A Powerhouse of the Spirit

A Powerhouse of the Spirit tells the story of a remarkable woman, Margaret Watson, who left her conventionally middle-class home in England to join an Anglican sisterhood in Grahamstown (now known as Makhanda) in what was then the Cape Colony at the start of the twentieth century. This extraordinary community of inspiring women engaged themselves in educational and caring work among young people of all races in South Africa. They built an impressive network of schools, orphanages and homes across the subcontinent that left their mark both nationally and in countless individual lives. It was in this community of dedicated women that Margaret Watson found fulfilment and self-expression both spiritually and artistically. Her work as a painter, whose vision was nourished by her inner life, is becoming increasingly recognised and appreciated. Her greatest achievements include her murals for the Chapel of the Training College which the Sisters established in Grahamstown, and for the cathedral-like Anglican church of St Augustine’s in Zululand. For the Church of Christ the King in Sophiatown, Johannesburg (later associated with Father Trevor Huddleston), she painted St. Francis amid the mine dumps of Johannesburg and Mary the mother of Jesus set in Sophiatown, surrounded by its people. 

In this biography, which is richly illustrated with photographs and reproductions of Sister Margaret’s paintings, William Barham recounts the life and times of this unusual woman, drawing on archives and interviews to produce a very special account of this visionary and artist.

Reviewer's Comments: 

“A treasure of a book that readers will want to return to, to share in the life and vision of an extraordinary woman”. 
Russell Martin, editor and book publisher, whose family have been closely associated with the Anglican Church in South Africa for almost two hundred years. 

“When I joined the community as a postulant on Ash Wednesday in 1962 and went into the chapel, I remember Sister Margaret’s little form all in black except for the white collar everyone wore in those days. She would be walking up to the altar to refresh the six vases of flowers on the reredos.  We all knew about her work as an artist and greatly respected her. I am pleased that Sister Margaret’s story has been told in full after all these years”.
Sister Carol CR, Community of the Resurrection of Our Lord, Superior 1998-2005