Saldanha Bay, Saldanha, Dutch Reformed Church

Abstract

Saldanha Bay, Nederduits Gereformeerse Kerk

The Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk in Saldanha Bay was built in 1966 on the premises of the former church that became too small for the congregation. The most remarkable aspect of the church is a kind of twin tower that could easily have been planned to house a bell. However, a nicely made bell sits outside in a horseshoe-type tower. The decorations on the bell are rather minimal but they suffice to retrieve the founder. Just below the shoulder is a decorative band that contains fish-like figures separated by the Christian symbol of the Cross and Rho sign. Exactly the same kind of decoration appears on bells in the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk in Witsand and in Beaufort West - Gamka East. Like with the Witsand bell, the Saldanha bell carries a founder’s emblem that informs us that the bell has been cast by the Petit & Gebrüder Edelbrock foundry in Gescher, Westfalen, Germany, where the foundry had its main location and where currently the Deutsches Glockenmuseum is located. Just above the sound bow and on the other side of the bell appear the names of the sponsor of the bell. One reads Mnr. en Mev. A.F. Barnard, Saldanha 1969