of Killarney is rich with human and architectural heritage.
Movie mogul Isidore Schlesinger founded his ground-breaking film studio here, and drawn by the glamour and glitz, an array of fashionable apartment buildings were developed copying Manhattan’s high-rise Art Deco lifestyle.
So, join your guides Arj and Clare van Zweiten for a fascinating walk amongst these architecturally notable buildings. As we stroll, we’ll be talking about their varying designs, their architects and, of course, some of their famous residents. We’ll also get a close-up look at the eye-catching features of Whitehall Court, Daventry Court, Gleneagles and Mentone Court.
Please note: this is a walking tour of approx. 3kms. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring along sun protection and drinking water.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, do set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale and don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Matters of the Art: Joburg Art Gallery and Joubert Park
Type of Tour
Bus and Walking Tour
Date
14th September 2025
Time and Duration
10h00 (2 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
We often talk about how fast Johannesburg grew from a mining town to a metropolis. Within just two decades of its founding, the young city had laid down its key civic institutions — the first hospital, public library, post office, parks. And by 1915, the Johannesburg Art Gallery, a Beaux-Arts landmark designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, housing one of the finest art collections in the southern hemisphere.
But as with all that grows, every city faces seasons of change and decline. And the beloved JAG, along with the wider Joubert Park precinct, is currently in a sad state indeed. Yet as Clive Chipkin, one of Johannesburg’s most prolific architectural historians, wrote: “there has never been a shortage of men and women stepping forward with visions of a better society, even of utopias on Johannesburg’s once brown and desolate kopjes.”
Join the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation for a reflective journey around Joubert Park and the Johannesburg Art Gallery — one of our city’s most significant cultural institutions built in the spirit of civic pride and public service. Led by David Fleminger and Kgao Mashego, this walking tour traces the precinct’s layered history, the changing fortunes of the JAG, and the civic activism shaping its future.
Please note: we plan to walk through Joubert Park as part of this tour. Please leave your valuables at home and take care of your phones/cameras. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring along sun protection and drinking water.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale. And don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Rd, Parktown
Name of Tour
Houghton Mosque and Masjid
Date
14th September 2025
Time and Duration
14h00 (2 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
The landmark mosque in West Street, Houghton is one of the area’s most striking modern architectural treasures. So join your guides Wade and Yvonne Venter, together with Joy Campkin-Smith, for a special visit inside this remarkable house of worship.
We are especially honoured that architect Muhammed Mayet will be on hand to tell us more about the story, design, and history of the Mosque. It’s a unique opportunity to explore yet another layer of Joburg’s diverse heritage.
Please note: There is a dress code for the mosque – no shorts are permitted and ladies should dress modestly with arms and head covered by a shawl and/or headscarf. Admittance may be refused if the dress code is not observed.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, do set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale and don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Passes, People & Panoramas – The Story of Joburg’s Ridges
Date
14th September 2025
Time and Duration
14h15 (2 Hours)
Max no of people
45
Cost
R160 advance bookings
R200 on the day
Description
Johannesburg is a city built on gold, not water; shaped by the ridges that split the city from east to west. So, join your guide, Antoinette Morgan, for a guided bus tour over the iconic passes that criss-cross the Witwatersrand including Munro Drive, Stewart Drive, and Sylvia’s Pass.
From sweeping panoramas to hidden gems, this ridge-top journey will also reveal fascinating landmarks, colourful characters, and stunning city views for an unforgettable experience that will truly enhance your appreciation of our metropolis.
Whether you’re a history enthusiast, a lover of architecture, or simply curious about the soul of our remarkable city, don’t miss this adventure filled with discovery, inspiration, and a deeper appreciation for Joburg’s unique topography and heritage.
Please note: you are welcome to bring your own drinks and snacks on the bus (no alcohol, please). There will not be any toilet stops along the way but we will be getting off at Munro Drive for a quick photo opportunity.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, do set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale and don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Beit Emanuel Synagogue
Date
14th September 2025
Time and Duration
14h00 (1.5 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
Built to resemble the Star of David, Beit Emanuel Synagogue is a modern and dynamic building. It was first established on the site in 1954, presumably on the former residential property of Godfrey Lys, and expanded to include classrooms, function venues and Hillel College, a boarding school for boys. Although the congregation has diminished in recent years, this progressive Jewish temple still maintains a vibrant spirit.
So, join your guides Lena De Bellis and Athena Clayton for a timeless journey through the architecture, interiors and grounds of Beit Emanuel.
All Heritage Weekend tours depart from Holy Family College in Parktown. As part of our HW celebrations, set some time aside to peruse our extensive book and map sale. And don’t forget to grab some lunch at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown