Normally all are in hurry and do not spend a lot of time intown apart from filling up on fuel, visit the loo and get something cold for the road.  With the sharp hike in the fuel prices, we started to explore closer to home.  The road took as to Laingsburg and Matjiesfontein.The most famous happening that put the town on the map and earned a place in history was probably the disastrous flood on 25 January 1981. With an annual rainfall of only 175 mm per year a flood was for sure not on the minds of this Karoo town when it started raining on 24 January 1981.  The Buffalo River burst its bank and with the confluence of the Wilgehout, Baviaans and Buffalo Rivers near the railway bridge disaster struck and 184 residents lost their lives and 184 houses were destroyed.  10 survivors from this flood were found in the Floriskraal Dam about 21  km form town.  You can visit the small Vloed Museum in town that tells the sad story of that day.  Note that most of the exhibit is in Afrikaans.

Tucked away behind the Shell garage is a stone church with an interesting steeple – to me it looks like icing on a cake. It dates back to 1905 and stood the test of the flood waters of 1981. Amazingly the sermon Ds Jacobs delivered that same Sunday morning of the flood remained preserved in his notebook in his flooded study. He, however, lost his life.

When you enter the town from Ladismith’s side you will pass under the railway bridge which are now dressed with rainbow colours.  If you are looking for a photo opportunity this spot makes a nice backdrop for pictures.

As you leave town driving northwards to Beaufort West you will see a blockhouse that dates back to 1900 and the Anglo Boer War.  Blockhouses were normally strategically placed alongside the railway line which was of major importance during the war.  You cannot enter the blockhouse but stop in the parking bay and admire the skill with which it was built (33°10’32.41″ S 20°59’08.06″ E)

The area is also known to produce some of the finest garlic in the country.  These products are stocked at Hakkiesdraad coffee shop in front of the museum.  I fell in love with the pepper garlic!

If you are interested in South African history and the Anglo Boer War follow the link below to read more on our visit to Matjiesfontein.

travelbucket.co.za/a-step-back-in-time-matjiesfontein

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The church with its lovely setting is situated close to a grove of trees and overlooks the beach and ocean towards the distant Tsitsikama Mountains.

In 1848 when the Grays (Rev Robert and his wife Sophy) arrived at the Cape of Good Hope there were almost no Anglican churches in the diocese in Cape Town. Bishop Gray’s enthusiasm – the obvious need for churches – and apparent lack of architectural services as well as money probably encouraged Sophia Gray (a self taught architect) to design buildings to suit the immediate needs.

Saint Peter’s was built from a random selection of stones and boasts beautiful glass stained windows.  The church welcomes visitors, but please show respect when entering the premises.

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This gave me the time to roam around town and to explore all of the few choices of shops in Winburg.  In the centre of town is the magnificent old stone church with the following interesting history.

The Klip Kerk

The European community of Winburg is famous for the differences in political heritage. The town was divided into two camps, due to their support to either the South African Party of General Jan Smuts, or the National Party of Dr Daniel François Malan. This led to the division of the Dutch Reformed Church into two separate congregations, Klip Kerk (Stone Church), which was the original church for the Dutch Reformed Church, and Rietfontein Church in Voortrekker Road. Bitter feuds were fought between supporters of the two parties.” (Excerpt from Wikipedia).

Rietfontein Church

And, like a  true  South African, I also found a butchery across the Rietfontein Kerk which sells some of the best biltong  I have tasted in a long time and at a reasonable price too.  If we now are going in that direction we make the little detour into town to stock up on some padkos.

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Waking up to a freezing but spectacular sunrise and after a hearty breakfast we set off on our long day’s ride.   First of all we had to get Daisy (for those of you who do not know – that is my GS) and Ogre (that is hubby’s GS) going in the chilly weather.   Like our cold and stiff fingers they were not used to these low temperatures of the Karoo.  Welcome in the heartland of the Karoo!

On our way out of town I was fortunate enough to track down another Sophy Gray church at 31°55′00″S 21°30′47″E which was built in 1870 – one year before her death  on 27  April 1871.  As it was still very early the church was  locked so no opportunity to take a sneak peak inside.   Today it had to be a “drive by shooting” snapshot of the church.

So happy  to add another tick to my Sophy Gray list.  The hunt is on for some more.

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Sophy’s stone churches stole my heart and now I am on a quest to tick them off one by one.  This quaint church with its tranquil garden is situated in the Main Road, but is easily missed when one is in a hurry.

John Rex., son of the legendary George Rex, laid the foundation stone in 1849 and soon after in 1850 construction started on plans adapted and provided by Sophy.  Her church, the first in Knysna, is standing in front of the newer, darker church building which was only constructed in 1926.

The gardens are well kept and the green grass, edged with white flowers, provided a good back drop for pictures.  According to the notice board at the gate it states no sleeping on the church grounds, amongst others, but some vagrants enjoyed a New Years nap in the shade of the church garden.

We spent some time walking through the old graveyard and noticed some more Rex graves and also a grave of John Benn in the gardens.  Can this be the famous skipper that served Knysna in the early days?  I think I have some research to do ….

Unfortunately the church doors were locked so we could not take a peek inside.  Maybe next time when I pass by this way.

From the 40 churches where Sophy was involved I have managed to tick off 10 from the list. I think this may be a good enough excuse to take more trips in 2016 to find the others dotted all over South Africa.

