NH Kerk - Heilbron

-

Aka: Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk (Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa)

Built: 1974

Architect: Johan de Ridder

Building contractor: Weeshuis-bouers

Location: Cnr Stoffel Nel & Nicol St, Heilbron.

View from south-west (1974)¹

Timeline

After the Anglo-Boer War, people from the Transvaal moved into the Riemland (as this region was called). Some were forced by circumstance to join the congregations of the NGK. Since there was no Hervormde Church here yet, this was their only recourse. Others deliberately remained members of the NHK and maintained their ecclesiastical privileges in the Transvaal.

  • The region became known as the Riemland (meaning "Land of Leather Thongs") because of the abundance of wild game that once roamed its vast plains. Historically, the area was a prime hunting ground for colonial hunters and trekboers who harvested the skins of large herds of antelope, particularly blesbok and wildebeest. These hides were processed into rieme (pliable leather thongs).

In the years 1910 and 1911, there were already so many Hervormde members in the Riemland and beyond that Rev. P. W. Ennis of Klerksdorp, Rev. K. T. van den Heever of Makwassie, and Rev. Jac. van Belkum of Heidelberg came to hold services here from time to time.

On 23 and 24 September 1911, the Nederduitsch Hervormde congregation in Heilbron was formally established by Rev. P. W. Ennis from Klerksdorp. Henceforth, regular services were held for people from Heilbron and the districts of Vrede and Frankfort. From its earliest existence, the Heilbron congregation was served by consultants - Rev. Jac. van Belkum from Heidelberg, Rev. J. J. Kuhn from Krugersdorp, and numerous other well-known ministers.

Construction of a church began in February 1913. On 25 October 1913, the cornerstone was laid, and on 4 February 1916, the building was commissioned. Over the weekend of 10 and 11 November 1923, Rev. L. E. Brandt was to be inducted as the first permanent minister of Heilbron in combination with Vereeniging.

On 1 December 1974 the new church, located next to the parsonage, was commissioned. It was built by N.H.W. Bouers. The architect was Johan de Ridder of Pretoria.

Locality map


Sources

  1. Erasmus, D.F. (1974) Heilbron se nuwe kerk. Die Hervormer, Jan 1974.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

John O'Reilly

-
Image
Full name: John Robert "Diamond Jack" O'Reilly Lifespan: 1831 Grahamstown - 1904  Taung Occupation: Travelling peddler, hunter, diamond prospector, farmer John O'Reilly Timeline Personal details John Robert O'Reilly was the eldest son of James O’Neill O'Reilly (or James O'Neil O'Reilly) and Ida Hendriks (Yda Wilhelmina Hendrikz). His father left the family poorly provided for, prompting O'Reilly and his brothers to become traders and hunters. He first married Maria Greaves (1845 - 1884, British Bechuanaland) in 1868, in Colesberg. They had six children. After Maria's death, he married Henrietta Sarah Renou (1867 Port Elizabeth - 1947, Taung) in 1886. The ceremony was officiated by Rector William Thomas Gaul (1850–1927). They had seven children (totaling 13 for O'Reilly). The territory known as British Bechuanaland (annexed 1885, later incorporated into the Cape Colony and Union of South Africa) encompassed areas including Vryburg, Maf...
Read more

Rhenish Mission Church (Sarepta) - Kuils River

-
Image
Aka: Uniting Reform Church, Sarepta Built: 1843 Architect: Unidentified Status: Extant (Source: URC on Facebook) Timeline Location Notes The Rhenish Missionary Society (named after the Rhine River region in Germany) was one of the largest German missionary organizations, formed by amalgamating smaller missions dating back to 1799 and officially established on 23 September 1828. Its first ordained missionaries were dispatched to South Africa by year's end, where they began work in various towns, focusing on conversion to Christianity and community support. In 1829, the Society founded its first congregation in Stellenbosch, with Reverend Paul Daniel Lückhoff as the initial minister. Jana (Johanna) van den Berg (c.1800 - 1860), also known as Moeder Jana , was a formerly enslaved woman who, like many others emancipated in 1838, settled in the sandy dunes surrounding Kuils River - an informal community with little access to formal institutions. She became one of the earliest memb...
Read more

Coert Steynberg

-
Image
Full name:  Coert Lourens Steynberg Lifespan:  1905 Hennopsrivier - 1982 Pretoria Occupation:  Sculptor, medallist. Coert Steynberg. Unidentified photographer. Timeline Biography Coert Steynberg was a prominent South African sculptor and medallist. He worked in a variety of materials, including granite, marble, sandstone, glass, bronze, copper, and wood, and created both large-scale public monuments and smaller, more intimate private works. Early Life and Education Steynberg in Venice, third from left. Unidentified photographer. Born in Hennops River (near Pretoria) in the Transvaal Colony. At the age of four, his family moved to Bethal (Mpumalanga) where he matriculated. Steynberg studied art at Rhodes University in South Africa before advancing to the Royal College of Art in London, where he studied sculpture under Gilbert Ledward . Here he received the August Spencer trophy for best sculpture student. Steynberg spent six years abroad, during which time he toured Europe...
Read more