Melville, Gauteng
Encyclopedia
Melville is a Bohemian
suburb
of Johannesburg
, Gauteng, South Africa
. It is the location of many restaurant
s and bar
s, which are mostly frequented by student
s from the nearby University of Johannesburg
, located in Auckland Park. It is also one of the city's gay village
s.
The suburb was proclaimed on 5 October 1896, and is named after the land surveyor
, Edward Harker Vincent Melville. In the public sale notice, the suburb was described as "picturesque and healthy spot in the vicinity of Johannesburg with a magnificent view of the wooded country to the north with the blue Pretoria ranges stretching like lines of steel against the horizon."
The area, along with Parkhurst
and Greenside
is one of the few areas of the Northern Suburbs to have cafes, restaurants and shops lining the streets rather than in enclosed shopping centres
. The majority of the restaurants are located along 7th Street
, although there are a few new restaurants and nightclubs on Main Street, most well known are probably Roxy's, Catz Pyjamas and Cool Runnings. There are over 30 guest houses in the vicinity, and is a popular stopover in Johannesburg for tourists. On 7th Street, there are numerous restaurants and bars; SIX Cocktail Bar http://www.sixcocktailbar.com is a popular hang-out for a cosmopolitan crowd, and is famous for its unique cocktails.
The popular soap opera
, 7de Laan, uses views of 7th Street, Melville in its opening visuals.
Melville is also well known for the Melville Koppies (an archeological site, with rolling hills of grassland with views over the city), and is near the historic suburb of Sophiatown.
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
suburb
Suburbs of Johannesburg
The suburbs of Johannesburg are officially demarcated areas within the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. As in other Commonwealth countries, the term suburb refers to a "neighbourhood", although the term has a somewhat stronger meaning in South Africa as most "suburbs" have legally recognised...
of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, Gauteng, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is the location of many restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s and bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
s, which are mostly frequented by student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s from the nearby University of Johannesburg
University of Johannesburg
The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Technikon Witwatersrand and the Rand Afrikaans University . Prior to the merger, the Daveyton and Soweto campuses of the former Vista University had been incorporated into RAU...
, located in Auckland Park. It is also one of the city's gay village
Gay village
A gay village is an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries where a large number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people live or frequent...
s.
The suburb was proclaimed on 5 October 1896, and is named after the land surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
, Edward Harker Vincent Melville. In the public sale notice, the suburb was described as "picturesque and healthy spot in the vicinity of Johannesburg with a magnificent view of the wooded country to the north with the blue Pretoria ranges stretching like lines of steel against the horizon."
The area, along with Parkhurst
Parkhurst, Gauteng
Parkhurst is a small, but dense northern Johannesburg suburb, Gauteng Province, South Africa of about 2000 households and 4000 residents.Although, it is mainly residential with many people working from their home, there are two main business roads - 4th Avenue which has the restaurants, cafes and...
and Greenside
Greenside, Gauteng
Greenside is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa.Greenside was initially a farm founded by the Geldenhuys brothers.Greenside's name is considered to be Scottish in origin, and refers to the adjacent Parkview Golf Course. Most of the roads in Greenside were named after golf courses or...
is one of the few areas of the Northern Suburbs to have cafes, restaurants and shops lining the streets rather than in enclosed shopping centres
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
. The majority of the restaurants are located along 7th Street
7th Street (Johannesburg)
7th Street is a street located in the Johannesburg suburb of Melville. It is lined with many restaurants and bars, which are mostly frequented by students from the nearby University of Johannesburg. See 7de Laan....
, although there are a few new restaurants and nightclubs on Main Street, most well known are probably Roxy's, Catz Pyjamas and Cool Runnings. There are over 30 guest houses in the vicinity, and is a popular stopover in Johannesburg for tourists. On 7th Street, there are numerous restaurants and bars; SIX Cocktail Bar http://www.sixcocktailbar.com is a popular hang-out for a cosmopolitan crowd, and is famous for its unique cocktails.
The popular soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, 7de Laan, uses views of 7th Street, Melville in its opening visuals.
Melville is also well known for the Melville Koppies (an archeological site, with rolling hills of grassland with views over the city), and is near the historic suburb of Sophiatown.