Bordeaux, Randburg

Lying between Blairgowrie and the fifth extension of Hurlingham, Bordeaux is a typical Randburg neighbourhood, its streets laid out on a grid with admittedly smaller plots than nearby Ferndale, but virtually untouched by urban sprawl, which has marred so many neighbourhoods to the north of Johannesburg, carving the suburbs up into smaller and smaller townhouse security complexes. And one would be correct in guessing that Bordeaux is named after the French city of the same name. A man named Charles Rocher bought a portion of a farm in the area called Driefontein and renamed his section, Bordeaux. In fact, Randburg, which today has well over 32 suburbs, began as four farms - Klipfontein, Driefontein, Olievenhoutspoort, and Boskop.

This part of Johannesburg, which was more than a couple of hours’ worth of horseback riding from the city, attracted many a gold speculator. Street names like Church Street and Pritchard Street were allocated to give the impression that the settlement, that later became Randburg, was part of the Golden City.

Bordeaux sits amidst a number of large residential areas like Olivedale, Randpark Ridge, Boskruin, Fairlands, and others that are grouped together in an area well known for its myriad shopping malls - Brightwater Commons, Cresta Centre, and Northgate. Bordeaux is also merely 10 kilometres from Sandton City, home to Johannesburg’s Stock Exchange and the hub of the northern suburbs.