The Language of Gravestones - Braamfontein Cemetery

Discover the hidden language carved into the headstones and graves at Braamfontein Cemetery. From scrolls and urns to angels, flowers, clasped hands and broken columns — each tells a story of remembrance, faith, loss and hope.

The cemetery, one of Johannesburg’s oldest, is filled with beautifully designed gravestones - small pieces of architecture, rich with symbolic meaning.

Join JHF guides Antoinette Morgan and Nicola Noble on an exploration of this historic symbolism, and learn more about some of the fascinating people laid to rest in the cemetery, the lives they lived, the legacies they left behind, and the role they played in shaping Johannesburg.

There is ample parking just inside the entrance gate on Graf Street, Braamfontein. Please wear closed, practical shoes and bring along sun protection and drinking water.