Dutch Reformed Mother Church

The Dutch Reformed Mother Church, situated on the upper end of Church Street in Cradock, was built in 1868, on the same site as the first Dutch Reformed Church. The Dutch Reformed Church was the first church community in the small Karoo town, and was only established in 1824, ten years after the town was named. The design of the church was loosely based on that of the St. Martins in the Field Church, situated in London's Trafalgar square which dates as far back as the early 1200's.

Great South African states man of years gone by, Paul Kruger was christened in the church in 1826, and his name can be observed in the register. During the Anglo-Boer War, which took place between 1899 and 1902, British soldiers who occupied Cradock at the time used the roof of the church as a look out point.

The opening ceremony of the church in 1868, was attended by thousands, and conflict erupted when the builder refused to hand over the keys until outstanding fees had been paid. The problem was solved when an appeal was made to the public, and most of the money was collected from donations. Apparently the builder settled for what was collected, and the ceremony continued. The cost of constructing the church supposedly came to a total of £ 24 500.