Kensington is the largest suburb in Johannesburg. It stretches from Fairview and Troyeville in the West, to Eastgate and Bedfordview border in the East. It is borders Belgravia and Malvern in the South and by Judith's Paarl, Bezuidenhout Valley, Dewetshof and Bruma in the North. Kensington is laid out over the slopes of several koppies with many view sites. The streets were laid out in 1902, and were heavily planted with trees, which give the area a beautiful, distinctive tree lined appearance, arousing feelings of “olde world” charm.
Notable features of the suburb include Rhodes Park, named after Cecil Rhodes; the reputable Jeppe High School for Boys and Jeppe High School for Girls schools and Kensington Castle among others. Kensington is a restaurant neighborhood, with most restaurants and coffee shops being found tucked away amid the antique shops on Queen Street. Being one of the largest Johannesburg suburbs – there are about 5200 properties in Kensington alone. Stands are typically 450m2 or 900m2 in size. The suburb was proclaimed in 1902 from a portion of the farm Doornfontein. The houses have lovely character with Oregon wooden floors and pressed ceilings. Houses date back to the era when there were trams connecting the city centre.
There are several shopping centers and office parks in the area such as the immense Eastgate Shopping Centre, Park Meadows Shopping Centre and the Darras centre on Kitchener Avenue well as including Bedford Centre, Bedford Square plus the vibrant and recently upgraded Eastgate Shopping Mall with its myriad shops, entertainment venues and excellent restaurants.
Interesting historical notes on and for Kensington.
Kensington is a suburb rich in culture and history. Here is just a sample of the historical interests and facts that abound in Kensington.
The streets in Kensington, a 1904 Johannesburg suburb named after its counterpart in London, reflect a profound jingoism. That was when, after the Anglo Boer War, Alfred Lord Milner and his "kindergarten" of Oxford administrators was intent on bringing Imperial civilization to the Transvaal. So, today, Kensingtonians, probably unthinkingly, drive along Roberts or Kitchener avenues, named after the Anglo Boer War victors, or negotiate the curve of Milner Crescent and walk their dogs in Rhodes Park.
But there's a more intriguing twist to the street names of this suburb; no less than 83 streets are named after Royal Navy warships. Collingwood Street is named after a dreadnought, honouring Vice Admiral Cuthbert Lord Collingwood who mopped up the French fleet once Nelson had fallen at Trafalgar. Royal Oak Street was named after a British battleship launched in 1892. Barossa Street is named after a cruiser that sailed African waters and was based in Simonstown during the Anglo Boer War.
Located in this sought-after suburb are A-list educational institutions including; Kensington Primary School, Leicester Road Primary School, Jeppe Boys and Jeppe Girls Schools and also nearby St Andrews Girls School, Bedfordview Christian School (co-ed primary), Saheti School (co-ed), Bishop Bavin (co-ed), Reddam House (co-ed), Bedfordview Primary and Bedfordview High Schools (government co-ed) and Leeuwenhof School (co-ed pre-primary/primary & high).
Jordy has been established as a resident Agent in Kensington for 12 years now. She has had a great grounding before starting at Watson Properties in 2011. Jordy is tenacious and a wonderful people person – having many connections and contacts. Jordy has sold numerous of her client’s properties a few times over. She is lively and a very hard worker.
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