Northern Suburbs, Vrijzee, Dutch Reformed Church

Abstract

Bellville, Dutch Reformed Church, Vrijzee. The foundation stone of the Dutch Reformed Church in Vrijzee was laid on 29 March 1947. In the top of the elegant tower is an open gallery in which a bell is hanging. However, underneath the bell sits an iron frame that makes it almost impossible to reach the bell. We were fortunate that we could make the necessary physical and acoustical measurements but it was totally impossible to get an idea of eventual texts or decorations on the sides of the bell. What could be seen was a very broad freeze below the shoulder that is filled with decorative geometrical figures. Underneath this nice band are a large number of spots that look like oil spills. On one of the sides of the bell one could see the last digit 8 of what is probably a founding year, perhaps 1948. Unfortunately, this is only the first time that we find this kind of decorations on a bell in the Western Cape. Henceforth, we cannot even make a guess of a potential founder or founding year. With the help of more elaborate photographic equipment, it should be possible to get a better view of the bell, that definitely deserves closer inspection.