Churches of the Garden Route
After we left the Harkerville Saturday Market, we went back to Plett to the “Market on Main”, amongst others, which we will feature next week. Right next door to this market is the most beautiful little church, which will feature in this week’s column. I thought I would join the accounts of this and two other churches in the area together. These churches were chosen for no other reason than they are simply quite beautiful…
Perhaps the most famous of all names containing ‘fontein’… This is a farm in the North West, located about 200 km west of Pretoria.
Whilst religion is not necessarily a subject that we cover in this newsletter, it is of interest to note that the building of churches, the reasons, their history etc are an interesting way in which the history of a country is recorded. It is one of the institutions that, as a matter of course, keeps detailed records. I challenge you to find a church that has no records… When people are exploring and settling in new lands, there are two important aspects to their initial settling. The first is water – people will only settle where there is a source of water. Without it you cannot survive, and it has always made sense to settle close to the source, rather than carry it for miles. In South Africa the word “fontein” (translates to ‘fountain”) bears testament to this – the number of town names that end in ‘fontein’ is staggering. Once that box is ticked, shortly thereafter comes religion i.e. to build a place of worship. And so it is, through the history of churches, one can gather some of the history of the area. It is obviously not the history of all as most churches seem to be attached to a denomination, but it is none-the-less a historical record of the area…
St. Peter’s Anglican Church (Plett)
St. Peter’s Anglican Church was built in Plettenberg Bay between 1878 and 1881. Sophia Gray, wife of Bishop Robert Gray, drew up the plans in 1850. Bishop Grey had been appointed by the Colonial Bishoprics Council to serve as the first bishop of the Church of England in the Cape of Good Hope and Natal and arrived in Africa with his wife in February 1848. Part of his objective was to increase the number of Anglican ministers serving the English communities in the colonies; and in the period between 1848 and 1872, he founded about forty churches for this purpose.
St Peters was originally a wooden church, built by William Newdigate (a wealthy Englishman who owned a farm in the area of Plettenberg Bay) in 1850, as there was a shortage of funds for a stone church. In 1872, following the death of his wife, Gray visited the area and declared the need for a stone church. The wooden church was blown down by a gale in 1875. Bishop Robert Gray passed away before the building of the stone church began, but the founding work of the Bishop and the plans drawn by his wife Sophia (a self-taught architect), credit them as major contributors to the eventual building of St Peter’s. The church was used for the first time on Easter Sunday 1881, and was consecrated by Bishop West Jones on 14 August 1881.
The Holy Trinity Church (Belvidere)
The Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican Church located in the Belvidere Estate on the way to Brenton on Sea. Thomas Duthie (a son-in-law of George Rex was always a religious man (in fact, his brother, Archie, was a clergyman). So, when Robert Gray was consecrated as the first Bishop of Cape Town in 1840, he made immediate plans to travel to the Cape to meet him.
Six weeks later, Duthie arrived at the Bishop’s official residence (then known as Protea, but now called Bishopscourt in Cape Town) seeking an audience to discuss plans for churches in the Knysna-Plettenberg Bay area. The Bishop showed them a series of plans drawn up by his wife, Sophia, who had made an extensive study of old churches in England for this very purpose.
Four months later, the Grays made the first of many visits to Belvidere, and, together with Duthie, settled on the old Norman-style design of the 11th and 12th centuries for the church. The foundation stone was laid on 15 October 1851, and the church was consecrated by Bishop Gray on the 5th of October 1855.
The church’s bell (cast in London) was donated by Francis Newdigate. On arrival, it was dropped into the Knysna lagoon during offloading. It remained under water for months before it could be salvaged and finally installed in its rightful place. In 1987 it was discovered that its turret moved every time the bell was rung – the bracket had rusted away, and the stones of the turret had disintegrated. These were replaced (the stones were carefully removed, marked for position, and recreated by specialist masons in Mossel Bay) – at a price greater than the £900 that the entire building had cost when it was originally built!!
St. George’s Church (Knysna)
This is the first church built in Knysna. The foundation stone was laid in April 1849 by John Rex, son of George Rex, who donated the land. The construction commenced in 1850, using a plan adapted by (you guessed it!) Sophia Gray. The church was consecrated by Bishop Robert Gray on 3rd October 1855.
In 1919 a decision was taken to build a new church to the north. In September 1926 the foundation stone was laid by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Henry Sidwell, Lord Bishop of George. The design of this church, to accommodate a congregation of 250, was by architects Simpson & Bridgman of Oudtshoorn (by this time Sophia Gray had already passed on). The tender offer of £6300 was accepted and the builder was J. Donald of Knysna.
Within these grounds lie George Rex’s original headstone, which was lovingly pieced together after being vandalised on his grave. As you come into Knysna from Plett, you will find George Rex’s actual grave on the left. It’s on Waze as “Grave of George Rex”. It’s listed as being in Plover Road, but the actual road that takes you there is Waenhout Avenue.
George Rex (29 August 1765 – 3 April 1839) was a British-born entrepreneur who spent most of his adult life in the Cape Colony. He played a key role in Knysna’s development.
The little cemetery is somewhat overgrown, and at the end of a dead-end road (which I guess is appropriate!).
In 2019, the Knysna Historical Society reported the dilapidated state of the cemetery, and they began work restoring the property. It is now surrounded by a sturdy fence prohibiting access, and the original headstone was moved to a spot adjacent to the new St. George’s Church as per paragraph above.
Each of these churches contain a little piece of our country’s history and tell the stories of people who lived decades ago. It’s a worthy morning / day’s outing to visit these quiet, beautiful spots…
Jacqui Ikin & The Cross Country Team
St. Peter’s Anglican Church (Plett)
24 Church St, Plettenberg Bay
The Holy Trinity Church (Belvidere)
6 Queen St, Belvidere Estate, Knysna
St. George’s Church (Knysna)
10 Main Rd, Knysna
Grave of George Rex
Plover Rd, Old Place, Knysna
(but actually near Waenhout Avenue)