Congregational Church

Visit 

This church started with services under an old thorn tree where St.  Barnabas Church is now situated. With the help of Charles Hopkins, the Church was completed in five years. This was known as the 'Indepente' Church, and was involved with missionary work amongst Hessequa people.

The church was inaugurated on 11 May 1859. During apartheid years, the church was taken over  by the Heidelberg municipality and used as a creche.

After 1994, the municipality handed the church back to the coloured community, but by then the land claim act was already in motion. The church was in a derelict state, but has since been restored and is now the pride of the congregation.

Rectory of Congregational Church

In 1902, the church was the only building standing in the street. The rectory was built in 1904. The church council received enough money to build the verandah around the house. The church choir funded the building of the bathroom.

A painting of this house, painted by Ann van der Walt, is part of the Hessequa Municipal Art Collection.

Izak November lived near the church and it was his job to ring the bell. He had a saying that when God visits Heidelberg, He always comes to the ''Indepente Kerk''. He also used to say: ''Most people make the mistake that when they throw the devil out of their hearts, they leave a chair behind, so it is quite easy for him to get comfortable again''.

Town Hall

Heidelberg's Town Hall cornerstone was laid on 10 August 1912 by the Mayor Richard T Miller.

This was the second town hall. The first town hall was built around 1887, but it was in a poor state of repair. Food for the municipal working animals was stored in the attic. With the wind in favor of fire, the building burnt down. According to history, the residents thought it was a good day.

The building was enlarged in 1931 by adding the library. In 1962, the new Municipal Offices were added on the Van Niekerk Street side of the hall. From the fifties, the town hall was used for movies and various community activities.

Heidelberg Post Office

This building was constructed in 1936. The first post office was located on Reitz Street. Fritz Meeser served as the first postmaster in Heidelberg in 1856. He received an annual salary of six pounds and later became the town's first constable in 1858.

German tourists often take photos in front of this building to commemorate their visit to Heidelberg, South Africa. Therefore, this building has become an iconic landmark in our town.

Heidelberg Hotel 

The date on the gable of the hotel ,1932, refers to the year the hotel was renovated , as the exact date of construction is unknown. The building is estimated to be over a hundred years old. According to eyewitnesses, there used to be iron posts where the pillars currently are.

The bar was originally part of the stables. Renato de Sa Perreira bought the hotel in 1984. Following a serious fire in 2000, Kobus Meyer bought and fully restored it.

In 2015, the new owners, Charles and Cecile Kleynhans, also took on the immense task of restoring this unique building to its former glory, creating elegant reception and dining areas.

Church Square

Turn left into Swart Street.

The Otto Hager Church ( second Dutch Reformed Church) was built on the Church Square in 1873. Church Square was used as a camping place for the congregation and outspan their animals.

 The Church Council decided in 1930 to move the rectory to the Church Square, and built the new church hall and rectory. A well known Paarl architect W.H. Louw was involved with this large project in 1931.

They consequently sold the properties in Fourie Street and amalgamated these properties.

The church hall was completed in 1931 and the building was sponsored by Dukkie Uys. There is a stained glass window with the letters UYS as part of the design.

New Dutch Reformed Rectory

In the 1930s Heidelberg went through a growth spurt  with  the 2 new buildings, the church hall and rectory, that made a huge impact on the town . That combined with the 75 year old commemorative festival made this a special year for Heidelberg.

Heidelberg stood together with a great sense of community and everyone helped with fundraises and donations.

The rectory cost over 2000 pounds of which 1400 pounds were collected at the thanksgiving festival of the church. This was a year of unprecedented giving. Pastor van Wyk was the first pastor to stay inside the new modern rectory.

Between 1932 and 1953 the rest of the church square was developed and gardens were laid out. Since 1936 the clock in the tower is being lit at night by electricity.

General info

At the stop turn right and walk down towards Fourie Street

Visit 

In the 1700s the Knysna Forest stretched from Caledon  all the way to Knysna. A huge fire destroyed it, apart from a stretch that  survived at Grootvadersbosch.  Before the fire, it was overgrown where the town is now situated. 

The crossing of the  Duiwenhoks River was about 10 kilometres further down towards Diepkloof.

Heidelberg was established in 1855 when a group of farmers went to the Dutch Reformed Church in Riversdale and Swellendam to get permission to build a Church in Heidelberg.

With this approval they contacted Mr Louis Fourie and bought a piece of the Doornboom Farm for 5 000 pounds. This included grazing rights where the golf course is now situated below. They had 50 erwen laid out and it was sold on auction with a profit of 4900 pounds. This profit is still missing! 

