Herbert Baker arrived in Johannesburg in 1902, fresh from a tour of the classical sites in the Mediterranean, as part of a coterie of young managers that would transform Johannesburg from a ramshackle mining town into a modern outpost of the British Empire. He found little in local architecture to love – buildings ‘seemed to have grown like a prickly pear bush’, cast-iron work was a ‘flimsy appliqué’, and he detested ‘the flimsy ornaments that too often disgraced the South African house’.

Baker instead proposed an architecture of dignity and balance, one that applied craftsmanship to local materials, and he was soon able to apply these ideals in the new suburb of Park Town. His legacy remains in a remarkable series of buildings on the Parktown ridge. Join us in exploring the Baker Tradition from Jan Smuts Avenue to Oxford Road. 

Meet: Monique Jefferson and Deanna Kirby

Park: Northwards, 21 Rockridge Road, Parktown

Date & Time: 14 August at 2.00 pm

Duration: Approximately 3 hours

Cost: R80 for members and R130 for non-members

Maximum No: 40

Email mail@joburgheritage.co.za to book