My ticked list so far:  

• St George, Knysna 1849
• School Chapel, Beaufort West 1849
• St Marks, George 1849
• Holy Trinity, Belvidere, Knysna 1851
• Christ Church, Beaufort West 1852
• St Pauls, North End, Port Elizabeth 1854
• St Judes, Oudtshoorn 1860
• St Augustine, Frazerburg 1869
• All Saints, Uniondale  1869
• St Peters, Plettenberg Bay 1879

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Situated across the street from the run down municipal building we found the St Agnes Anglican Church dating back to 1901.  It was erected by a railway engineer in memory of fallen British soldiers, of whom some were stone masons, and were stationed at Noupoort during the Second Boer War.

However before the troops could complete the church they were repatriated.  That is probably the wall that I noticed just below the bell tower and was wondering what went wrong.

It was the first time that I noticed this unique timber type bell tower on a church.  I sort of like the look of the timber bell tower.   Also have a good look at the roof and you will notice vent tiles which are another unique feature that I have never seen before, but makes perfect sense in the heat of the Karoo.

The building is now part of the museum, but was unfortunately locked so we could not have a look inside and can only be visited by phoning the number displayed on the information board at the gate.  Today was not the day for a visit as we still had some way to travel.

On the opposite corner is the St Andrews Presbyterian Church with a corner stone dating back to 1903 and also houses a little museum.  Sadly it is also in state of neglect as some of the gable roof tiles are missing and pigeons are nesting inside.  Apparently some of the pews, the font and pulpit were removed from the church for use in St Saviors Church in Midrand.

Judging by the current state of both churches one can only hope that these gems will stand the test of time.

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Arriving over the lunch hour on a sunny day I found the gardener attending to the lawn with love and care.  He only gave me a quick glance and carried on with his tasks at hand.

Today the little stone church stood out against the blue sky with picture opportunities aplenty.

This is another one of the legendary Sophy Gray churches. The design of the cathedral is based on the Littlemore Church near Oxford in England which was designed by Henry Jones Underwood.  Three stonemasons were used to build the cathedral and it was completed in only 13 months.  Without the modern technology and tools available that is not a bad accomplishment at all.

I could not take nice pictures of the stained windows, but it might be the oldest in South Africa as it dates back to before Van Riebeeck arrived in the Cape of Good Hope. This was apparently recovered from a church in Germany during the French Revolution, brought to England and then found its way to South Africa.

Wandering through the graveyard at the back of the cathedral I saw a number of historic graves; Bishop Sidwell, Henry Fancourt White – the builder of the Montagu Pass who died in 1866 – and Major H D Warden who founded Bloemfontein while serving as British Resident of the land beyond the Orange River.

Sophy Gray, who designed and built 53 churches in South Africa, was buried at St Saviour’s in Claremont.  This half an hour visit enriched my life as I learned something about our beautiful town which I can share with all of you out there.

After this visit I can tick another Gray church from my list!

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In May 1881 the Italians were brought to Gouna with the intention and under the impression that there were an abundance of mulberry trees in the forest.  They were to start up a silk industry on the African continent.  It turned out that the mulberry trees that the woodcutters referred to were not related by any means to the real mulberry at all.

After the project failed the families were abandoned by the government and had to make a living out of agriculture, cattle farming and some also became woodcutters.   Thus in 1891 the small San Ambrosio Church was built to render sort of a connection to their lives back home in far away Italy.

Today you will still find Italian surnames not only in and around Knysna but their decedents are scattered all over South Africa.

The church is open daily for visits and a little museum tells the captivating history of the forgotten Italians of the forest.  To find the church, take the road up the hill past Simola, turn left at the Gouna turn off and carry on with the gravel road until you find a sign on the left leading to the church.

This story is also told in the well known book Mulberry Forest (Moerbeibos) of Dalene Matthee.  I have just decided that with my new found knowledge it is time to read the book once again with a new perspective and empathy.

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King Williams Town started as a mission station on the banks of the Buffalo River in 1834 and boasts a number of old and interesting buildings.  This probably also explain the abundance of steeple chases that you can see when scanning the horizon.

 While having breakfast at the Spur I had a good vantage point to admire yet another Sophy Gray church.  When reading up on the history of the stone churches I became hooked on this remarkable and inspiring woman that Sophy Gray was and now try to find as many of her churches as  I possibly can.  It seems they just have the habit of popping up in the most unexpected places!

Built by prisoners garrisoned in King Williams Town this little gem’s foundation stone was laid in 1850 and officially opened in 1856.  As it was still early morning the doors were securely locked so I was not afforded a peep inside.   I am sure the inside, like all the other Sophy Gray churches, will not disappoint.

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Here you can witness the incredible history, architecture and craftsmanship that are present at this stately building which is also declared a National Heritage site.

The church’s story starts a decade or so before it was inaugurated.  On 14 April 1832 Rev Ballot laid the first cornerstone of the building, but because of financial problems the building took twelve years to complete.  But then the church suffered the unwelcome event on 13 September 1905 when the steeple collapsed after 10 inches (+- 250 mm) of rain fell in three days.  The congregation bravely started with reconstruction work and the present bell was bought at the time. The London firm, Philipson and Stow, presented the congregation with the steeple clock.

As you exit the front doors of the church there is a historical old sundial next to the path of the main entrance which was erected by surveyor Edmore one and a quarter centuries ago.

The teak door of the main entrance was brought from Cape Town to George by ox wagon – not an easy task in those days!  Even today with the well developed road network it will take a week or two to transport it from Cape Town to George.  The present day organ dates back to 1879.  The high wooden ceiling is very impressive and the yellowwood  and stinkwood  for the ceiling, support pillars and galleries all came from local forests in Plettenberg Bay and Knysna. The pulpit was also constructed from stinkwood at a cost of R400, which I suspect in those days was quite a fortune.

Although a historical building the church is still active and sermons are held every Sunday.

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