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9/2/004/0003

Group

SiteHeader

SiteID: 

29493

FullSiteName: 

Christ Church, Main Road, Burgersdorp

SiteCategory: 

PropertyIsSite: 

No

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Group content visibility: 

Public - accessible to all site users

Author: 

Anonymous

FeaturedSite?: 

NO
Post date: 07/08/2012
Site Comments:

Archive Import
History: Towards 1844 about 300 families living between the Stormsbergspruit and the Kraai River were granted permission by the Dutch Reformed presbytery of Graaff-Reinet to establish a parish of their own. 27 December 1847 they purchased the farm Klipfontein belonging to Gert. Ruytenbach, to found a town and build a church. The town was presumably named Burgersdorp because of the fact that the town was established on the initiative of the burghers themselves. Although the town had always been the stronghold of “Doppers’ or “Gereforraeerd& adherents, the English community wrote to the Bishop of Grahamstown asking permission to build a church and have a ministry. The Rev. W.C. Wallis was sent from Grahamstown to ascertain the wishes of the members of the Church of England and the extent to which the inhabitants could support a minister. Thus on 10 May 1858 a public meeting was held in the Court House of Burgersdorp under the chairmanship of Mr. John Blake, acting Civil Commissioner of the District of Albert. Thereafter frequent meeting were hold in the Court House to raise funds for the building of a church. The foundations of the church were eventually laid in 1861 at a cost of £25. In 1862 the Dutch Reformed Church presented the Anglican community with two adjoining erven. When the church was completed it was named Christ Church. In 1902 the foundation stone for the Chancel was laid and stained-glass windows were built in, in memory of Mr. Jaitmes Shorten, Mayor of the town and Church Warden for many years. In 1906 the church was lit by means of Carbide gas. This was replaced in 1919 by paraffin lamps and again in 1923 by electricity. Also noteworthy are the Bible on the handsomely carved lectern which was presented in 1869 by Mrs. Annie Loxton, and the organ which was installed in 1890. Both are still in use. The church was declared a national rtonument in August 1980.
Visual Description: Architecturally, it is a highroofed late- Victorian church building with neo—Gothic features. The east end has a facade broken by three lancet windows heavily rusticated and underlined by a plaster pediment. The side facades have three round-head casements in the late-Victorian style, each capped by hood mouldings imitating a drip— course. The side facade is also supported by four buttresses divided by plaster surrouldings into three divisions. These buttresses have an ornamental function only as the white plastered walls are on stone foundations and require no support.
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Construction Date: 1860s;1902
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Catalogue: , No: , Significance Category:

 
 

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