Special time remembered

Today on our way home to PE from Cape Town we visited the church where we were married 36 years ago this year. Holy Trinity Church at Belvidere, Knysna holds many memories, as I was not only married there but was a member there for the three years that I worked at Knysna hospital.

The tiny and quaint yet absolutely stunning building seats only about 20 people and its nave is only 5.3m wide. It was designed with the Norman churches of the 11th and 12th centuries in mind and was constructed entirely from sandstone and timber from the area. The stinkwood beams and ceilings are a beautiful sight indeed.
The Belvidere Church was lovingly built as a result of the romance between Thomas Henry Duthie and his wife, Caroline. Thomas Henry Duthie was the founder of Belvidere, a small village that was initially a farm with its main house being Belvidere Manor, and Caroline was one of the famous George Rex's daughters (George Rex is regarded as the founder of Knysna). Once Mr and Mrs Duthie had settled into their fantastic new home, they decided that they required a little church to go along with it and, with (the newly appointed bishop of the Diocese of the Cape Colony) Robert Gray's permission, construction went ahead on the 15th of October 1851. This beautiful little church has stood ever since, used as a place of worship by parishioners and visited by interested tourists.