UPDATE: 10/02/2025
10 February 1887, St Alban’s Anglican Church consecrated.
10 February 1900, Funeral of George Labram.
10 February 1919, Railway Engineer George Pauling dies.
ST ALBAN’S CHURCH ON TAKOON SQUARE
St Alban’s Anglican church on Takoon Square, De Beers suburb, was built on a section of the Old De Beers cemetery, Kimberley’s second oldest such burial ground. Dating from circa May 1871, the cemetery as such was filled with great rapidity and by the late 1870s had fallen into disrepair. The boundaries of the graveyard were originally walled and were in the approximate position of where the hedge is today.
In 1883 the Anglican community in the Gladstone/De Beers suburbs decided that church services should be held in the area rather than force the women and children to walk past inebriated townfolk when attending services in Jones Street (now Phakamile Mabija Street), where St Cyprians was then positioned. Services were held in the De Beers Mining Company offices (where the former Gladstone School is situated) until the church (known originally as the De Beers Church) was ready for services.
The foundation stone was laid by the Bishop, Dr Bruce Knight on 3 October 1886 and within four months the nave, baptistery, porch and belfry were completed at a cost of £1040. The architects, Stent and Hallach, designed the church. The vestry was added in 1888 at a cost of £200. The sanctuary, chancel and southern transept were added in 1913, the last alterations or additions made. Historical artifacts within the church are the main chalice and patten set (donated by General Sir Frederick Carrington), and two candlesticks in the side Chapel altar used during Cecil Rhodes’ funeral ceremony.
UPDATE: 10/02/2022
10 February 1887, St Alban’s Anglican Church consecrated.
10 February 1900, Funeral of George Labram.
10 February 1919, Railway Engineer George Pauling dies.
Pictured is Labram and his grave stone
From the Siege of Kimberley diary of Winifred Heberden
Feb 10, 1900.
This morning there was comparative peace till just before breakfast, when it began hotly again, and the shells fell 50, 80, and 100 yards from us into the Market Square. And again, further off, as the gun turned round. Shells then fell by the Mounted Camp, cut a horse belonging to the ambulance driver in two, and did no end of damage to different buildings.
George Labram’s Grave
There was peace again at lunch time for an hour, during which time people rushed up to the soup kitchen and rushed off again with their share. The shops have all been closed for the last few days, and whilst shelling is going on the streets are utterly deserted though crowds of men and little boys are lurking behind walls at the time of the report, who dash out to examine the damage done after the fall of the shell, and to pick up the inevitable pieces.
All afternoon we have been horribly bombarded, and some women are half frantic, though the majority are wonderfully ‘game’. It is noticeable that those who are unable to eat horse-flesh, either from prejudice, or real dislike, are the most nervous and unstrung for these cases are living practically on mealie ‘pap’, tea, bread, and siege soup – and not much of these either, and such poor diet seems bound to pull them down mentally and physically.
After dinner there was a lull, and Jack decided to ride down to Beaconsfield to try and get us rooms out of the line of fire of the 100-pounder, and in a comparatively safe position from the smaller guns.
He was particularly lucky, and found just the right place or, rather, one that, after the hotel, would be heaven; though it stood not far below the Sanatorium. We are to go into this house to-morrow with two other people and their children living here, as there are three rooms to spare.
At 8 o’clock this evening the funeral of Mr Labram took place and to the horror and disgust of everyone, the body was just leaving the hospital when boom went the big gun and a shell dropped close to the poor remains.
George Labram
In some marvellous way information of the time of the funeral had been carried out to the enemy and they took this fiendish means of showing their hatred of anything connected with De Beers. They would know, of course, that an immense crowd would attend the funeral, particularly Mr Rhodes, and the De Beers people.
Whilst the sad service was being held at the cemetery another shell fell close by, and so on about every 15 minutes till Sunday arrived. They seem to respect Sunday. But they cannot respect a funeral.
Notes: Winifred was staying at the Grand Hotel on Market Square; the Mounted Camp was on Kenilworth Road; the cemetery where Labram was buried is Gladstone cemetery; the Sanatorium is now the McGregor Museum.
UPDATE: 10/02/2021
10 February 1887, St Alban’s Anglican Church consecrated.
10 February 1919, Railway Engineer George Pauling dies.
RAILWAY ENGINEER AND PIONEER DIES
George Craig Sanders Pauling (pictured here with his first wife) was the engineer and the man in charge of completing the construction of the railway line to Kimberley in the 1880s. The railway line eventually reached Kimberley on 28 November 1885.