According to the story Mr Fourie decided to use this area put aside for grazing for the town, for his own animals. The property holders took him to court where he was fined 5 pounds.

Henry Hall's House

Second house on the right .

Henry Hall started the Congregational Church in Heidelberg. He moved there in 1820 from Zuurbraak where his father was a pastor.

He served as a pastor here, but needing an extra income, he built his first house and adjacent shop where St. Barnabas Anglican Church stands today.

The great flood in 1875 destroyed the property along with twenty nine other houses. The congregation then bought the property, deeming it safe from flooding and built the house.

Old Mill

Lotz House

This is one of the first private residences in Heidelberg.

At the back is the original stable of Doornboom Farm.

The original wooden troughs for feeding the horses are still on the property and in good condition.

Brugsig

This house gained its name from the view inside 

onto the railway bridge. During the Boer Wars the railway bridges were an important part of battle strategies. This particular house was used as a sanctuary for farm women and children. It has been told that a farm worker and his child rode to the house when they were being shot at.

The child jumped from the horse and was supposedly shot dead, his father, marked by the riflemen as a spy, rode on under fire and completed his mission.

Today bullet-holes still exist in the front door, as well as a framed bullet inside the house.

In 1918 the headmaster of Heidelberg High School had seven pupils under his care while he lived at Brugsig.

Part of the Hessequa Municipal Art Collection

Artist: Louise Kluyts

Swart Home

This is one of the first private residences in Heidelberg. This house was built in the early 1800s.

Pieter Swart, laid the foundation stone for the First NG Church in 1856.

All these old houses are built with mud and thick walls with stone foundations.

The span inside this house is typical of the older building methods, no wider than 3 meters to accommodate the roof.

It is a double story with high ceilings.

Part of the Hessequa Municipal Art Collection

Artist: Danielle Louw

Farriers House

It took a day by horse to get to Heidelberg from Swellendam. Travellers stopped at Duivenhoks River for the night to cross the river the next morning.

This time was used for  washing, hunting and repairing.

The Farrier delivered a valuable service to travellers and to Doornboom Farmstead by shoeing horses and fixing broken wagon wheels.

The 11 room “Family” house was used as a boarding house and the house around the corner was the farrier’s house with the workshop at the rear.

Prior to that it was the maternity ward where all the district babies were born. A midwife delivered the infants.

Part of the Hessqua Municipal Art Collection.

Artist: Pierre Oosthuizen, who lived in this house with his mother and passed away there in 2015.

Nagmaal Huis

Heidelberg was built around the NG Church. Farmers from the area came to town for communion and would then do their business in town and stay an extra day or two, usually with family and friends.

Transport was by horseback or ox/horse wagons so it could take up to 2 days to get back to the farms.

The whole family would come to town, and trade for sugar, coffee, flour with milk, eggs, meat and vegetables.

The farmers built their own ‘Nagmaal Kamers’ or rooms to stay in and up to 7 people could stay overnight in one of these rooms.

Typical to these old houses,  there was an outhouse as a bathroom and the kitchen was also outdoors. The indoor rooms were used to store valuables and sleep in.

Barry House - Masonic Hotel

This property belonged to ‘Barry and Nephews’ who ran a huge shipping company from Port Beaufort.

This was their base in Heidelberg where they ran the export of merino wool and where they held auctions in the town hall which boosted the town’s economy.

This house has an interesting tale about it. February 1866 Mrs. Barry had a birthday party and sent dessert to two families (20 people), all of whom fell sick the next day. Two days later, 2 doctors arrived, but Mrs. Barry herself passed away. Both doctors suspected arsenic poisoning as the cause. 

More than 50 years later, on 11 October 1919 the church council decided to buy the property for 3 500 pounds from 

Captain Hanson, the owner, because they saw it as a negative reflection on the parish. The bar was situated directly across the gate from the church. The church eventually rented  it to a Mr Swart  who used it as a boardinghouse.

Boer & Brit Building

Visit

This building was home to the West Yorkshire Regiment. Major

Mahon was the commander of the Regiment.

On 13 September 1901 Commandant Scheepers of

Swellendam district, and his commando entered Heidelberg.

The British fired at the commando. Six British soldiers were

wounded and three died.

The farmers also had losses. The wounded remained when

Scheepers left. Two died including a 21 year old Scottish boy from Aberdeen, Peter Bellingam.

The British didn’t want the death of the three British soldiers made public. Out of desperation they decided to bury the bodies underneath the floorboards. The skeletons were discovered whilerenovating in the cellar. After a town meeting it was decided toleave the skeletons there and cover them with cement. 

