THE BIG CITY SUBURB WITH THE HEARTBEAT OF A SMALL TOWN
WELCOME TO MUCKLENEUK / LUKASRAND
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Residents are proud of their easily accessible, yet secluded precinct. Nestled in the hills surrounding Pretoria is a suburb with strong Scottish ties.
When the Pretoria pioneer, George Walker, acquired a portion of the farm Elandspoort, he named it after his family estate in Scotland – Muckleneuk, colloquial Scots for ‘large corner or nook’. The suburb boast a unique character and rich historical heritage. The beautiful suburb is nestled against the Muckleneuk hill and characterised by Jacaranda-lined streets. A view from the neighbourhood offers spectacular views of the city’s skyline, and the Union buildings.
Muckleneuk borders Sunnyside to the north, Lukasrand and Groenkloof to the south, Bailey's Muckleneuk to the east and Pretoria Central to the northwest. The suburb is delimited on the west by Nelson Mandela Drive, on the north by Justice Mahomed Street (formerly Walker Street), on the east by Florence Ribeiro Avenue (formerly Queen Wilhelmina Avenue), and on the south by Willem Punt Avenue, Devenish Drive, and Kruin Street.
Its location facilitates easy access to the N14 (Krugersdorp), N1 (Johannesburg) and R21 (OR Tambo International Airport).
Due to its prime location between universities (UP and UNISA), hospitals (Zuid-Afrikaans, Jacaranda and Groenkloof Life – (formerly Little Company of Mary) and embassies (including those of Belgium, Egypt, Portugal and Finland) Muckleneuk and its much younger twin, Lukasrand (established in 1961), have historically attracted a rich mix of residents.
Muckleneuk and Lukasrand are set in an ideal position to access a number of facilities in the surrounding area, including the Austin Roberts Memorial Bird Sanctuary, Kruinpark, Voortrekker Monument, Freedom Park and Groenkloof Nature Reserve.
Shopping facilities nearby include centres in Sunnyside, Groenkloof, Menlyn and Brooklyn. The suburbs are also surrounded by some of the best schools in the country, including: Crawford College, Pretoria Boys’ High School, Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool, and Pretoria High School for Girls.
Beautiful streets filled with Jacaranda flowers
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An article in the Pretoria News of 23 February 2001 probably summed it up best by saying that the “.. suburb…is not regarded as a stepping stone. Once people have bought into Muckleneuk Hill they stay there for life’. This attitude is reflected in active community engagement through inter alia the Muckleneuk and Lukasrand Property Owners’ and Residents’ Association (MLPORA) and Muckleneuk Hills Security Initiative (MHSI).
BRIEF HISTORY
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Muckleneuk was established in the late 1890's and is one of the oldest residential suburbs in Pretoria.
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The suburb supports a rich historical heritage and unique character and it include numerous houses by famed architects such as Gerhard Moerdijk, Lockwood Hall, Willem de Zwaan and Sir Herbet Baker. Landmark buildings in the suburb include the Edwardian style Kirkness houses, the cottage style Moerdyk house in Pomona street, the more brutalist University of South Africa campus complex and the main builidngs of the Zuid Afrikaans Hospital. The distinctive Lukasrand tower was added to the skyline in 1978.
Sir Herbert Baker's "Stone Lodge" built 1906
Zuid-Afrikaans Hospital was established as a 6-bed nursing facility in 1904