Bedfordview is a popular area whose convenient location, excellent schools and amenities and village lifestyle is a magnet for property buyers.
About the area
Located in Ekurhuleni, Bedfordview has seen substantial investment turning it into a well-developed and popular residential area.
With its convenient location and proximity to shopping centres and easy access to the OR Tambo International Airport, excellent schools and other amenities, the suburb is becoming increasingly popular with families, say agents.
Renowned Insights series author and speaker Robin Wheeler grew up in the suburb and has lived there for 36 years. “Bedfordview has always kept a village feel and a community where everyone knows one another for generations, while also having an element of constant growth and people moving through.”
It is this element of constant growth that inspires his writings and feeds his creative mind. Having done much of the writing for his five Insights series of books in his home and places in and around Bedfordview, he says the suburb is the best kept secret.
Its leafy streets are perfect for afternoon walks while the specialised and privately owned Alleysway Gym next to the Italian Club is one of the places he frequents.
Foodies can choose from well-known brands such as Mythos, Tashas and Vovo Telo, and eateries in and around Bedfordview such as Osteria Rossa, Ottimo in Kensington and Saengcha Thai Restaurant for a taste of Thailand in Edenvale.
Bedfordview nestles around the Gillooly’s Interchange with highway onramps to everywhere woven throughout and offers special views of downtown Johannesburg.
There is a mix of accessible apartments and extravagant mansions on the hill, with the expansive Eastgate Shopping Centre and the exclusive Bedford Centre on its borders with several top private schools such as Bedfordview Primary and St Benedict’s College where Wheeler went to school.
“What I love most about Bedfordview is that it is self-contained with everything you need, and locals are teased for seldom venturing out of it as a result. What inspires me is the energy, the people and mostly that it is my hometown. Bedfordview is where my heart is,” Robin Wheeler, resident.
Top attractions:
- Bedford Centre for shopping and entertainment
- Bruma Lake Flea Market
- China City for bargains
- Huddle Park Golf & Recreation
- St Andrews Hotel and Spa for pampering and fine dining
Best in food:
- Lattelicious cafe
- Half Glass Fish & Grill
- Mythos for a taste of Greek
- Ottimo in neighbouring Kensington
- Piccola Rossa in Edenvale
Top schools:
- Bedfordview Primary School
- King David Schools
- Reddam House Bedfordview
- Saheti School
- St Benedict’s College
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
