Bishopscourt And Its Residents

Bishopscourt And Its Residents by Anne R Kotzé (Provincial Archivist Church of the Province of Southern Africa)

Extract from the foreword by Desmond M Tutu

Anne Kotzé has done us a great service in putting together this history of Bishopscourt. I am privileged to be the present incumbent of this old house and I hope I have been able to make it more comfortable and convenient for my successors!

I believe it has been good that the house has not been declared a historical monument, which might trap us into a status quo situation. As this history amply illustrates, Bosheuvel/Bishopscourt has been essentially a home. It has been added to and altered to accommodate the needs of the families who have lived here. In the hands of the Church the functions of the estate have broadened. Not only is Bishopscourt a gracious building with ample rooms for entertaining and ecclesiastical meetings, but it has been a pleasure to my wife, Leah, and myself to be able to share its beautiful setting with others.

We have had some wonderful occasions - Christmas parties for the fellowship of retired clergy and widows, and children's parties on the wide lawn. There have been Sunday School picnics and parish braise in the "paddock", and the open-air Christmas play, "Lodestar", for many years took place in the grounds, leading to some amusing capers with the live animals in the cast who were tethered in the garden.