Tour Of The 1897 House

Tour of the 1897 house (Joburg’s Oldest) called ‘The View’.

Come and join us for the tour to one of the oldest houses in Joburg, if not the oldest.

Designed and built by Charles Aburrow in 1897 for Sir Thomas Major Cullinan (well known for founding the Premier Mines outside of Pretoria, where the largest diamond in the world was found in 1905). Cullinan town east of Pretoria was named after him.

The Cullinan diamond was sold to the British Royal by the SA government in 1907 and was cut into 9 major pieces which form part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom i.e. the Sovereign’s Spectre with Cross (on the Queen’s crown), the Imperial State Crown etc.

The View’ bears witness to the opulent life of the early Rand Lords during this colourful era of Joburg. The house is typically Victorian in Style, built from burnt red bricks with a corrugated iron roof, wooden balconies and large bay windows.

A modest home for the mining magnate of his caliber. He lived here for nearly 40 years. The View is currently home to the Scottish Regiment headquarters and serves as a museum with WWI and WWII artifacts.

This is one of the ‘Gems’ of Jo’burg. Don’t miss this tour!