Kannaland, Vanwyksdorp, Lutheran Church

Abstract

Vanwyksdorp, Lutheran Church. The Lutheran Church of Vanwyksdorp, formerly called Buffelsfontein, is a simple building that was erected before 1914 on grounds provided by the neighbouring Dutch Reformed Church. Originally, the church used to belong to the Berlin Missionary Society that started its activities here in 1880. Outside the church stands an iron construction that gives room to a small bell. The emblem on the bell is typical for many bells by the same foundry: Barwell from Birmingham in the UK. The emblem shows the initials J and B on either side of a cross entwined with a B (for Birmingham) in an oval of oak leaves. It is the maker’s mark of James Barwell. Unfortunately, it is not possible to get an idea about the time of founding apart from the period during which Barwell has been casting, the period between 1870 and 1920. Looking at the rather poor status of the bell, one might expect that the bell is of about the same age as the church.