Kannaland, Vanwyksdorp, Dutch Reformed Church

Abstract

Vanwyksdorp, Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk. The current Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk in the village Vanwyksdorp was built in 1907 by architect J. Louw. Later, the church received a bell that was given by the sister community of Riversdale. The bell hangs outside in a construction of wood and steel. The only inscriptions are on top of the bell where one normally expects a crown. It reads E. Burmester Cape Town. There are five moulding wires above the sound bow, where the middle wire is thicker than the surrounding ones. Normally Burmester acts as deliverer of clocks, not as a bell founder. For example, there is a Burmester clock in the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk in Wynberg, where we lack information of the founder. One possibility is that Burmester acted as deliverer of bells and clocks. Since he needed a bell for the clock, he ordered it from a founder of his choice but with the stipulation that the founder’s name should not be mentioned on the bell. We encountered a similar situation for example in the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk in Barrydale. Before the current church was constructed the congregation met in an older building that was later destroyed. There was at that time already a bell, a gift of Alice Harriet van Tonder. That bell moved in 1908 to the school where it was used as a school bell. However, it cracked in 1926. Later the church received a bell from the sister church in Riversdale. The small bell that was present replaced the broken school bell. That bell hangs high up above the roof of the church and has been painted. There are a number of moulding wires on the bell, suggesting that it has been properly made. But unfortunately, unreachable. Most of the above historical facts come from André Britz, Vanwyksdorp, Notule van ‘n Nostalgiese Reis deur Tyd, 2011.