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History: The land on which St. Pau_x0019_s Church was erected, was granted by Governor Sir Lowry Cole on 30 August 1832 and is one of the earliest land grants to an Anglican Parish in South Africa. The site was consecrated by Bishop Daniel Wilson on 5 September 1832. Bishop Wilson was on route to India at the time and the local Church took the opportunity to have several clergyman ordained. Amongst these was the first Rector of St. Pau_x0019_s, Rev. E. Judge, whose appointment was confirmed by the Bishop of London. Trustees were soon afterwards appointed and funds collected for the erection of a new Church. Like St. Georg⁥_x0019_s Cathedral, parishioners were also requested to purchase shares in the building. The completed Church was, therefore, partly owned by the congregation. The original Church was designed by Major Mitchell R.E. in the Gothic Style. It had a thatched roof and could accommodate 150 people. The church was opened on 16 February 1834. Among those present on this occasion was Sir Benjamin d'Urban and his family. The building which cost £769, soon grew too small and, in 1847 an Ordinance was passed to empower the Church to raise £2 000 for a new building. As a result of this meeting a Vestry of eight members was elected and auditors appointed. A fund-raising was commenced with the assistance of John Barwell Ebden and a deputation visited the Governor to request a donation. In the meanwhile pressure on church accommodation had increased and in 1845 a gallery was added. The gallery could accommodate 100 people and, together with a wall for the yard, an amount of £307 was expended. The fund-raising drive for the new church in the meantime went exceedingly well and an amount of £1 950 was raised in the Parish, £630 in England and £1 500 was borrowed. Bishop Gray also donated £500 on behalf of the diocese. In October 1854 the enlargement scheme for the church was completed. The Original Church had been accommodated into the chancel of the enlarged church, which could now seat 450 people. Further alterations were done in 1857 when £58 was spent in the erection of new windows and in 1858 an organ of simple design by Bevington was installed at a cost of £35‶_x0014_1‰_x0014_3. St. Pau_x0019_s as it is today, was completed during the incumbency of the Rev. Hopkins Badnall, minister from 1869 to 1885. On his way back from a holiday abroad Badnall had returned with some fine stained glass for the church and a gift of £250 with which to commence the rebuilding.

The work commenced in 1880 and was completed in 1884. A new chancel was then added, the nave extended and a new chapel added. The cost was about £10 000. The bell turret, which was also erected at this time, was presented by the children of J.E. Ebden. A number of memorial windows were also presented to the church, these include ones for Lady Woodhouse and Ellen Mary Prince. The ornamental oak reredos was presented in 1 883 by Archdeacon Badnall in memory of his daughter. The organ, which is still in use, was the gift of Mr. T.J. Anderson in 1884, in memory of his first wife. After 1885 the Church remained largely as it appears today. However, in 1909, the beautiful east window was erected at a cost of £500—0—0. Without doubt this is one of the finest stained glass windows in South Africa. A fine brass lectern was also given to the church at stout this time. St. Paul’s church with its fine, historic graveyard is a landmark in Rondebosch. It is a good example of the neo-Gothic style as it occurs in South Africa and the history of the church is intimately linked with that of Rondebosch, as well as with that of the Anglican Church in South Africa. Its grounds also contribute to the environmental quality of the Main Road. The St. Paul’s church was declared a national monument in February 1980."
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Construction Date: 1832-4
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