Two Saturdays, two heritage tours – from the comfort of your home
JOHANNESBURG – The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation is offering virtual tours of some places of interest.
The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF) has been offering weekly tours of heritage areas in Johannesburg for many years. However, due to Covid-19 and lockdown, all the planned tours had to be postponed.
Vice-chairperson at the foundation, Flo Bird said during lockdown they have been offering members virtual tours on Zoom, and they have now decided to open the virtual tours to the public.
On 4 July at 2pm for 2.15pm, the foundation will give residents an incredible opportunity to see buildings which reflect the varied history of Robben Island. Without setting foot on a ferry or facing rough seas, they will see structures well beyond the usual tourist route.
Bird said heritage architect William Martinson from East London, and his team from Osmond Lange Architects recently completed a survey of the buildings on Robben Island. William is a member of the JHF and used to lead tours for the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust before moving to the coast.
“Using slides and drawings, he will be describing his findings which cover the Garrison Church of 1841, the lighthouse dating back to 1859, Church of the Good Shepherd 1895, the WWI pier, through to the underground plotting room from World War II, a Machine Gun Pillbox and on to the storeroom which became Robert Sobukwe’s isolation cell and, of course, the infamous Maximum Security Prison. Still later came a Kramat and a Guard’s Watch Tower of 1976,” Bird described.
She went on to share that on 11 July in the afternoon, the foundation will be doing a virtual tour of Joburg’s Art Deco Delights.
She added that members of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation only pay R40 to join each tour. This offer is extended to paid-up members of the Parkview Residents Association, the Westcliff Residents Association, Forest Town Ratepayers Association and Parktown Association as these associations are all members of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation.
Details: To register, send an email to Eira at mail@joburgheritage.co.za; For more information about the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation, go to www.joburgheritage.org.za
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