Munro Drive
The Munro Drive is a major landmark in Upper Houghton, connecting Upper Houghton with Lower Houghton through Houghton Ridge. From the viewpoint on The Munro, amazing views are offered over the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. A clear view is to be seen over Rosebank, Sandton, Houghton and Midrand. On a clear day one can see as far as the Voortrekker monument in Pretoria.
The supporting wall of the Munro Drive was originally built with loose stones. Upper Houghton's oldest resident, Malcolm Freeland, recalls that bees loved to hive there. Unfortunately this wall collapsed in the 1930's (around 1938), creating a massive earth tremour. The Town Council of that time carefully rebuilt the supporting wall to the way it looks today.
Besides for the collapsing of the wall, there has been other notable events surrounding the Munro in the last hundred years. With the advent of the motor car, the Munro was not only favoured for its marvelous views, but many motorists decided to commit suicide by driving off the cliff at the Munro. Airplanes caused their fair share of havoc when in the 1920's the house built on the corner of Elm and St Patrick had its chimney taken off by an airplane flying a little too low over this site.
Also note on the photographs, taken in the 1920's and 1930's, that picket fences were used. The reason for this was that the Munro was built before electricity, and the was therefore no streetlights available to light the way. The white picket fences were later replaced with the current stone pillars.
