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Edenvale - Heritage in a Business, Residential and Industrial Area

Located about midway between the O.R. Tambo International Airport and Johannesburg in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, Edenvale is a mix of residential, business and industrial areas, with a well-established infrastructure as part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and centrally situated with easy access to major freeways.

While being in the middle of one of the busiest areas in South Africa, Edenvale treasures its heritage which is evident by the restoration and preservation of places such as Horwood’s Farm and its historic homestead, originally built in 1902 and now a national monument. Horwood’s Farm is a popular leisure spot for families, offering a stream complete with ducks, paved cycling paths, children’s play equipment and wide open spaces for picnicking.

Another historically significant area of Edenvale is the suburb of Modderfontein. The booming mining industry in the Witwatersrand in the late 1880s created a demand for explosives and Modderfontein was established in 1896 to serve as the headquarters of the Dynamite Company. Set in densely forested terrain many of the beautifully crafted homes were built by German and Dutch immigrants working at the dynamite factory. Modderfontein is now a housing estate and many of the original buildings have been restored, with the Dynamite Company Museum offering insight into the history that shaped this lovely town. Other places of interest in and around Edenvale include Gillooly’s Farm, De Molen Dutch bakery, a smaller replica of the Zeldenrust Molen in Holland, and the impressive state-of-the-art Ricardo Mulder Library.