The Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Kalk Bay celebrated its rich history on Sunday 29 September, marking the day it first opened its doors to the community in 1874.
Built with the stones found in its immediate surroundings, the original building has not changed, with only a rectory added to the erf.
Reverend Richard Martin, rector of the parish, shared that it was a milestone anniversary the church was very proud of.
“We’ve lived through world history, slavery ended…we had the Spanish flu, two world wars and to a large scale the church was still used for the purpose it was meant for, which is to worship God and I think that is phenomenal.”
Female power
The church, which consists of a cemetery, separate rectory building and the original church building, was funded by three women.
“Two sisters, Charlotte and Harriette Humphries, together with Alice Pocklington, came to visit from the United Kingdom (UK) in order to teach,” explained Martin.
“The bishop Robert Grey, who was the first Anglican bishop of Cape Town at the time, had a holiday house where the women were staying and he managed to convince them to build the church, which in those days cost around 1 500 pounds to build.”
A stroll through the church cemetery reveals pockets of its rich history with headstones dating back to 1882 and 1890.
While the church walls hold loving memories and laughter of weddings, baptisms and confirmations, it also keeps the fears and pain of generations of families who were forcefully moved during the Group Areas Act.
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“Once a month, we have a storytelling session to tell their stories, some painful because it was during apartheid times where they had to sit at the back of the church,” says Martin.
“Back then the church had a school, where the parking area is today, and many people say how they were friends with white children but couldn’t attend school with them because of the government policy at the time.”
Returned to neighbourhood
Families of colour, who originally resided in Kalk Bay, were at the time moved to Steenberg, Grassy Park, Retreat, Hanover Park and Mitchells Plain.
“What happened was that a lot of the families lived here in flats and houses but during forced removals, they had to leave and move to Steenberg, Grassy Park and Retreat while others whose father was a fisherman could remain.”
For those families, they have not forgotten their roots, instead, they often return to the church and neighbourhood of their ancestors, says Martin.
“Children who were baptised here and married here come back and want to be buried out of this church,” he adds.
“We still have that connection, although people are scattered over the Cape Flats. They feel that this part of Kalk Bay is still part of them, their children and grandchildren still come to this church.”
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The church remains a beacon to locals and tourists alike.
“It is quite a presence and we are very proud of that and of the fact that people are attracted to this place,” said Martin.
“Tourists would come and the community would sit in the cemetery eating their lunch or just sit and relax… this church has a real place in the community and that’s a good thing.”
With the church’s oldest parishioners aged 104 and 102 still attending the church with their children and grandchildren, generations of families still frequent the much-loved church.
