The blue plaques of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Blue Plaques originated in London in 1867, prior to the formation of the National Trust, as a means of commemorating famous people who lived in the city and the building associated with them. Commemorative plaques are found in other cities and countries as a means of raising public awareness about material and social heritage. The Blue Plaques of the City of Johannesburg, South Africa were identified, thematically analysed, classified and compared with the formal heritage lists. The spatial distribution was interrogated, with the Blue Plaques and formally listed heritage resources mapped for the first time. The plaques are clustered around a few parts of the city, namely the CBD, Soweto, and the suburbs of Alexandra and Parktown. This reflects the impact of private sector lobby groups in motivating for, and in many cases, financing the erection of the plaques. The City of Johannesburg Department of Arts, Culture and Heritage plays a lead role in identifying and sponsoring a small number of plaques each year, however this role could be expanded to provide a more balanced representation of the city’s heritage, both thematically and in terms of spatial distribution.

Keywords:

• Heritage
• buildings
• sites
• people
• commemorative plaque

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank Wendy Phillips, cartographer at the University of the Witwatersrand, for assistance in the final editing of the maps.