GEORGE NEWS - George residents who know something of the history of the remarkable Old St Paul's church (now the Market Community Theatre) in Market Street are invited to a workshop in the old church on Saturday 31 August.
It will be held under the auspices of the Simon van der Stel Foundation. The proceedings will start at 09:00 with a visit to the collapsed Victoria Street building site to briefly discuss what happened there, then move to the Old Town Hall, another beautiful building, and on to Old St Paul’s at about 11:00.
According to George resident Prof Raymond Auerbach, the history of Old St Paul's Church started with the building of a mission church and chapel in 1851 for the coloured community in the grounds of St Mark’s.
Rev AH Niepoth left the Dutch Church and brought 100 members with him to join the Anglican Church in 1855.
Niepoth was ordained as an Anglican minister in the same year. A new mission school cum chapel was built at a cost of £310 for the coloured community and called St Paul’s. It is a strikingly designed chapel in the Neo-Classical style with a triangular-shaped roof with straight gables. The building was consecrated on 28 May 1879 as a church.
"My grandfather, George French, came to George in 1883, newly married and newly qualified as a teacher, after joining the British army at age 15, going off to India and eventually becoming regimental schoolmaster at Peshawar. His first three sons were born here, and he started the choir at the Old St Paul’s and also started George Amateur Dramatic Society.
"He was a keen naturalist, and later started the 1st Claremont Scout Troop (in 1908). George was to be catechised by Archdeacon PP Fogg, but Fogg was strongly anti-Darwin, while young George was a man of science. George soon left, to go and teach, first at Graaff-Reinet, and then he was called to start the Claremont Public School."
Forced to move
St Paul’s mission became a separate parish in 1946, as a chapelry of St Mark’s. The last service was held on 30 May 1971. The mission was forced to move to Conville in 1971, where a new church was built.
The Group Areas Act of 1950 resulted in the parishioners having to move to townships and there was a procession of the congregation from Old St Paul’s to New St Paul’s in Conville.
Many George residents were forcibly evicted around this time, and the old families have many sad tales to tell of humiliation and loss.
If you know something of the history of this building, be sure to join the workshop on 31 August.
For enquiries, call Natie on 064 471 2090 or Carol on 083 268 6708.
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