St John's Church
The first Anglican church on the East Bank was Grace Chapel, built
by Reverend Rodolph von Hube in 1859 as a place of worship for
the German community. Von Hube was not immediately replaced
when he left East London in 1862, however, and so his church
became no more than an outstation of St Peter's Church on the West
Bank.
When a railway line to Queenstown was constructed in 1873
and its terminus was placed on the East Bank, the business sector
of the town slowly relocated across the river. By 1880, therefore, a
thriving parish was taking root. Grace Chapel was now too small
and a new Anglican Church was built, to be known at St John's
Church.
Dr Keith Tankard
