Andrew Murray Statue and Church

This church is a landmark in the centre of town and boasts a fine statue of the Reverend Andrew Murray, a Scot, and one of the pioneer theologians of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa.

The Dutch Reformed Mother Church’s congregation moved away from the Paarl congregation in 1838.

The plans for the church was drawn by A.Grove in 1838. The church building in Church Street was consecrated on 26 July 1840 and it consisted of just a nave. The first minister was Reverend AF du Toit.

Throughout the years various changes took place with regards to the church building. In 1842 the vestry was added. Wings on the side (transepts) were built in 1861. Galleries for the side wings were built in 1874 and the tower was built in 1895. In 1928 the roof was lifted by approximately two metres.

The statue of Reverend Andrew Murray was commissioned by the church and unveiled in 1923. This statue depicts Reverend Murray in later life, sitting down to preach. Reverend Murray moved to various congregations over the years and finally ended up in the Wellington church where he continued his work until his death in 1917. He was buried in the church gardens.

Imposing tombstones on the church premises bear names of prominent ministers and their families.

_____
Image Source/Credit:
• A3alb, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons