Nostalgia behind many of our street names

Many of Western Extension’s and other Benoni street names are related to nostalgic childhood memories of Sir George Farrar, who is regarded as the town’s founder.

Bedford is the town in which he was born, near the River Ouse, while Russel Street was named after the Duke of Bedford, who lived at Woburn Abbey.

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Other streets in the vicinity are named after places Farrar visited as a child – Turvey Manor, Cauldwell House, the home of the Howards. Kempston, Kimbolton, in Huntingdonshire, as well as Rothsay and Wilhampstead (shortened to Wilstead).

Yet others are taken from John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.

In his story of Christian’s journey from Armageddon to Zion, he brought in the “house beautiful” at Ampthill, the old lock-up at Wootton and Moot Hall at Elstow, where he was born.

Harpur is named after Sir William Harpur, who was born in Bedford in about 1495 and became Lord Mayor of London in 1561.

Ampthill – pronounced Ampt-hill, was intended to be the main shopping centre of Benoni but those who planned the town did not anticipate that Prince’’s Avenue (then Market Street), would become the main business centre.

The avenue is named after Ampthill Hill, which is about the only steep rise in Bedford and is believed to be the “hill difficult” in Pilgrim’s Progress.

An odd coincidence links the names Howard with Benoni and Bedford. Howard Hall, Benoni, is named after the Rev John Howard, a Methodist Minister, who with the cooperation of his congregation and friends, built a hall in 1924.

Bedford’s John Howard is known to history as he worked nearly all his life for the betterment of conditions inside prison.

He moved to Bedford in the mid 1800’s and built the Howard Chapel at his own expense.

This was one of the first Methodist churches in Bedford.

Sir George Farrar, however, actually named the avenue after his family – his mother was a Howard and after her separation from Dr Farrar, George and his three brothers were brought up by their grandfather, coincidentally, also called John Howard.

Rothsay also probably has its origins in Bedford. In this English town one can find a Rothsay Street leading down from Rothsay Gardens to the river and there is a small cul-de-sac adjoining the gardens known as Rothsay Place.

Cranbourne is the former name of the Earl of Salisbury who followed Lord Russell as prime minister.

Lake Avenue and Harrison and Tom Jones streets have local connections. What is now called the Nestadt Park Dam, was known as the lake in Sir Farrar’s time as it was a dump from his mine that formed it.

Harrison is certainly named after George Harrison, the official discoverer of the gold reef on Langlaagte farm, and Tom Jones was the mayor of Benoni (1918-1918) and was the miners’ leader in the 1922 strike.

The original Fort Street named after a British fort nearby was renamed Voortrekker Street in 1938 in honour of the Centenary of the Great Trek.

Source: Benoni’s 75 Anniversary Supplement / Retyped by: Glynis Cox Millett-Clay