The Incidental Tourist

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Niewoudtville’s Sandstone Church!

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The corner stone of this beautiful Neo Gothic style Dutch Reformed Church, which is one of the few remaining sandstone churches in South Africa, was laid in 1906 and the Church was finally opened in 1907.

Each year the Nagmaal (communion) was held in October, this was also when weddings and baptisms took place. Farmers at the time, from the outlying Nieuwoudtville area often camped on church grounds having travelled from afar to make such special occasions.

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The Skuldmonument outside to the right of the church has a story to tell: “£8,000 of the £11,300 the congregation had saved to pay the builder, disappeared!"  The names engraved on the monument are those of the people who had to work and save yet again to raise the ‘missing’ money.

There was a rumour that the treasurer of the church disappeared with the money in 1909.  It is said that he was buried in Nieuwoudtville, but someone spotted him in the then South West Africa and in his coffin they found a dead pig! 

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