Dutch Reformed Church, Durbanville, Reformed church building in Durbanville, South Africa
The Dutch Reformed Church in Durbanville is a church building featuring traditional Cape Dutch architecture from the early 19th century. The structure includes a separate bell tower visible from multiple angles around the grounds.
Farmers near Tygerberg petitioned Governor Lord Charles Somerset for a church at Pampoenkraal, and the cornerstone was laid on 1 April 1825. The first minister, Scotsman James Edgar, arrived in 1828 but left after two years. Johannes Jacobus Beck served from 1834 until his death in 1886, and the building was enlarged in 1891.
The congregation was originally known as Tijgerberg; the town was renamed D'Urban in 1834 and later Durbanville to avoid confusion with Durban in Natal. The first minister, James Edgar, left after two years partly because members could not understand his Dutch. A ring wall completed in 1833 still stands.
The church stands on the main road through Durbanville, the old route to the interior, with the separate bell tower beside it. A ring wall completed in 1833 still surrounds the building; it was built to keep wagons from outspanning against the walls.
A ring wall completed in 1833 still stands around the church; it was built to stop wagons from outspanning against the building. The separate bell tower stands apart from the nave, with its bell visible from outside.
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