Wellington vineyards with Cape Dutch architecture.
In 1657, Abraham Gabbema, on an official expedition from the fledgling Cape Colony’s faraway fort, first dubbed the distant wilderness between the broad expanse of the Berg River and the imposing Hawequa Mountains “Limietvallei” (Boundary Valley).
Since then, the fruitful womb of this picturesque enclave has given birth to a great number of dynamic individuals and powerful initiatives, which have left an indelible imprint, not just on our immediate landscape and community, but on our nation as a whole.
The first farms in the once remote valley at the very outer reaches of the Colony were granted to Dutch “Free Burghers” by Cape Governor Simon van der Stel in 1687, and the arrival, a year later, of the first wave of French Huguenots gave rise to a community with an unique sense of identity that was already manifest when, in 1699, this exceptional stretch of untamed earth was named Val du Charron (Valley of the Wagonmaker). These early settlers – both the Dutch Protestants, who purchased their religious freedom with blood, and the French Huguenots, forged from steel tempered by the fire of their fervent convictions - have beqeathed to those who live here a remarkable heritage, both spiritual and secular.
From the earliest days of the settlement, the heart of the Drakenstein Valley was the epicentre of Huguenot industry, as it was here that the overwhelming majority of farms were granted to French refugees. Driven by an ardently industrious Protestant ethic, the toil of these pious puritans was primarily responsible for the founding of viticulture and winemaking, in an area which would one day produce some of the country’s finest wines.
Throughout the valley, there exist reminders of the priceless bequest of the “French Refugees”. Many of the industries which played a major role in establishing the town evolved from the labours of Huguenot artisans, amongst them wagonmakers, wheelrights, blacksmiths, millers, shoemakers, tanners, coppersmiths and brandy distillers. The making of jams, preserves and dried fruit can also be attributed to their diligent influence.
Exploring Wellington's scenic views on horseback.
As is the case with most South African towns, the church formed the hub around which the frontier town of Wamakersvallei came into being. The first place of worship in the Drakenstein area was built on the farm Babylonstoren (near Simondium) in 1691, and presided over by the Rev. Pierre Simond, a minister who arrived with the Huguenots. The congregation attended services in this rudimentary structure, with sermons given in both French and Dutch, until Paarl’s famous “Strooidakkerk” (Thatched-roof Church) was completed in 1720.
The death knell of the lyrical French tongue (in part a deliberate attempt by the government to more thoroughly integrate the newcomers with the existing settler population) had already been sounded by 1709, when it was insisted that all government correspondence be in Dutch. It is on record that, by the time Paul Roux (a teacher and sick-comforter) died in 1723, there were only about 25 “old people” left who still spoke French. By later in the 18th century, the demise of the language was complete. As can be seen on early title deeds, the Huguenot names, too, were assimilated phonetically into Dutch, often bearing scant resemblance to their original pronunciation, construction or sense.
The first request from the inhabitants of Wamakersvallei for their own church was presented in an open letter to the Paarl congregation, on January 24, 1800, by one Francois le Roux. Permission was summarily declined, perhaps because the pastor was unwilling to lose so many members of his established flock.
Another forty years went by before their hopes were finally realised. Although a small Mission Church had been built in 1820, the local villagers continued to undertake the arduous journey by pont across the Berg River, to attend services in Paarl. Finally, in 1837, the unreliable conveyance broke, and the farmers were without spiritual succour for many months. In November of that year, they gathered with the firm resolve that their own church was essential. Dr John Addey was elected Chairman and driver of the Church Committee, and in Dec 1837, the farm Champagne, owned by Francois Marais, was selected as the site for the future building. Part of the church ground also lay on the farm Versailles, which had been granted to Pierre Crosnier in 1699.
Despite an initial stubborn refusal by Rev. Van der Lingen of the Paarl “Strooidakkerk” to recognise the independent, rival church, it was through the determined efforts of Dr Addey that the Wellington Congregation was officially established in 1840. The first elders were Bartolomeiis Johannes le Roux and Jan Hendrik Rossouw, with John Addey, Guillaume Francois Marais, Gideon Retief and Pieter Gideon Joubert as deacons—once again, a predominance of French surnames.
The valley's fynbos.
The origins of the name Val du Charron, or Wa(gen)makersvallei have been obscured by time. One theory is that the valley was named after an early French inhabitant—a wagonmaker who possibly preceded the first 15 Huguenots settlers. Another is that the area was home to the “Wagon Tree” (Protea Nitida), so-called as it was used for wheel hubs. (Whatever the initial reason, the district later became famous for the skill of its wagon-makers).
The name Wellington dates back to the founding of the town’s first church. The grateful community wished to honour John Addey, and the name “Addeydorp” was unsuccessfully mooted. An attempt to call the town after Sir George Napier was also rejected, as a local town bearing his name already existed. It was Napier himself who wrote over the application letter, “Call it Wellington. It is a disgrace that in this Colony no town bears the name of England’s greatest soldier”—and so, on March 26, 1840, the town of Wellington was proclaimed, after the English Duke, Arthur Wellesley, who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo—a somewhat ironic choice, considering the town’s French forbears!
The founding fathers who first planted the roots of the town did so in the full knowledge that their actions would have positive and far-reaching consequences, for this valley has been able to offer each successive generation a sustenance more potent than mere food and drink. There is a unique awareness of a lingering spiritual inheritance that as concealed itself in the companionable folds of the Hawequa mountains, radiating its sweet blessings.
One of Wellington’s greatest asset is its fertile soil, and during the summer months nature’s larder overflows with a bountiful harvest—to be bottled, dried, processed and sold—often in distant lands far across the oceans.
Our spiritual soil has proved just as fruitful. Evangelical seeds were sown in greater quantites in this valley than anywhere else, thanks to the dedication and devotion of the many foreigners who arrived here, and through their earnest prayers made these seeds germinate, shoot, and flower. With the Bible as a platform, they succesfully transformed Wellington into a showpiece, demonstrating to the rest of the country how teaching based on Biblical principles can lead to the highest form of civilisation and culture, and an unrivalled inner refinement. They came to this continent from Scotland, America and Holland, not as traders, prospectors, or dissipated seekers of material pleasures, but because they had a higher calling—to serve, to built and to evangelize.The names of these visionary men and women can be found today on the many buildings which stand as proud and lasting monuments to their lives and works.
The laying of Wellington’s solid educational foundation was largely due to the efforts of one man—the highly respected Scottish man of God, Dr Andrew Murray. The dedicated educationalist believed that the schooling of girls was of paramount importance, and was particularly impressed by the system employed at the Mount Holyoke Seminary, in Massachusetts, USA. After correspondence with the principal, he decided to introduce this model to his home-town, and thus achieved a major milestone in the history of South African education, when, in 1873, the first two female school teachers (the “Lady Professors”) were dispatched here from America.
In 1899, the seminary was divided into three sections—the Huguenot High School for girls under Miss Bliss, a conventional school for the training of Primary School teachers, and a College for advanced teaching. Within a few years, the conventional school became an independent Training College with a Mr James Harvey as Headmaster.
In 1898, the latter officially opened its doors as Huguenot College, with a Miss A. Ferguson as Headmistress, becoming Huguenot University College in 1918. Another noteworthy American, Miss Anna Cummings (the third head of the Girls’ High School and successor to Miss Bliss) was responsible for the fund-raising initiative through which Cummings Hall (named after her and her two sisters) was established. With the founding of the Missionary Institute in 1877, it was once again an American—George Ferguson from Massachusetts—who was appointed as the first Headmaster.