Durban's Central Methodist Church built in 1877 in West Street, opposite where 320 West Street is today.
The old picture today features Durban’s Central Methodist Church and is taken from a postcard from the Facebook site Durban History and Stories.
The very first Methodist Church in Durban was a thatched wattle-and-daub structure erected by Rev J Archbell on the corner of Aliwal and Smith streets (today Samora Machel and Anton Lembede streets) in 1843. In 1850 this was replaced by a more substantial building, designed by his successor, Rev WC Holden.
The old picture today was the West Street church (opposite 320 West Street - today Dr Pixley kaSeme) and was the fourth such church to be consecrated on January 13, 1878. The grand Gothic edifice was designed by architect Rowland Ridgway in 1877 and the foundation stone was laid by Mrs Benjamin Greenacre. Seating 650, the church took 10 years to pay off.
In 1968, the trustees of the church received a handsome offer for the property which they accepted. The site chosen for the new church was ironically the corner of Smith and Aliwal Streets, where the very first wattle and daub structure had been built. It replaced the popular Broadway Hotel, a haunt of many who attended Durban’s cinemas on Saturday nights, but which had probably seen better days.