Years later Jeff Davis bought the building, and opened a general store called “Boer and Brit”. 

In 1910 South Africa became a union. Britain, in agreement with the new SA Government declared that all property and grounds belong to South Africa, with the exception of grounds where 

British soldiers were buried. So, technically this building is on British soil!

Part of the Hessequa Municipal Art Collection.

Artist: Milda Strydom

St. Barnabas Anglican Church

The Old English Church was built in 1860 further down van Riebeeck Street and 16 pupils started their schooling there.

After the 1879 severe floods when 40 houses were destroyed,  including Henry Helm’s house and the Indepente Church on this site, this part of the town had to be rebuilt. The Church bought the Rectory next door and in  1889 laid the  foundations  for a new church.

This building has connections with the High Church of England. Beautiful lead glass windows adorn the church.The inside of the church has an intimate atmosphere.

Part of the Hessequa Municipal Art collection.

Artist: Hans Lachman

Old Police Station

This building was the old police station, together with horse stables and three cells at the back.

In 1934 the building was bought with the cells still at the back but the stables had already been destroyed.

It became a residence, but is now a medical center.

Canal

The Doorn River that today trickles through  town was known as the mighty Doorn River.

Normally the ‘Stinkrivier’, as it was known,  meandered peacefully through the town, but when in flood, it became a seething monster capable of wreaking havoc.

In 1867 the first flood that hit Heidelberg destroyed  buildings. On 24 December 1875 forty-three houses were destroyed. Captain Thomas Linlay, the magistrate of

Swellendam, in July 1876, assisted in getting the Heidelberg Canal Law passed to built the canal in one deep straight line. The canal again flooded on 24 December 2005 with no major damage  to permanent structures.

Aan de Kanal

The bridge over the canal  was built in 1938 with a loan of 3500 pounds, It was opened by J.H. Conradie. Before the canal was built the biggest flood to hit Heidelberg was on 24 December 1875. Two people  drowned and 40 houses got damaged or were destroyed.

The town decided that it needed to channel the flow of the Doornriver (Stinke river) to prevent future flood damage to the town. The government supplied labour and the town supplied the materials and machinery.

On 24 December 2005 the river came in flood  over this bridge with Eksteen Street flooding, but no houses were lost. 

Lombardië

visit

This building dates back to 1857. This plot, nr 3 is one of the first erwen developed for residential purposes in Heidelberg.

The Lombard family bought it in the 1920s. One large room facing the road was turned into a general dealer. 

Chris Lombard, a well known South-African writer, grew up in this house, and he returned here when he retired. He shared the house with Jannie Gildenhuys until they passed away.  Actor Wim Vorster inherited the house from Chris in 2012.

Part of the Hessequa Municipal Art Collection . Artist Louise Kluyts

Delaquerre

Johanna Groenewalt and Joan Hopkins were friends in Heidelberg for 26 years.

When Joan died in 2006 Johanna inherited this house which is named 

Delaquerre after Johanna’s maiden name.

The name means ‘of the war’ in French. Her great-grandfather was from France. He was Napoleon’s sword bearer and you can see the sword on display in the Swellendam Museum.

Rugby and Sport

Turn left at stop street and walk past sportsgrounds.

In 1910 where the rugby field is situated today there was a horse racecourse. Initially it was popular with the general public, but by 1912 due to excessive betting and unsavoury activities it was closed down. It was then changed into the

‘Rugbyveld’ with the pavilion and attached amenities. 

De Waal

The name of the town causes confusion with visitors, as there is a Heidelberg in Gauteng as well as in Germany.

In 1917 a group of residents from Heidelberg wanted to change the name of the town to De Waal, after Sir Frederic de Waal, a popular administrator of the Cape Province, but the Heidelberg residents resisted the name change. The name of the Primary school became De Waalville Primêr.

Old Jail

The jail was used from 1860 for convicted prisoners.

On 2 August 1938 Heidelberg received its first Magistrate’s Court with an assistant magistrate.

Prior to that, all court cases were handled by the Swellendam Drostdy travelling court. It could take up to two months before the court came to town, because of the large area it had to service. During this time suspects had to remain in prison or under custody 

until the hearing.

In 1946 Heidelberg finally got it own magistrate’s building and holding cells at the new Police Station in Van Riebeeck Street. 

Leiwater

When Heidelberg was developed,  it already had a canal to bring the river water to the farm for irrigation. In 1955 the same canal was used for irrigation water.

