Heritage Weekend
26th September 2026
Name of Tour
Love and Longing: looking forever Northwards
Type of Tour
Bus & House Tour
Date
26th September 2025
Time and Duration
9h00 (+- 2.5 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R180 in advance
R220 on the day
Description
Visit eternal Northwards, Parktown’s most romantic mansion, on an exclusive tour led by its resident curator and custodian, the inimitable Neil Viljoen. Don’t miss this opportunity to step back in time and experience the perfectly maintained elegance of this 120-year old Randlord mansion designed by the famous architect Herbert Baker. You may even bump into the famous ghost who is said to roam the rooms!
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, print and map sale at HFC and the book room at Northwards. And don’t forget to grab a bite at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Rd, Parktown
Name of Tour
Worlds apart: Forest Town
Type of Tour
Bus & Walking Tour
Date
26th September 2025
Time and Duration
9h30 (+- 2.5 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R180 in advance
R220 on the day
Description
Hidden amongst the trees of this beautiful garden suburb, one of the first to be established outside the city centre, you’ll find a diverse range of architectural styles – from the Arts and Crafts stylings of the Herbert Baker school to the Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation’s strikingly modern adaptation of an old electrical station. Join your guide Ed Coogan for a walk along these leafy avenues, including a visit to JCAF to see how the space has been thoughtfully repurposed.
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, print and map sale at HFC and the book room at Northwards. And don’t forget to grab a bite at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Back to School: Holy Family College
Type of Tour
Walking Tour
Date
Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September 2026
Time and Duration
10h00 (+- 1.5 Hours)
Max no of people
30
Cost
R160 in advance
R200 on the day
Description
Originally established as Parktown Convent for Girls, the school that is now Holy Family College was designed by JJ Beardwood in 1905 and, in the hands of a master architect, a thing of beauty emerged. Join us for an intimate tour of the wonderful old Holy Family College buildings, famous for its elaborate ‘broekie-lace’ facade along Oxford Road. Climb the grand staircase, originally reserved for the reverent mother. Discover famous alumni, such as Helen Suzman. Tackle the stairs to the attic on the second floor at your own peril. And visit the school’s museum with an intact 1905 classroom, still used by the JHF for educational tours. Don’t forget to write your name with an old fountain pen – but don’t spill the ink!
Please note: there is a HFC tour on Saturday 26 at 10.00 (led by Monique Jefferson McDonald) and on Sunday 27 at 10.00 (led by Antoinette Morgan). Please book accordingly.
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, print and map sale at HFC and the book room at Northwards. And don’t forget to grab a bite at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Celebrate Rosebank
Date
26th September 2025
Time and Duration
13h30 (+- 2.5 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R180 in advance
R220 on the day
Description
Established just 10 years after the initial discovery of the Main Reef, Rosebank celebrates its 130th birthday in October. Although it is now a vibrant and cosmopolitan hub, the suburb had humble beginnings. As the African Critic of October 1896 reported: “In the neighbourhood of Johannesburg a patch of bare veld unprovided with any means of communication and designated the name of ‘Rosebank’ was sold in plots.” Join your guides Karen Curry and Kgao Mashego for an enlightening walk down Tyrwhitt Avenue as we trace the history of Rosebank from far-flung veld to fashionable fulcrum!
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, print and map sale at HFC and the book room at Northwards. And don’t forget to grab a bite at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Extreme rooftops: The Barbican and Ansteys
Date
26th September 2025
Time and Duration
14h00 (+ – 2.5 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R180 in advance
R220 on the day
Description
See Johannesburg from a different perspective as we explore two of the most glorious art deco buildings in town: Ansteys and the Barbican. Join your guides Brian McKechnie and Luke Gonçalves as we take to the rooftops of these two iconic landmarks for unforgettable views over the city.
Please note: should either of the lifts be out of commission for any reason, we’ll be using the stairs – that’s 19 storeys for Ansteys (for the less energetic, drinks will be available on the 4th floor piazza) and a mere 11 storeys for the Barbican.
