Kensington is a hilly suburb of
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
. It was established in 1897 by Max Langermann (after whom the thoroughfare Langermann Drive is named). It is located in Region F of the
City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and is bounded to the west by the suburb of
Troyeville
Troyeville is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is a small suburb found on the eastern edge of the Johannesburg central business district (CBD), with the suburbs of New Doornfontein, Bertrams and Lorentzville to the north, Fairview t ...
, to the east by
Bedfordview and the north by
Bruma and
Cyrildene
Cyrildene () is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, predominantly home to Chinese people. The area is found east of the Johannesburg CBD and is surrounded by the suburbs of Linksfield, Observatory and Bruma. It is noted for a new Chinatown ...
.
History
Prior to the discovery of gold on the
Witwatersrand
The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which ...
in 1886, the suburb lay on land on one of the original farms called ''Doornfontein''.
Kensington is laid out over the slopes of several
koppies
Koppies is a small town (railway station) situated near the Renoster River in the Free State province of South Africa.
Geography
The town is situated 63 km north-east of Kroonstad, 48 km west of Heilbron and 42 km south-south-eas ...
(flat-topped, high-sided hills). The streets were laid out in 1903, with the suburb named by the owner of the land, Max Langermann. All of the streets coming off of Langermann Drive are in alphabetical order and are named after British war ships.
The streets were heavily planted with trees, which give the area a distinctive, wooded appearance. Notable features of the suburb include Rhodes Park, named after
Cecil Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896.
An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his Bri ...
;
Jeppe High School for Boys,
Jeppe High School for Girls, Kensington Castle and the
Kensington Cross, along with other streets e.g. Emerald Street named on the far end of Kensington.
The Kensington Cross
The Kensington Cross is a memorial on Caledonia Hill, made out of granite with the shape of an Iona Cross, a superimposed sword (a 16th Century two-handed true claymore or claidheamhmor), the memorial proudly bears the Scottish shield of lion rampant and royal treasure. The inscription reads "Nemo me impune lacessit 1900".
Also known as the one of the
Boer War Cross of Iona, the statue has an identical twin. On the esplanade at
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...
and the other is on Caledonia Hill, Johannesburg. The later is cared for by the Transvaal Scottish Association
Demographics
Religion
Kensington is also home to the headquarters for the
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious ...
of Johannesburg.
Economy
Retail
There are several shopping centres and office parks in the area such as the
Eastgate Shopping Centre, Park Meadows Shopping Centre and the
Pick 'n Pay head offices. Kensington is a restaurant neighbourhood in development, with most restaurants and coffee shops amid the
antique shop
An antique shop (or antiques shop) is a retail store specializing in the selling of antiques. Antiques shops can be located either locally or, with the advent of the Internet, found online.
An antiques shop can also be located within an ant ...
s on Queen Street. There is an annual Spring Fest on the opening weekend of September.
Education
There are several schools in the suburb. Kensington Ridge Primary School opened in August 1937.
Jeppe High School for Boys, Jeppe High School for Girls and Jeppe Prep are all located on Roberts Avenue. Leicester Road Primary school opened in 1938
References
{{reflist
External links
Official website of the City of Johannesburg
Johannesburg Region F