Once considered one of South Africa’s more sedate and conservative cities, Pretoria, thanks to Hatfield, is now a destination for anyone who loves good food, a vibrant atmosphere, great shopping and a buzzing nightlife. Hatfield is Pretoria’s hippest and most lively suburb because of its big student population.
Home to the sprawling multi-campus University of Pretoria, founded in 1908 and today one of Africa’s top internationally recognised teaching and research universities, Hatfield is known for its youthful energy and diverse attractions.
University of Pretoria
A Look Back: Hatfield's Historical Roots
The suburb was proclaimed on a portion of land previously belonging to Koedoespoort, which was owned by Lourens Cornelius Bronkhorst in the nineteenth century. An heir to Bronkhorst's estate sold the farm in 1885 to the Wesleyan Methodist Society. The land was sold again in 1903, after the Second Boer War. It was purchased by the Colonial Secretary of the Transvaal, Patrick Duncan.
The first business in Hatfield was the Hatfield Bakery, which was opened by Sakkie Andrews in 1932. This was later followed by the Rissik Station Stores and the multi-storey Hatfield Galleries on Burnett Street. The area is also home to the Pretoria East Bowling club on Burnett Street. It is the oldest sports club in Hatfield and was established in 1923.
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Transportation and Accessibility
The suburb is served by the Gautrain. The Hatfield Gautrain station is located within the Hatfield Business Node east of the Pretoria CBD.
Hatfield Square and Student Life
Hatfield Square, for decades its much-loved traditional student hang-out and party place, is now being renovated as a new precinct for the student community with convenience stores, restaurants and coffee shops, alongside the suburb’s existing variety of good restaurants, funky clubs and lively bars.
A weekend in Hatfield 🦕 | University of Pretoria | Tuks student
The University of Pretoria and the Mapungubwe Collection
The University of Pretoria, affectionately known as “Tukkies”, is the home of the Mapungubwe Collection, housed in the Old Arts Building. Mapungubwe, a World Heritage Site, is a 13th-century Iron Age site situated in the far north of South Africa on the borders of Botswana and Zimbabwe, where a thriving African trade kingdom once flourished.
This unique collection of rare national treasures includes ivory, bone, copper and iron artefacts, indigenous and glass trade beads, clay figurines and gold ornaments, and the largest ancient gold collection in Southern Africa, including the famous figurine of a gold rhinoceros, a replica of which stands in Johannesburg’s Main Street.
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Mapungubwe Gold Rhino
Shopping and Dining at Duncan Yard
As well as its vibrant café and restaurant scene, Hatfield is a great shopping destination. Duncan Yard, in Hatfield’s heart, is a cleverly designed unique shopping yard of paved streets, twisting alleyways and wrought-iron staircases chock-a-block with individual shops, boutiques, galleries and restaurants.
Here you can discover bric-a-brac, antiques, designer and vintage clothing, handmade jewellery, fabric, leather and beaded items made by local communities, pottery, decor and interior design, delis, cafés, a florist, handmade furniture, a glass lamp workshop and teaching studio, a DJ studio and live music.
Duncan Yard
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