101 Country Churches of South Africa
The idea of exploring
country towns and, in particular, their churches arose from a need to escape
the city. This concept germinated some forty years ago, when I acquired my
first car. Many of the churches in country towns are placed in central, focal
positions, and this serves to emphasise their prominence – think of those churches
situated in market squares or traffic circles, or where they form a terminal
vista at the end of a cross-street.
Why Country churches?
The problem with some
church buildings in cities is that they are often situated in cramped sites,
are often hemmed in by other buildings or skyscrapers, and are often closed for
security reasons. All these factors detract from the sense of peace and
serenity that should prevail. By contrast, country churches do not always have
these drawbacks, and are generally more accessible as a result. And yes, they
do offer solace, peace and quiet, especially when the town is half-asleep in
the heat of the day, and there is nothing but sun and blue sky and a beautiful
church spire to look at.
Although it took a
very long time to actually get to write a book on South Africa’s country
churches, once I teamed up with y co-author, Darryl David in 2008, the idea of
doing a joint work was far more appealing to me than going it alone. Darryl,
who is the founder of Richmond Booktown (South Africa’s first town dedicated to
books, with lots and lots of bookshops, shared the same interest and passion as
I did, so it made sense that we join forces in accomplishing this book, called 101 Country Churches of South Africa. The
book was self-published in late 2010, as we were unsuccessful in eliciting sufficient
interest from the publishing industry in general. It consists of 116 pages and
in full colour, (of course!)
At the outset, I need
to mention that the contents of the book do not reflect a religious
perspective, but focuses rather on the aesthetics and architectural merits of
the church buildings. Truth be known, South Africa has been left with a legacy
of remarkable church architecture, where many of the architects, usually from
Europe, left their mark. Think of architects such as Sir Herbert Baker, who
designed the Union Buildings and several city cathedrals and some smaller
country churches; Charles Freeman, who
designed buildings such as the massive Dutch Reformed Church in Graaff-Reinet
and the Methodist church in Greenmarket Square, Cape Town; Sophy Gray, who came
to South Africa in the mid-19th Century with her husband, Bishop
Robert Gray, and through whose architectural plans and designs, produced some
forty churches for the various Anglican congregations in the Western, Eastern
and Northern Cape; Carl-Otto Häger, the German architect who designed beautiful
“Gothic” churches, famous for their pinnacles and still very much in evidence in
various towns in the Western and Eastern Cape; William Henry Ford, who designed
some lovely castle-like church buildings throughout most provinces; Gerhard
Moerdyk, our very own architectural genius, who designed over ninety church
buildings, many of these in the “Byzantine” style, with their domes and cupolas.
And there are lots of other talented architects and building contractors who
contributed to our architectural legacy. Our main interest is in the design of
older church buildings, say before 1940, as, after this period, the church
designs became modern and angular, and these structures do not appeal to us at
all, so they are not featured. Granted, the focus in on churches based on
Christianity – the three branches of the Dutch Reformed Church, the various
denominations of the English-speaking congregations, such as Anglican,
Methodist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, etc., and the Mission churches, often
started by organisations such as the Berlin Missionary Society, many of which
are still in use in the Western and Southern Cape, and Mission churches in
Kwa-Zulu Natal, started by Trappist Monks.
Darryl and I sold our
book via word-of-mouth, to friends and acquaintances, as well as through
various newspapers and magazines, as well as to selected bookshops that
specialise in Africana. A total of some 240 books have been sold so far.
“A PLATTELAND PILGRIMAGE – 102 Country Churches
of South Africa.”
A lot of research has
been spent on this, our second book, due to be launched at the end of October
2012 in Booktown Richmond. Darryl and I (independently) set out o explore more
church interiors, many of which are exquisite – we discovered beautiful,
delicate panelled woodwork in pulpits, and the galleries where the organ was
located. Plus some of the organs feature intricately painted pipes. Some of the
stained-glass windows are comparable to any in Europe’s cathedrals. Our second book will also feature more than
one photograph per page, so as to add more variety and more perspective for the
reader. This book will contain 132 pages and will cost R 250. We will be
printing 500 copies, again at our own cost, and will inform our existing client
database, many of whom had already expressed prior interest in acquiring the
sequel to our first book.
Darryl and I simply
want to share our passion to those discerning individuals who find inspiration
in travelling off the crowded National roads and explore our many by-ways and
bygone places. When one stops at these sometimes isolated centres, one
experiences a sublime feeling of peace and tranquillity, and besides exploring
the town’s various features, the church is usually the highlight. Very few
guide tourist books even mention the lesser-travelled provinces such as the
North-West province Highveld, most of the Free State, most of the Karoo and
Northern Cape, and the hinterlands of the Eastern and Western Cape. That’s why
so many of our villages remain totally unknown entities. Our books emphasise
that there is a lot of hidden beauty, waiting to be found.
So, to the audience
following my blog, please spread the word – we still have some copies of our
first book available, and you can book your personal, autographed copy of our
second book – contact me via e-mail at philippe.menache@gmail.com or phone me on (27) 83 307 4041.