In 1904 the town started the process for cleaner water because of dysentery running rampant, especially if the summer season. Up until the 1920s housewives had to collect water for drinking and household use out of the irrigation canals that today still run through the old part of town.

A dam was built on the farm of a Mr van Zyl  and another dam, the Quarrykloof Dam was built just outside of town. This gave the town the opportunity to expand and growwith new erven and even helped the railway to expand.

General Dealer & Winery

This part of town belonged to the Jewish Friedman family in the 1890s.

Mr Friedman ran a general store from this building and the letters of General is still visible in the masonrywork. In those days a general dealer stocked everything imaginable, as travelling took longer.

Where the open field is situated on the left, used to be Mr Friedman’s vineyard.  On the adjacent property on the right hand side, in the small building with the unusual high cement roof, was his distillery

Mr. Friedman's House

This house initially belonged to Mr. Friedman. Years later the house was owned by George Phil Malter. He was well known for the excellent fruit and vegetables he grew. He took the prize, at the agricultural show, for the best vegetables produced in town for 18 years.

The front room of his house was used by Dr. Steyn, a dentist, from Riversdale. His technician, who made sets of false teeth, worked in the back room of the house. The house was bought in 1979 by Neville Lotz, in a good condition, from the Dutch Reformed Church. They had used it as a rectory for the   Missionary Priest Pastor JC Botes of the NG Church and later rented it out.

Mr Lotz further improved the property by building a new garage and kitchen.

The Magistrate

Petrus Gerhardus Swart bought the property on 18 May 1857. He was a retired farmer who built this

house for his family. There is a french oak tree in

the back garden that dates back to 1857.

The house has a beautiful staircase that was im-

ported from Holland. Sir Abie Baily, from the dia-

mond fields, offered the owners 500 pounds for it,

but they refused.

During the Second World War an attorney, EW

Engelo owned the house. He acted as a magistrate

while staying in the house, using the ground floor

as his offices.

Bruce and Liz Napier bought the house and in 

2009 the adjacent property. They restored the

properties to its original state.

Old Barn

This building dates back to 1926. The round roof is typical of the 1920s building with Art Deco style. It was originally used as a barn for the Doornboom Farm.

With the arrival of cars and tractors in Heidelberg, it was turned into a workshop for servicing vehicles.

From 2001 the front of the building was used as a shop selling vehicle parts and the back area was renovated into a residential dwelling. The workshops were moved to the rear of the property.

The front building was converted to a residential dwelling in 2011.

Garage

This building dates back to 1933. It was used as the JJ. Lingenfelder Central Garage since 1943.

It was Van der Vyver’s Shell Garage and  mechanic services when Dawie Koch bought it in 1968. The name then changed to Koch Motors.

Between 1977 and 1980 there were 122 farmers who were part of the Co-Op of which 88 drove new  Datsun bakkies, purchased from Koch Motors.

In Africa there are always years of drought followed by years of prosperity. This pattern is noticeable in Heidelberg history and we assume that a good year of selling vehicles always follows a good harvest.It was being used as an eclectic antique andcollectables emporium from 2014 - 2021.

St. Barnabas Anglican Church Rectory

This building dates back to the 1800s.

Heidelberg has 26 different denominations. Religion still plays an important part in the community, with churches involved with helping the less privileged in their congregation. 

This was also prevalent in the early days with the missionary work done through the churches.

All people living in town, including pastors,  had to be self-sufficient by having their own gardens for growing fruit, vegetables and livestock. A barter system was used to acquire a variety of produce.  Buildings were built close to the street to allow for bigger gardens at the back. This building is probably set further back, because it was connected to St. Barnabas Church adjacent to it, allowing for community grounds in the front

Monument

WAR OF LIBERATION 1899-1902

In memory of those who died during the skirmish of 13 September 1901 here at Heidelberg.

N.G. Church

Visit 

This beautiful church forms the center of the town. Reverend Daneel was the first pastor.

On 13 January 1856 four children were christened in the old church school. The school church was built with the congregation's own funds. A law was later passed in 1959 that government would no longer fund churches and salaries for clergymen.

There was a need for a larger building, and on 17 March 1872 the foundation was laid for the church, which was designed by Carl Otto Hager.

The church was opened on 19 July 1873.

By 1910 , when Rev. Spies took up a position here with his wife, the church building was a poor condition. They asked the congregation to build a new church. On 22 March 1913 the new corner stone was laid. The congregation had paid for he building work by the time the church re-opened. The podium was a gift from Jan Rall from the farm Kruisrivier.