Type Inner city park Open All year Nearest city Johannesburg | Created 1937 Area 16 ha Operator Johannesburg City Parks | |
Location Houghton Drive, Houghton, Gauteng Operated by Johannesburg City Parks Parking Cnr of Houghton Drive and St. Patricks | ||
The Wilds is an inner city park in the suburb of Houghton, in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. The park consists of 16 hectares of indigenous vegetation on the sides of two rocky koppies or hills with views of the city of Johannesburg and its suburbs.
Background
The land was donated to the City of Johannesburg by the Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Company in 1924 with the condition that it remains in its natural state and open to the public. The land was too steep to be used for residential property development. After the end of the Empire Exhibition in January 1937, the plants from a rockery created to celebrated the city's silver jubilee and coronation of King George VI, had to be propagated somewhere and a decision was made to landscape the land as park with these plants. It opened to the public in 1938 with lawns, ponds and waterfalls with paths through park laid out in stone. The park is found on both sides of Houghton Drive and was connected by a footbridge in 1965. Due to security issues it is safer to visit the park in large groups with Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo arranging walks in The Wilds with their wardens for groups of ten or more persons.
The Wilds was declared a national monument on 20 February 1981 and a conservation area in 2006. The Wilds, since 2013, is managed by the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ), a non-profit company mandated by the City of Johannesburg to manage the cemeteries, parks and designated public open spaces.