Mark Levin
This week’s old photograph of the house Glenlea dates back to about 1900. Its original address was 27 Grey Street. However in 1935, the lower end of Grey Street which ran from West Street to the Victoria Embankment was renamed Broad Street. In 2012, Grey Street and Broad Street were renamed Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street.
Glenlea was the residence of James Edward Button who moved there from his Beach Grove home in about 1899.
Born and educated in Pietermaritzburg, he was the eldest son of JT Button, one of the early wool traders in that city. With the extension of the railways in early 1880, Durban with its port gained in importance. Wool was increasingly sent direct to Durban with towns like Pietermaritzburg and Kokstad eventually sidelined.
In 1887 James relocated to Durban and entered into a partnership with Mr Pollok, who had been a wool broker since 1871. Pollok and Button became one of only two wool auctioneers in Durban. The other firm was Reid and Acutt. Merchants had abandoned private selling, instead they sold through these two firms at auction.
Pollok and Button traded from 42 Commercial Road, but as their partnership prospered, they opened a second branch at 63 Queen Street, contending that they escaped the worst of the humidity near the sea. Their telegram address was “Wool”. During the rush period of the wool season, the side roads in the wool areas were often blocked by long lines of wagons offloading bales of wool.
Glenlea was conveniently close to Button’s business.
After Pollok’s death, Button became the sole partner until the decision was made to incorporate the business into a limited liability company.
In 1923, the leading wool companies opened the Durban Central Wool Exchange, the first such exchange in South Africa. Situated in the wool trade area on the Victoria Embankment, all wool auctions were conducted there by their respective brokers. Pollok and Button continued to trade until the early 1950s, when it ceased to exist.
Apart from the wool trade, James Button was also a director of the Umhloti Valley Sugar and Estate Company. He spent his spare time in his garden at Glenlea.
Today there is no trace of his home in what was once a desirable part of Durban.
