This family friendly suburb boasts beautiful properties, good schools and a selection of shopping centres.
Westcliff, one of Joburg’s most affluent and established suburbs, boasts beautiful properties with views stretching as far as the Magaliesberg Mountains to the west. The properties have large, well-manicured gardens with some grand old mansions home to some of the country’s top businesses and personalities.
Katy Barton-Bridges has lived in Westcliff¬ since 2002 with her husband and three sons. She says the area is friendly and an ideal place to raise a family. “There’s something cheerful and bright about Westcliff¬ and we often tease friends who live elsewhere that there’s a very special light in the area.”
Katy says her sons and her friends’ children went to either The Ridge School or St Katharine’s School and would move happily from one home to another for playdates. Even though some have grown up and gone to different universities, she says the sense of closeness and family they shared in Westcliff¬ remains.
She points out that some older people have been moving out of the lush suburb lately, but she says that in some ways this is a good thing as it gives younger families an opportunity to buy into Westcliff¬ and experience the joy of living there.
Westcliff¬ is close to shopping centres including Hyde Park Corner and Rosebank Mall, the Princess Alice Adoption Home and several hospitals. There are good schools in the area and the Johannesburg Zoo and the Zoo Lake are close by. The suburb is also home to the well-known Four Seasons Hotel, The Westcliff¬ – a stylish urban resort o¬ffering luxury spa facilities and fine dining.
Katy says that on weekends many people can be seen walking their dogs while admiring the beautiful homes and gardens in the area, especially during the Open Gardens Meander in aid of various charities.
With a warm community, nature nearby and great amenities, Westcliff¬ is a great place to call home.
Westcliff is a wonderfully close, happy community and a number of our friends live or lived here too
-Katy Barton-Bridges, resident.
Dine out in Westcliff, Johannesburg
- Croft and Co: for a great cup of coffee with friends
- Franco's Pizzeria and Trattoria: for delicious and traditional pizzas
- IL Giardino D'egli Ulivi: for a tasty Italian or South African dinner
- Moyo Zoo Lake: for delectable Afro-fusion dishes in a beautiful setting
- Salvationcafe: for juicy burgers and refreshing cocktails
- Service Station Cafe: for incredible home-made ice cream
- Taste of Punjab: for authentic Indian cuisine
- View at Four Seasons: for fine-dining
Things to do in Westcliff, Johannesburg
- Glenshiel Christmas Fair (on the last weekend of October)
- Heritage walks with Flo Bird, chairman, Parktown Westcliff Heritage Trust
- Keyes Art Mile in Rosebank
Open Gardens Meander on 16 and 17 September
Top schools near Westcliff, Johannesburg
- Parkview Junior School
- Parkview Pre-Primary School
- Roedean School
- St Andrews School for Girls
- St Catherine’s
- The Ridge School
- The Hope School
- Westcliff Nursery School
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
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