George Craig Sanders Pauling, pictured with his first wife.
He was born on 6 September 1854 in Walworth, Surrey, the eldest child of Richard Clark Pauling (1833–1894), civil engineer, and his wife, Jane Sanders Bone (1834–1915). His father, grandfather, and great-uncle were all railway contractors.
George Pauling came to South Africa from Britain at the age of 20 to join his father who was then employed by the Cape Government Railways, founded Pauling & Co. in 1877 with his brother, and completed his first construction job in 1881 – the 65 mile Port Alfred Railway. Thereafter, contracts came thick and fast: Sterkstroom to Aliwal North, Orange River to Kimberley, Springs to Krugersdorp, Johannesburg to Pretoria and, the most herculean project of all, the first stage of the line between Beira, on the Mocambique coast, to Umtali in the highlands of the then eastern Rhodesia. On this undertaking he lost 60 per cent of his labour force in each of the first three years through malaria, blackwater fever and the depredations of marauding animals.
Meanwhile his company had broadened its scope of activity to include railway construction in the Middle East, public works, dam, harbour and bridge building in Greece, Angola, China, the Argentine and India. Cecil Rhodes commissioned Pauling to complete the first stage of his ambitious Cape-to-Cairo line.
George Craig Sanders Pauling
He was married thrice, the unions producing two sons and two daughters.
Pauling died at his home in Effingham, England, on 10 February 1919.
UPDATE: 10/02/2017
10 February 1887, St Alban’s Anglican Church consecrated.
10 February 1900, Funeral of George Labram.
Pictured is a Long Tom gun used by the Boers; the barrel of Long Tom being shortened in the Pretoria workshops – this is the gun that came to Kimberley; and Kamfersdam Mine tailing from where Long Tom fired into Kimberley.
DID YOU KNOW
From the Siege of Kimberley diary of Winifred Heberden
Feb 10th.
This morning there was comparative peace till just before breakfast, when it began hotly again, and the shells fell 50, 80, and 100 yards from us into the Market Square. And again, further off, as the gun turned round. Shells then fell by the Mounted Camp, cut a horse belonging to the ambulance driver in two, and did no end of damage to different buildings.
Long Tom Gun
There was peace again at lunch time for an hour, during which time people rushed up to the soup kitchen and rushed off again with their share. The shops have all been closed for the last few days, and whilst shelling is going on the streets are utterly deserted though crowds of men and little boys are lurking behind walls at the time of the report, who dash out to examine the damage done after the fall of the shell, and to pick up the inevitable pieces.
All afternoon we have been horribly bombarded, and some women are half frantic, though the majority are wonderfully ‘game’. It is noticeable that those who are unable to eat horse-flesh, either from prejudice, or real dislike, are the most nervous and unstrung for these cases are living practically on mealie ‘pap’, tea, bread, and siege soup – and not much of these either, and such poor diet seems bound to pull them down mentally and physically.
After dinner there was a lull, and Jack decided to ride down to Beaconsfield to try and get us rooms out of the line of fire of the 100-pounder, and in a comparatively safe position from the smaller guns.
Long Tom Gun being shortened
He was particularly lucky, and found just the right place or, rather, one that, after the hotel, would be heaven; though it stood not far below the Sanatorium. We are to go into this house to-morrow with two other people and their children living here, as there are three rooms to spare.
Kamfersdam Mine
At 8 o’clock this evening the funeral of Mr Labram took place and to the horror and disgust of everyone, the body was just leaving the hospital when boom went the big gun and a shell dropped close to the poor remains.
In some marvellous way information of the time of the funeral had been carried out to the enemy and they took this fiendish means of showing their hatred of anything connected with De Beers. They would know, of course, that an immense crowd would attend the funeral, particularly Mr Rhodes, and the De Beers people.
Whilst the sad service was being held at the cemetery another shell fell close by, and so on about every 15 minutes till Sunday arrived. They seem to respect Sunday. But they cannot respect a funeral.
Notes: Winifred was staying at the Grand Hotel on Market Square; the Mounted Camp was on Kenilworth Road; the cemetery where Labram was buried is Gladstone cemetery; the Sanatorium is now the McGregor Museum.
From Kimberley Calls and Recalls on Facebook By Steve Lunderstedt
Shortlink for this post: https://www.kimberley.org.za/?p=7785