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, print and map sale at HFC and the book room at Northwards. And don’t forget to grab a bite at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Fascinating Fordsburg
Date
26th September 2025
Type of Tour
Bus & Walking Tour
Time and Duration
14h30 (+- 2 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R180 in advance
R220 on the day
Description
Take a walk with us through the historic streets of Fordsburg as we share stories about the 1922 strike, the historic but less than glamorous public toilets, and the venerable Bree Street School where notable Indian struggle heroes from Yusuf Dadoo to Ahmed Kathrada and Amina Cachalia were educated. Our guides, Andy Chinnah and Debbie Jennings, will also take us past fascinating shops and restaurants such as the Devine Bakery in the old Presbyterian Church (unintentionally bombed by the South African Airforce during the strike).
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, print and map sale at HFC and the book room at Northwards. And don’t forget to grab a bite at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
27th September 2025
Name of Tour
St Hubert’s Catholic Church and St David’s Marist Alexandra
Date
27th September 2025
Time and Duration
9h15 (+- 2.5 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R180 in advance
R220 on the day
Description
Join your guide Joy Campkin Smith for a visit to the eclectic St David’s Marist Brothers Alexandra Campus and St Hubert’s Catholic Church. Rooted in early Johannesburg mission work, the original school was started in 1919 by the Holy Cross Sisters until it was expropriated by the Apartheid Government in 1969. After a legal battle, the school was handed back to the Church and a new school was opened in 2023 as a satellite campus of the famous St David’s Marist Brothers Inanda.
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, print and map sale at HFC and the book room at Northwards. And don’t forget to grab a bite at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Northwards – Pride & Joy
Date
27th September 2025
Type Tour
House Tour
Time and Duration
9h30 (+- 2.5 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
Joburg’s Engineering landmarks: Mandela Bridge and Old Park Station
Type of Tour
Bus and Walking Tour
Date
27th September 2025
Time and Duration
13h30 (+- 2.5 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R180 in advance
R220 on the day
Description
Mandela Bridge from Braamfontein to Newtown was built in honour of our greatest statesman for his 85th birthday. Join guides Dave Gurney and Alison Wilson for a leisurely walk over this cable-stayed bridge with its fantastic views of the city and the train graveyard below. The tour ends at the original Park Station concourse, a beautiful iron and glass structure that dates back to 1896. During the redevelopment of Park Station in the 1950s, the ‘shed’ was taken down and relocated to Transnet’s training college in Esselenpark before being moved again to Newtown in 1993.
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, print and map sale at HFC and the book room at Northwards. And don’t forget to grab a bite at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Rd, Parktown
Name of Tour
Old Chinatown and beyond
Date
27th September 2025
Time and Duration
14h00 (+- 2.5 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R180 advance bookings
R220 on the day
Description
Joburg’s original Chinatown at the bottom of Commissioner Street dates back to the early 1900s when thousands of Chinese labourers were brought over to work on the mines. Although many left a few years later, the community endured and flourished. So much so that in 1940, the Transvaal Chinese United Club commissioned avant-garde architect, WB Pabst, to build a magnificent block of flats for residents and visitors. Although now superseded by ‘new’ Chinatown in Cyrildene, this area still holds the memories of its original Chinese pioneers. Take a walk with your guide Eugenie Drakes and find out more about this multi-layered community.
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, print and map sale at HFC and the book room at Northwards. And don’t forget to grab a bite at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown
Name of Tour
Houghton Mosque and Masjid
Date
27th September 2025
Time and Duration
14h30 (+- 2.5 Hours)
Max no of people
40
Cost
R180 in advance
R220 on the day
Description
The magnificent Houghton masjid and mosque is one of the area’s most striking modern architectural treasures. Join JHF guides Yvonne and Wade Venter and heritage architects Brendan Hart and Yasmin Mayat as they take us on a tour through the mosque’s impressive Islamic architecture, and its place within Johannesburg’s dynamic cultural 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, set some time aside to peruse our extensive book, print and map sale at HFC and the book room at Northwards. And don’t forget to grab a bite at the food stand.
Contact Number
060 813 3239
Meeting Place
Holy Family College, 40 Oxford Road, Parktown