Craighall Park, Johannesburg

About the suburb of Craighall Park

Craighall Park is separated from the suburb of Craighall by Jan Smuts Avenue, a major arterial road through the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. One of the older suburbs of Johannesburg, having celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 2011, Craighall Park is an area of tranquility with large trees... some of the large gum trees nearly as old as the suburb itself.

The first stands in Craighall Park went on sale in 1911, but the suburb was slow to develop as it was considered too far out of central Johannesburg and the tarring of roads and installation of the streetlights only occurred after the second world war.  As a result, Craighall Park includes some older houses on large grounds, as this was commonplace in the 1950s. There are a few Heritage homes and then some more modern builds.

There are over 1 000 houses in Craighall Park and nearly 700 apartments.

Interesting facts about the history of Craighall Park

Craighall Park was, like most areas in Johannesburg, originally farmland. In 1891 a Scot named William Rattray purchased part of the large farm of Klipfontein. His purchase included the land on which Craighall Park was established, as were the neighbouring suburbs of Craighall and Blairgowrie.

The Braamfontein Spruit, which runs between Craighall Park and Delta Park in the next suburb, was once dammed up by Rattray to create a small lake. In 1905 the nearby Craighall Park Hotel (thought to have originally been Rattray's Victorian-style home) was advertised as a stop-over for travellers or those wanting a weekend outing to the lake.  The lake, unfortunately, silted up in later years.

The suburb was named (along with its neighbour) after his birthplace of Craighall near the town of Blairgowrie, in the county of Perthshire, Scotland.  Many of the streets in Craighall Park are named after British dukes, such as Hamilton Avenue, Roxburghe Avenue, Westminster Drive, York Avenue, and others. 

Another interesting fact is that one of the longest roads through Craighall Park changes names three times; Norfolk Avenue becomes Cambridge Avenue, which becomes Grosvenor Avenue.  These road name changes trace back to the days when there were gates on the dirt tracks to various farms, with the name changes occurring where the original farm gates used to be.  

Schools in the area

Rutland pre-school has been open to children aged two to six years since 1985. It's a small but lovely preschool.

Craighall Primary School was established in 1918 on Rothsay Road in Craighall Park. It is a government school. St. Theresa's private school is also in Craighall Park and is a Catholic primary school for girls.  The private boys' school St. David's Marist in Inanda, is ten minutes from Craighall Park. Kingsmead College is a private high school option for girls - the campus is in Rosebank, some ten minutes from Craighall Park.

Hyde Park High is a superior government school providing quality facilities and education, boasts students consistently attaining high exam pass rates, and is a short drive from Craighall Park.  

Medical facilities in the area

Rosebank Clinic, Sandton Medi Clinic, and Milpark Hospital (a well know cardiology hospital) are all in proximity to Craighall Park. Rosebank Clinic is also not too far from the area.

Shopping centers and malls in the area

The Colony, on Jan Smuts Avenue, is convenient to pop into. Dunkeld West Shopping Centre, on the corner of Bompas Road and Jan Smuts Avenue, has everyone's favourite Fournos. Hyde Park Corner is ideal for upmarket shoppers in nearby Hyde Park.

Restaurants to visit in Craighall Park

On Buckingham Avenue in Craighall, Corner Cafe is a bistro known as the neighbourhood café.  There is a choice of indoor or outdoor dining, with tables on the verandah surrounding the café.  It is popular for breakfasts but also open for lunches and dinners.

Pronto, at The Colony Shopping Centre in Craighall Park, has delectable Italian cuisine. The staff is friendly, and the food is of excellent quality. They have a 4,5-star rating on Google, with almost 1 000 diners having cast their rating vote.

Things to do in Craighall Park

Looking for weekend activities around Craighall Park? Here are our Top 5 things to do in and around the suburb:

1. Emmarentia Dam, Orange Road - a retreat from the surrounding urban areas, is popular for picnics on the extensive open lawns, with dog walkers, runners, and cyclists all spending time there.  There is also a canoe club based at the dam.

2. The Johannesburg Botanical Gardens, Olifants Road, on the western side of the Emmarentia Dam, grew out of a simple rose garden but now covers an enormous area.  The main attractions are the Rose Garden with thousands of roses, the Herb Garden with medicinal and cosmetic herbs, and the Succulent Garden. There are many other species of trees and plants in the gardens. No dogs are allowed. Botanical Gardens

3. Just next to Craighall Park, Delta Park is a large green area that includes the Florence Bloom Bird Sanctuary with two hides for the bird watchers.  The park is very popular with dog walkers, who are allowed into the park area.

4. Pirates Sports Club - one of the oldest sports clubs in Gauteng, has cricket, hockey, rugby, soccer, running, and lawn bowling facilities. There are two squash courts and six tennis courts. There is a restaurant on the premises where you can enjoy after-sports drinks and a bite to eat. Pirates

5. Parkview Golf Club is an 18-hole, par 72 golf course set amongst beautiful mature trees. There is also a golf academy at the Club. It was founded in 1916, and memberships are proud that it is among the top 100 courses in South Africa. This is an accolade to be proud of, as there are over 450 golf courses in South Africa.

Distance to airports, main roads, and the CBD

Craighall Park is in Sandton, Johannesburg, and has a very convenient location. Jan Smuts Avenue along the northern border of Craighall Park will take you up into Randburg if travelling north, through the leafy suburbs of The Parks, and into the Johannesburg inner city if travelling south. The Braamfontein Spruit greenbelt makes a pretty western border to Craighall Park, reducing traffic levels in the suburb's west section.

It is a thirty-minute drive to the OR Tambo International Airport, a ten-minute drive into the Sandton CBD, and a five-minute drive to the high-end conveniences of Hyde Park.

Weather in Craighall Park

Johannesburg weather is some of the best in the world (in our opinion!). The Highveld, the region north of the Vaal River that includes Johannesburg, has a milder climate than the subtropical climate of the Lowveld, where the heat can be pretty extreme. Although near the Tropic of Capricorn, the Highveld is cooler because it's positioned on a high-lying plateau in the South African interior. Summer temperatures reach as high as 34 degrees Celsius, while winter temperatures fall to 3 or 4 -degrees Celsius on colder days.

Make Craighall Park your home, your story.

Craighall Park property pricing and the market trends particular to this suburb are the specialization of our top performing estate agent at Seeff Sandton, Rose Rolfe.  Rose is best placed to advise you on starting your new chapter, whether selling your home in Craighall Park and moving elsewhere or buying a new home in this pretty suburb of Sandton. Meet Rose Rolfe here and contact her directly; she looks forward to hearing from you.