Dutch Reformed Church. Lothair, Transvaal. 8 January 1984 (4_3282)

David Goldblatt
Dutch Reformed Church. Lothair, Transvaal. 8 January 1984 (4_3282), 1984
Silver gelatin hand print
Image: 27.5 x 34.8 cm

"A few houses, five shops, a post office, a police station, a sawmill and, standing alone, a long way off, this church. That was Lothair. Most members of the parish were farmers and the church was built by two of them in about 1954. Except during school holidays in July and December, when many of the congregation went to the coast for their vacations, services were taken on Sunday afternoons by the minister from Lake Chrissie, a nearby village. Over the years some modest weddings and a few funerals were held in the church. Then, as time went on, the church was burgled more and more frequently. Carpets, curtains, pews, the pulpit, and even the front door and sheets of corrugated iron from the roof were stolen. Restoration became so expensive that in the early 1990s the building was eventually abandoned. In an apparent effort to revive the church and provide it with some security, attempts were made in 1994 to attract members of the congregation to buy stands and build houses close to the church.' - David Goldblatt