Kensington, Gauteng
Kensington is a hilly suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was established in 1897 by Max Langermann. It is located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and is bounded to the west by the suburb of Troyeville, to the east by Bedfordview and the north by Bruma and Cyrildene.
History
Prior to the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886, the suburb lay on land of one of the original farms called Doornfontein. Kensington is laid out over the slopes of several koppies. The streets were laid out in 1903, with the suburb named by the owner of the land, Max Langermann. All of the streets coming off Langermann Drive are in alphabetical order and are named after British war ships.The streets were heavily planted with trees, which give the area a distinctive, wooded appearance. Notable features of the suburb include Rhodes Park, named after Cecil Rhodes; Jeppe High School for Boys, Jeppe High School for Girls, Kensington Castle and the Kensington Cross, along with other streets e.g. Emerald Street named on the far end of Kensington.
The Kensington Cross
The Kensington Cross is a memorial on Caledonia Hill, made out of granite with the shape of an Iona Cross, a superimposed sword, the memorial proudly bears the Scottish shield of lion rampant and royal treasure. The inscription reads "Nemo me impune lacessit 1900".Also known as the Boer War Cross of Iona, the statue has an identical twin. On the esplanade at Edinburgh Castle and the other is on Caledonia Hill, Johannesburg. The later is cared for by the Transvaal Scottish Association.