Here stands Wesley Chapel Methodist Church a testament to faith and history. The second-oldest building on Greenmarket Square. Its story is woven into Cape Town’s very fabric.
Charles Freeman designed this masterpiece. He created it in the high-Victorian Gothic Revival style. The Wesley Chapel Methodist Church closely adheres to his source of inspiration. Imagine it completed in 1879 after a few years of construction.
Notice the basilica-type structure. See the lean-to roof of the aisles. It is broken by gabled transverse roofs. A tall spire rises from the corner. It stands beside the nave at the head of the aisle.
The walls are fine dressed shale. The plinth is granite. Step inside Wesley Chapel Methodist Church. Appreciate the interior’s beauty. A high timbered roof extends above you. Cast-iron columns support the gallery. The Gothic Revival stonework rivals Oudtshoorn DR Church.
Initially, the contract was for 9500 English pounds. The final cost reputedly reached 13000. This shows the dedication to making Wesley Chapel Methodist Church a landmark.
Before Wesley Chapel Methodist Church a Free Church of Scotland occupied this site. It was built around 1848 but never used as such. Later, it became Landsberg’s Store. A fire destroyed it around 1874.
Let me tell you about Reverend Barnabas Shaw. He was a pioneer Wesleyan Methodist missionary. He arrived in Cape Town on April 14, 1816. Shaw established South Africa’s first Wesleyan Methodist mission. It was in Leliefontein in Namaqualand.
Reverend Shaw and his wife Jane were buried in Somerset Road Cemetery. When that cemetery closed, their gravestone was moved. It now rests inside Wesley Chapel Methodist Church. Consider this a tangible link to the past.
Wesley Chapel Methodist Church stands as a beacon. It represents architectural grandeur and spiritual heritage. From its lofty spire to the gravestone of a missionary, Wesley Chapel Methodist Church encapsulates Cape Town’s rich history. It shows the enduring power of faith.