A GLENWOOD church designed by renowned English architect Sir Herbert Baker and his staff has turned 100.
The foundation stone for the Anglican Church, St John The Divine, in Clark Road was laid in 1922 although the congregation was already in existence at the time, said Deacon John Aitchison.
St John The Divine is regarded by many as the most beautifully designed and decorated church in the country, according to Aitchison, who has written a book to celebrate the centenary of the building.
A Hundred Years of St John the Divine, was compiled during South Africa’s heavy lockdown period at the beginning of Covid-19, when churches were closed and Aitchison had time to trawl through archives and old records.
Originally from Pietermaritzburg, Aitchison who moved to Durban many years ago, said that the founding fathers believed that “God’s beauty, already reflected in the creation, should inform the building of the church, its decoration, and its rituals”.
When the church was built it was different from those usually found in Europe, evident in the architecture and shape of the stained glass windows, said Aitchison.
He really got to know the history of the church during lockdown as he went through old documents and letters from the first 30 to 40 years of the church.
Previous writings and work done by two professors from the University of KwaZulu-Natal made it easier for him to piece together the history, he said.
Aitchison said the archives of St John’s contained several boxes of documents and photographs about the church which he used in the book.
Former parishioner and UKZN academic Professor Mandy Goedhals organised the contents of some boxes thematically.
The archives also contained two short histories and detailed notes and references by history professor Philip Warhurst.
Aitchison said that at the time of the church’s conception, the prevailing architectural style in England was neo-gothic, characterised by pointed arches and large windows, and it was still seen in churches to this day.
“This was a style very useful in Europe where it’s dark in winter and you need light to come in. Sir Herbert Baker argued that in South Africa we have very bright sunlight so you need much smaller windows and he believed in local material and the red brick that was being used in Durban.”
Aitchison said Baker who designed the Union Buildings, argued that the neo-romanesque style prevalent in the south of Europe like Spain, was more suited to Durban’s climate with small windows, round arches and much dimmer light for the building to remain cooler.
The 78-page book also gives insight into how South Africa’s political landscape influenced the church as well as religious differences within the Anglican Church.
“St John the Divine was a very high church. It had a lot of rituals and practices which are more common in the Roman Catholic church, like candles and incense and vestments. And there were often problems with the bishop and other Anglican churches in the area that were against this,” said Aitchison.
The book talks about the first clergy at St John’s, the ministers, and its outreach programmes; a special chapter is dedicated to its stained glass. It also profiles the various rectors like George Smith, Ernest Pugsley, Ronnie Alexander and ends with the current rector Themba Vundla.
An easy read, at R150 it’s a valuable guide for those interested in the history of Durban and the church.
Anyone interested in buying a copy of, A Hundred Years of St John the Divine, can get it from the church secretary who is on site from Monday to Thursday between 8am and 12pm.
The Independent on Saturday