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History: The building known as “St John the Evangelist” is probably the most unaltered example of the work of Sophia Gray, the wife of Bishop Robert Gray, first Anglican Bishop of Cape Town. Since the arrival of the Grays in the Cape in 1843, Sophia Grey was responsible for the erection of many Anglican churches, namely St Saviour’s in Cape Town; the Armstrong Memorial Chapel in Grahamstown, churches in Graaff Reinet, Riversdale and Worcester. The St John’s Church, which was designed by Sophia Gray and erected by a contractor named Cane, was built in two stages at a cost of £1 700. The rectangular stone building with a steep slate roof and straight-sided gable at its front end, was built on the remains of a previous church building erected by a group of British Settlers. The first stage was taken into use in 1865 and consecrated by Bishop Gray in 1866. The choir behind, with a higher roof, was completed in 1874.
The Church is an excellent example of neo-Gothic church architecture and was most probably designed on the Early English form of the Gothic style due to the fact that funds for the erection was minimal, it is mainly the simplicity of style which contributes to the aesthetic success of the building. The building as a whole has weathered the time remarkably well, even to the nineteenth century fittings and furniture within its interior.
The parsonage probably dates from the 1840 ‘s and is similar to the rectory in Bredasdorp. It has a very unusual plan, being square with only a narrow opening giving access to the central courtyard. The front and back facades, with dormer gables and Georgian doors and windows, are almost identical. The front part of the house retained its original ceilings hit has lost its old floors, while the back part retains its old floors hit has new ceilings. St John’s Church, as well as the Parsonage, form an integral part of the historic core of Clanwilliam and also of the history of the British Settlers and the Anglican Communities of South Africa.
Proclaimed 1982
Visual Description: Rectangular stone building with steep slate roof and a straight-sided gable at its front end. The choir behind, following the same form, is an 1876 addition.
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Condition: Fair
Construction Date: 1866
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