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Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk - Now Museum
Tulbagh, Western Cape

Date:1748 : 1795
Type:Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk - Church
Status:Extant

 


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Coordinates:
33°17'19.24" S 19°08'16.54" E Alt: 145m

Also called the Oude Kerk (Old Church) and Kruiskerk (Cruciform Church), this is the oldest existing church building in South Africa.

The building was started in 1743 and completed in 1748. In 1795 the church was enlarged. The church fell into disuse in 1878 when the new one was built by Carl Otto HAGER. It was restored in 1914 and again in 1923 (possibly by Frederick McIntosh GLENNIE) when it was decided at the instigation of Lady Meiring Beck to turn it into a museum. After minor earthquake damage it was again restored in 1969 by GT FAGAN. The date on the gable was then changed from 1743 back to 1795.

All truncated references not fully cited below are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.


References:

Fagan, Gawie & Fagan, Gwen. 1975. Church Street in the Land of Waveren. Cape Town: Tulbagh Restoration Committee. pg 59, 61-66, 96, 107, 139, 160, 165
Fransen, Hans. 2004. The old buildings of the Cape. A survey of extant architecture from before c1910 in the area of Cape Town - Calvinia - Colesberg - Uitenhage. Johannesburg & Cape Town: Jonathan Ball Publishers. pg 368-9
Fransen, Hans. 1978. Guide to the Museums of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Galvin & Sales (Pty) Ltd, for the Southern African Museums Association. pg 100-101
Greig, Doreen. 1971. A Guide to Architecture in South Africa. Cape Town: Howard Timmins. pg 41, 221
Hatfield, Denis. 1967. Some South African Monuments. Cape Town: Purnell. pg 28-30
Hoevers, Jan. 2005. Van Kerke en Dorpe. Historiese vertellinge oor die oudste kerke en dorpe in Suid-Afrika. Centurion: Publiself Uitgewers. pg 130
Picton-Seymour, Désirée. 1989. Historical Buildings in South Africa. Cape Town: Struikhof Publishers. pg 76
Richardson, Deirdré. 2001. Historic Sites of South Africa. Cape Town: Struik Publishers. pg 159