On Gardener Circle in South End, the St Peters Anglican Church ruins are coming to life again and offer a most magnificent view from the wooden deck and coffee shop taking shape.
I have a sneaky suspicion that with the free Wi-Fi offering and expansive deck the spot will become a well trodden spot for GQ’s who “do coffee and work”.
St Peters Anglican Church in South End overlooking the Port of Port Elizabeth in Gqeberha was founded in temporary premises as a daughter church of St Mary’s in 1871. The church purchased part of the St Mary’s cemetery land and built a permanent church building just above the cemetery in 1875.
It was designed and built by Rev George Smith, who became the first minister. The church was inaugurated in 1877 and served the culturally mixed community who resided in South End. The church also housed a school for coloured and Malay children, as they had no school of their own. St Peters was the first school in South End to educate up to standard 6 (grade 8) which was the maximum level available for coloureds at that time.
During the 1960s, the apartheid Government declared South End as a white area and the existing residents were forcibly removed. The Government decreed that some churches, mosques and schools would be spared the demolitions, and initially St Peters church survived. By 1970 most of the congregants had been forced to leave the area and the church was not much in use anymore. It was deconsecrated in 1972 and the empty building was vandalised to the extend that little is left of it today.
The ‘Fisherman’s Cross’ in front of the church stood in the grounds of St Peters Anglican Church and was so called because it stood as a symbol of love and hope for the men in the trawlers and line boats in the bay. It could be clearly seen from all parts of Algoa Bay and faced across the mouth of the Baakens River. The Cross was unveiled and dedicated as a memorial to those who served in the Great War of 1914-18.
The figure on the cross was a life-sized one and had been imported from Belgium. Kohler Brothers supplied the 12 foot high teak cross, and a parishioner John Hendricks, did the concrete work and stone masonry. Somewhere in the late 1950s the figure, for some unknown reason, fell and broke and it was replaced by a cement sculpture
The Cross survived the rigours of apartheid laws and the bulldozers of the Group Areas Act in the late 1960s and early 70s. It was then taken to the church of St Mark and St John in Parkside in the Northern Suburbs.
As a nod to the fishermen of yesteryear the cross has been recreated on the site along with a sculpture of a fishermen and son bringing home their catch.
After years of approval delays, the Mandela Bay Development Agency is putting the final touches to the St Peters Precinct.
The MBDA purchased the land and has partly restored the historic St Peter’s church. The partial restoration started with a timber walkway that provides visibility of the ruins of the church and a beautiful view of the ocean.
A wooden deck covers an amphitheatre and buildings will house a coffee shop and curio shops with ablutions. The view from this spot is magnificent and is within walking distance of the Cruise Liner disembarkation point within the Port of Port Elizabeth along with being an easy walk to the South End Museum.
The MBDA is looking at opening to the public in October 2023. Parking will be available on the Gardener Circle precinct grounds. The facility will also be accessible from the Baakens Valley area via a short steep walk.
Alan Straton
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