Making the restoration of historic Dundee church bell tower a work of art
Master-artisan Robbie Fitzpatrick has spent months taking great care in replacing the rotten pieces of timber.
Completed in 1897, the St James Church in Gladstone Street is now one of Dundee’s iconic landmarks.
The original church was about half its present size and did not have the bell tower – these additions were made in the following four years.
And it’s the bell tower that has deteriorated over the years – so much so that rotten timber posed a danger.
Robbie Fitzpatrick, who has worshipped at St James for over 50 years, has taken it upon himself to carry out renovations at St James Church.
Over the last three months or so, the expert carpenter has painstakingly removed the rotten pieces of timber and replaced them with new Oregon pine pieces and steel.
“The wood lasted a long time, but of course, it is heavily exposed to the extreme elements we endure in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. It has taken time because I do it whenever I have spare time,” Robbie said.
Climbing the scaffolding holds no terrors for the sprightly Dundonian.
“I cut the timber at home to the correct size and then climb up to do the fitting. Some local farmers have been generous in donating (wood, etc), but obviously, it will be nice to receive some more donations, as it is a time-consuming exercise.”
Robbie has been maintaining the church for years, having already painted the building three times.
He said that when he noticed the precarious state of the bell tower, he immediately contacted Rev Amos Nkosi.
“Rev Amos pleaded with me to renovate the bell tower. As an old Dundonian, born and bred, and a member of the congregation, it has been a pleasure and very satisfying too!”
The bell was made by Beckman & Co in Sweden for about £45-50.
It is very similar to the bell in the steeple of the Ebenezer Church on MacKenzie Street, which was also manufactured by the same company.
The church is part of Dundee’s Heritage Trail.
The most outstanding feature of St James is the Anglo-Boer War brass tablet on the west wall. This lists all the men ‘who fell in battle or died of disease in the Dundee sub-district during the war’.
There are six military graves in the St James churchyard on Boundary Road.
Major General Sir William Penn Symons was mortally wounded while directing the attack near Talana and died on October 23, 1899 and was buried after the British force evacuated Dundee.
During the occupation of Dundee by the Boer forces, Rev Gerald Bailey remained in the town to tend to the wounded and conduct church services. He buried the flag in which General Penn Symons’ body had been wrapped under the church floorboards, together with valuable church items.
Under the carpet in the aisle, the roughly cut hole that Rev Bailey made to hide the flag and other items can still be seen.
The original flag is now on display in the Talana Museum.
Anyone wishing to help Robbie with the restoration of the bell tower can contact him on 082 690 7152.
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