Driving through Yeoville is rarely a calm experience. Cars edge forward, taxis hoot impatiently, pedestrians weave through traffic, and the city hums at full volume. It’s a neighbourhood alive with movement — and noise.

But tucked away at 51 Raleigh Street is a place where Johannesburg seems to pause.

The Yeoville Public Library offers a welcome escape from the bustle outside. Step through its doors and the sounds of the street fade, replaced by quiet corners, shelves of books — and a fascinating link to the city’s past.

Trams outside Johannesburg City Hall, Market Street. Picture: Linton Bros

As HOT 1027 News reporter Al Prodgers explains, this peaceful space was never originally designed as a library at all. In the early 20th century, the building played a vital role in Johannesburg’s public transport system.

During the 1920s, Johannesburg relied on electric trams — towering, double-decked vehicles that ran on steel rails and drew power from live overhead wires. These trams were housed, maintained and repaired in large tram sheds, built with high arched entrances to accommodate their size. The Yeoville Public Library occupies one of those former sheds and is believed to be one of only three surviving examples in the city.

Evidence of its earlier life is still visible today. The original façade remains intact, while renovations uncovered antique hoisting machinery once used to lift heavy tram carriages. Builders even discovered an underground tunnel containing fragments of old rail track — hidden beneath the modern library floor.

Johannesburg’s trams were phased out in 1961, after decades of service — and no small measure of drama. Certain bends along the route became infamous for derailments, earning ominous nicknames that hinted at the risks of early urban travel.

Today, the Yeoville Public Library stands as a quiet reminder that getting around Johannesburg has always been an adventure — and that sometimes, the city’s richest history is found in its most unexpected places.

References

• City of Johannesburg – History of trams and public transport

• Johannesburg Heritage Foundation – Yeoville and transport heritage

• Johannesburg Libraries – Yeoville Public Library