The historic Dutch Reformed Church is probably the biggest landmark in Nieu-Bethesda. It's perhaps not as famous as the Owl House or interesting as the Kitching Fossil Centre, but if it comes to landmarks, it stands out in town. I'm always in awe of the fact that such a magnificent building was constructed in such … Continue reading Nieu-Bethesda’s historic Dutch Reformed Church
On Tuesday I posted a picture of St Mary's Cathedral in the Port Elizabeth city centre. I realised that although people may know what the cathedral looks like from the outside, that not many may have been inside the cathedral yet. So today I'm posting two pictures taken inside the building, one looking to the … Continue reading St Mary’s front and back
Before the arrival of the British Settlers in 1820 the needs of the British garrison in Algoa Bay were served by chaplains in passing ships. By 1825 the town of Port Elizabeth had grown to about 500 people and Revd Francis McClelland was appointed Colonial Chaplain. The foundation stone for the Collegiate Church of St … Continue reading The Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin
Anybody who knows Port Elizabeth and has been down to Govan Mbeki Road (Main Street) in the city centre, would know St Mary's Anglican Cathedral near the Public Library. But not just know it. Also be aware of the old United Building Society building that stands on the corner in front of it blocking a proper … Continue reading St Mary’s front on Govan Mbeki Road
On a walk along Route 67 the other day I popped into St Mary's Cathedral and was reminded that the original gravestone of Captain Francis Evatt was located in the entrance area of the church. Something a lot of people probably didn't know. Captain Evatt was commander of Fort Frederick from 1817 until his death in 1850 … Continue reading Capt Francis Evatt’s gravestone
A week ago I posted a picture of the big stained glass window in the St Augustine's Cathedral. When I was doing the post I considered posted the three pictures in this post along with it, but decided that it was magnificent enough to warrant a stand-alone post. So here is stained glass post #2 … Continue reading 3, 2, 1 stained glass windows
St Augustine's Cathedral has some stunning and striking stained glass windows. Dating back to September 1875, the windows are part of the original design and are from F. Barnett of Leith.
Imagine my surprise when I found an Afrikaans inscription on a plaque behind the baptismal font in the St Augustine's Catholic Cathedral. Very unusual.
I got to see the inside of St Augustine's Cathedral for the first time a few weeks ago while on a tour of Route 67. The church isn't generally open like St Mary's on the other side of the Public Library, so if you want to see it you need to make special arrangements or alternatively … Continue reading St Augustine’s tour
When the first Catholic priest, Father George Corcoran, set foot in Port Elizabeth in 1840 it wasn't just a case of getting off the boat and taking up his position. No, he was shipwrecked in Cape St Francis and had to travel the last 100km to town on horseback. Once he arrived here he found … Continue reading The history of St. Augustine’s Cathedral
Firefly the Travel Guy 