Langeberg, Bonnievale, Van Der Merwe Dutch Reformed Church

Abstract

Bonnievale, Van Der Merwe - Dutch Reformed Church. The building of the Dutch Reformed Church - Van Der Merwe in Bonnievale was started on 31 May 1951. In the slim tower hangs a middle-size bell that shows only minor decorations. There are no moulding wires and the sole decoration can be found on the waist, below the shoulder. It consists of one line ˶ BONNIEVALE 1951 ̋ There are no indications of a possible founder but the lip of the bell is not fluent like in most bells but shows an angle. Comparison of the bell with other bells in the region like the one in De Doorns, suggests that J. F. Weule might have been the founder. What makes the bell special is that it was specifically made for the church. We saw something similar on the bell in the DRC of Grabouw. The only further mark is on a bolt that holds the yoke in which the bell is hanging. The text is hardly readable but looks like CIA1074 with next to it on a small plate 12124. They probably refer to numbers in the order book of a factory specializing in steel constructions.