Winelands Districthttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.2/149952024-03-29T06:06:07Z2024-03-29T06:06:07ZWitzenberg, Wolseley, Dutch Reformed Churchhttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.2/199552023-05-17T07:50:21ZWitzenberg, Wolseley, Dutch Reformed Church
Wolseley, Dutch Reformed Church. The founding stone of the attractive Dutch Reformed Church in Wolseley was laid in 1942. The church has no tower but there is a bell that is hidden by the front wall of the church. The bell hangs in a covered frame above the main entrance to the church. While decorative, the bell’s position makes it impossible to measure its physical dimensions. A sound recording was possible. The bell comes from the Petit & Fritsen foundry in the Netherlands and is similar to all other bells from that foundry. There is a broad decorative band below the shoulder with angels playing musical instruments. Below it is a smaller band with hanging leaves. In between the two bands one finds a text that refers to the founder. One reads around the bell + Petit & Fritsen Aarle-Rixtel, Holland.+ + + A.D. 1955 + We expect that on the invisible waist of the bell, one also finds the intricate founder’s coat of arms. In between two moulding wires above the sound bow and three on the lip one can read a small part of a text. Comparing what was readable with the common practice of the foundry we expect the text to be, Gelewer Deur Suid-Afrikaanse Orrelbouwers (EDMS) Beperk. Silverton. We have not found information on this specific bell in the Regionaal Historisch Centrum, Eindhoven that houses the archives of the foundry. We learned from these archives that South African Organ Builders (SAOB) often ordered a bulk of bells from Petit & Fritsen without giving information of their ultimate destination. Even when we know the date of delivery, it is an almost impossible task to try to find out where these bells ultimately ended up. Of course, this problem could be resolved if one could gain access to the archives of SAOB.
Witzenberg, Prince Alfred Hamlet, Dutch Reformed Churchhttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.2/199542023-05-03T01:04:22ZWitzenberg, Prince Alfred Hamlet, Dutch Reformed Church
Prince Alfred Hamlet, Dutch Reformed Church. The founding stone of the Dutch Reformed Church in Prince Alfred Hamlet has been laid on 25 April 1964. In the thin and elegant tower hangs a large but totally undecorated bell. The only inscription on the bell is the number 12647, next to the crown and top of the bell. The bell hangs on a yoke that carries the inscription HOESCH. 140 that probably refers to a local manufacturer. The bell is used by a clock that has been delivered by Will. W. Keay from Cape Town.
Witzenberg, Ceres, Togryers Museumhttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.2/199532023-05-03T01:05:10ZWitzenberg, Ceres, Togryers Museum
Ceres, Togryers Museum. The Togryers Museum in Ceres has two bells. 1. The first bell on display is small and undocumented. It doesn’t show any indication of its founder or of a founding date. Even when it is clearly made of copper, we do not expect it to be a ship’s bell because then there normally should be some reference to the ship. There is a thick moulding wire above the sound bow and a thin one on the it. 2. The second bell was originally hanging in the old Dutch Reformed Church that was built in 1881 but later replaced by the current building. It is satisfying to see that the bell has been given a second life as a display in the museum. The bell has fairly good sizes as one can expect from a church that serves a large area. It was impossible to make a sound recording of the bell as it was too heavy to lift it. Below the shoulder we read in between a pair of double moulding wires, James Barwell Founder Birmingham 1873, illustrating one of the few bells by this founder that carry a founding date. As further decorations we see three moulding wires above the sound bow and two more on the lip of the bell. Both bells are very well kept and have kept their yokes. Their presentation might be enhanced in a hanging position rather than in their current presentation on a rolling platform.
Witzenberg, Ceres, Ceresvallei, Dutch Reformed Churchhttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.2/199522023-05-17T07:49:50ZWitzenberg, Ceres, Ceresvallei, Dutch Reformed Church
Ceres, Dutch Reformed Church Ceresvallei. In the slim and high tower of the Dutch Reformed Church in Ceresvallei hangs a bell that can hardly be approached. The bell hangs above the clock and can only be viewed from underneath. We nevertheless succeeded in measuring the bell and to collect its acoustical properties. From the pictures that have been taken from the sides, one finds a first decorative moulding wire with flowers and angels playing the violin. Below this a band that runs all around the bell and with the following text: + A.D. 1963 + Petit & Fritsen Aarle-Rixtel, Holland + On the reverse side of the bell stands, Gelewer Deur Suid-Afrikaanse Orrelbouwers, (EDMS) Beperk, Silverton. After the word Holland figures a number that we guess is 4052. Then follows a second decorative band with hanging flowers. At the sound bow one finds a further set of five moulding wires. The Royal Bell Foundry Petit & Fritsen is the third oldest family business in the whole of the Netherlands. It started operations in 1660 and remained one of the main bell founders in the world. In 2012 it was amalgamated with the Koninklijke Eijsbouts in Asten, the Netherlands. We have found information on this specific bell in the Regionaal Historisch Centrum, Eindhoven that houses the archives of the foundry. We learned from these archives that South African Organ Builders (SAOB) was billed on 21 October 1963 for the bell of 238.5 kg and that the bell was later delivered by the m.s. Oostkerk. Because the bell has been hanging in the open air, it suffered severely from visits by pigeons and other birds.