Joe Blog

The View is the oldest house in Parktown and a true Victorian mansion. So join your guides Liz Haines and Ed Coogan for a delightful visit to the former residence of Sir Thomas Cullinan, featuring high ceilings, original wall papers, decorative accents, beautiful woodwork and distinctive ceramic tiles produced at Cullinan’s own factory. The tour will conclude with tea and some Christmas treats (included in the ticket price).

Cullinan arrived in Johannesburg in 1887 and found success as a building contractor and founder of a brick and tile manufacturing plant near Pretoria, before discovering diamonds on his land. His success enabled him to build a lovely double-storeyed home for his growing family in Parktown, which was soon distinguished by other grand mansions that reflected the affluence and status of Johannesburg’s elite.

After his death, The View remained Lady Cullinan’s home until her passing in 1965. Remarkably, it survived the redevelopment efforts initiated by Johannesburg’s city planners in the 1980s.

From the outside, visitors can admire The View’s distinctive ‘broekie-lace’ facade and imagine the estate’s landscaped gardens, fruit orchards, tennis court, service buildings, and the eponymous View from the gates looking north (before the Wits Education Campus was built). And remember to salute the Scottish soldier before going inside!

Inside, The View is largely as it was during Cullinan’s time, with its meticulously restored hand-painted friezes depicting birds and flowers. Today, the house remains in regular use as the headquarters for the Transvaal Scottish Regimental Association, and the tour will include an opportunity to visit their museum which houses a collection of artefacts and memorabilia related to the regiment’s history.