Stellenbosch, Dutch Reformed Church North

Abstract

Stellenbosch, Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk - Noord

Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk - North: As the name suggests, the Church lies a bit on the Northside of the town in a quite area. The congregation dates from 1953. The tower is rather high and one needs to go up to the sixth floor before reaching the bell.

The bell is large and slightly corroded which is particularly visible on the emblem of the founder. Like in the DRC church of Caledon, most decorations on the bell do not refer to the founder but to the firm responsible for the ordering of the bell. There are two pairs of moulding wires below the shoulder, three above the knee and two on the lip. On the waist one finds above a small emblem of the founder the text

Cast for Will W. Keay and Sons Cape Town 1958

The corrosion on the bell is clearly visible on the emblem of Mears, the founder of the bell and whose name appears on the yoke in which the bell is hanging. The meaning of the letters AA, WA, H and DH is explained in the piece on the NGK-West church. It remains a challenge to find the decisive role played by W.W. Keay. A clock has been installed on a lower level of the tower. On a small plate we can read the following text that refers to the maker of the bell.

Verskaf en geinstalleer deur W.W.Keay en seuns Kasteelstraat 8 Kaapstad

This plate suggests that Keay was a constructor and/or deliverer of church clocks who ordered hour bells for the clock at the Mears Foundry in the UK.