Church Square, located in the corner of Spin and Parliament Streets, was one of the first areas of Cape Town to be developed. The square once functioned as a slave market connected to the Slave Lodge, built in 1679. In 1701 the Dutch Reformed Church, the Groote Kerk, which today is known as the Old Supreme Court, was erected on its southern side and later, the eastern boundary was defined by a spinning factory.
The square was a convenient place for slaves to wait for their masters while they attended church. They waited under the shade of a tree at the entrance to the square, close to where the carriages were kept. The original tree which became known as the Slave Tree was cut down but has now been replaced by a similar one.
Between 1730 and 1753 Church Square became a meeting place for local dogs. They became such a menace for church goers that the city employed a dog-catcher to stop them harassing those attending church. Historians believe the dog menace was directly related to the smallpox epidemics of 1713 and 1750 when, at the church graveyard, bodies piled up at a rather alarming rate.
The square was declared a National Monument on 17 February 1961.
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Visit my online gallery for more images of iconic buildings and places in and around Cape Town, botanical works and images of African animals and birds in both monochrome and colour.
All images are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on ready-to-hang stretched canvas.
Click here for prices.
Contact me:
by phone/whatsapp on +27 79 247 7532
by email to [email protected]
The square was a convenient place for slaves to wait for their masters while they attended church. They waited under the shade of a tree at the entrance to the square, close to where the carriages were kept. The original tree which became known as the Slave Tree was cut down but has now been replaced by a similar one.
Between 1730 and 1753 Church Square became a meeting place for local dogs. They became such a menace for church goers that the city employed a dog-catcher to stop them harassing those attending church. Historians believe the dog menace was directly related to the smallpox epidemics of 1713 and 1750 when, at the church graveyard, bodies piled up at a rather alarming rate.
The square was declared a National Monument on 17 February 1961.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visit my online gallery for more images of iconic buildings and places in and around Cape Town, botanical works and images of African animals and birds in both monochrome and colour.
All images are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on ready-to-hang stretched canvas.
Click here for prices.
Contact me:
by phone/whatsapp on +27 79 247 7532
by email to [email protected]
