St Saviour’s Church in Claremont marks the 170th anniversary of its founding this year, and it’s calling on the public to join the celebration next month.
The first Anglican bishop of Cape Town, Robert Gray, established the church in 1854 on what was then farmland. Bishop Gray is buried in the church’s cemetery along with his architect wife, Sophia, who, with help from architect William Butterfield, sketched the design for the church.
Other prominent occupants of the graveyard include the first Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, John Charles Molteno; the founder of the Progressive Party, Harry Lawrence; and Bishop Sydney Lavis.
The cemetery was closed to burials in 1973. Only ashes are interred there now.
Cecil Lategan, 88, of Athlone, has been a member of St Saviour’s since the 1940s, and he attended the school it used to run. He grew up in Claremont, but his family were forced out of the area under Apartheid.
“At the time, we were not much into politics; we were happy, we had brilliant teachers at the school.”
He says he will always “carry the flag” for St Saviour’s.
Cameron Scott, 82, of Grassy Park, was also a former resident of Claremont before the forced removals. He was a church warden from 2015 to 2020.
“My whole life is linked to this church, where I got baptised, confirmed and married,” he says.
“The church was home to us,” adds parishioner, Paul Davids, 77, who also had to move out of Claremont under Apartheid and now stays in Lotus River. “Even though many people had to move out of Claremont, they continue to come to their spiritual home here.”
During the Apartheid years, the church was segregated – the different races sat separately, and children of colour had to attend Sunday school in the afternoon instead of in the morning with the rest of the children, Mr Davids recalls.
But he adds that Reverend John Hodgson ended the practice in the 1960s.
“He brought all the parishioners together and said that all children will have Sunday school together.”
Parishioner Felicity Sasman, 69, joined the church when she married her husband, Noel Sasman, in 1975.
“It was overwhelming to join the church as the congregation is quite large,” she says.
All her husband’s family members got married in the church, and her son, Brent Sasman, became a lay minister and got married in the church as well.
Reverend Chesnay Frantz, 38, who took over as rector in July 2020 had to navigate some challenging times during the Covid pandemic with restrictions on services and funerals.
He says the church has been working closely with the Newlands/Claremont Heritage, Environmental Justice and Restitution Society to promote the heritage of the old Claremont area.
“It is a daunting heritage to carry on my shoulders, with the church’s rich history and with being one of the youngest rectors in its history,” he says.
The church will hold an anniversary service on Sunday August 18, from 8.30am, and the whole community is invited regardless of religious background, says Reverend Frantz.
Contact St Saviour’s at 021 671 8171, 021 6718994 or officestsaviours@gmail.com for more information.
