This year 2013 AD, is the 100th Anniversary of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Sabie, Mpumalanga.
The Church’s Centenary will be formally celebrated on the 30th June 2013.
St. Peters Garden
The luscious and beautifully well maintained lawns with immaculately manicured flower beds of St.Peter’s church exude a comfortable and welcome old world style and ambience as one passes under the shingled arch which leads on to a wide slate pathway meandering near the foot of some enormous but very gracious jacaranda trees right up to the church doors.
The early history of St. Peter’s church is somewhat obscure, but which might well date back to the the 1886 visit by the Rev. A Roberts, who while on his way from Pilgrim’s Rest to Lydenburg via Spitzkop, called at H. Glynn Snr’s abode, where he spent the night.
Rev. Roberts was one of the few Anglican priests in the Transvaal at the time, and was appointed by Bishop Bousefield to minister to the congregations on the Lydenburg and Pilgrim’s Rest Goldfields.
St Peters Church Building
H.T.Glynn, author of “Game and Gold” mentions having services every three or four months “in the old days” on the verandah at his Sabie home “Huntington”. These services were held for many years. It was at one of these occasions that Bishop Furze and H.T.Glynn discussed ways and means of raising funds to build a church.
The first church records date from 1912 when on April 21st a meeting was held to form the first Church Council. H.T. Glynn was appointed Vicar’s Warden, a position he held until his death in 1928.
Fund raising had already started; dances, plays, tennis parties and collection boxes were the order of the day. A plot of ground had already been donated by Glynn’s Lydenburg mine, the largest in the district, while H.T. Glynn donated a piece of ground himself for a one roomed rectory. It was decided to erect both buildings at the same time.
When the Rev. Maurice Ponsonby arrived as rector of Pilgrim’s Rest and Sabie in 1912, he approached Sir Herbert Baker for plans for the Church. When these became available, tenders were called for the construction. A Mr. Gemignani quoted 400 Pounds Sterling for the building of the walls (which needed 20 bags of cement). The carpentry work quote was for 145 Pounds Sterling. Both the quotes were accepted and construction work began in 1913. The foundation stone was laid by H.T. Glynn with the Rev. Ponsonby officiating.
Inside St.Peters
The original design of the Church featured a thatched roof, but it was agreed to alter this to wood shingles. The stone used for the building was quarried locally, and was what was left over from the building of a bridge over the Sabie River.
The project proceeded successfully. By June 29th 1913, the completed project was dedicated by Bishop Furze.
Gifts of furniture, carpets etc, came in from many quarters. The Arcadia Church Council donated the lecturn, while Rev. Ponsonby and friends donated the pews which had been designed by Sir Herbert Baker. Mrs. Glynn and Mrs. Damant donated the Altar.
St Peters Garden
Rev. Ponsonby left St. Peter’s in August 1914 to be succeeded by Rev. Carlisle. Services were held in Sabie twice monthly. The Rector traveled on horseback and stayed in the small rectory. Eventually the Rector went on active service in 1916, and until his return in 1918 services were held by laymen and visiting priests, with an annual visit by Bishop Furze. Rev. Carlisle resigned from the St. Peter’s parish at the end of 1919. He was followed by a succession of priests up until the present day, all of whom left their mark and influence on the congregation and parish of St. Peter’s.
St. Peters Lych Gate
During the incumbancy of Rev. Lewis Jones a choir was started, a new organ was purchased, the beautifully carved altar (designed by Ms. Batisse and carved by the Toweel carpenters) presented by Ms. Glynn and family in memery of the late H.T.Glynn, and then the existing altar rails designed and presented by a parishioner. The sanctuary lamp was donated by Mr.& Ms. E.C. Simmons in memory of their infant son Godfrey. The attractive lych-gate was added through the generosity of Ms. Langley, wife of the Rev. W.T.V. Langley. The name in the lych-gate was carved and presented by Edward Flint.
In 1964 the Andrew family donated the 4 candelabra. During the ministry of Rev. Ron Wakeling the stained glass windows, designed by Mr. Theo Theron and donated by the parishners were installed.
St. Peter’s is the 2nd oldest congregation as well as the 2nd oldest church building in the parish. The oldest church is St. Mary’s at Pilgrims Rest – 1884.
St. Peter’s Church, a cameo of history, has become a tourist icon on the Panorama Route being visited by many interested passers-by.
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