St. Andrew's College clock tower, built in 1923 St. Andrew's Chapel Pen and ink drawing on a hard board by Amitabh Mitra
History
In a letter dated August, 1855, Bishop Armstrong writes:
The last event I have to record was the laying of the foundation stone of our infant college, which I dedicated to St. Andrew, as on St. Andrew's Day I received consecration. It was a bright day in our annals. The clergy in their surplices, with Archdeacon Merriman at their head, moved in procession with a large body of lay people to the site of the chapel, where the Lieutenant-Governor and his Staff were waiting.
— Bishop John Armstrong
The laying of the foundation stone took place on 15 August 1855. Prior to this there existed a grammar school, founded by Bishop Robert Gray in 1849 on the site currently occupied by the Good Shepherd School, under the management of Mr. M.C. Bendelack, who was soon succeeded by the Rev. F. Bankes. Bankes was appointed principal of the new college, retaining also the title of Head-Master of St. Andrew's College Grammar School, as his school and all funds belonging to it were merged into the new institution. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge gave £1000 towards the building to which they added £500 in 1857, and a like sum in 1860. A supplementary sum was subscribed by friends of the Bishop.
St Andrew's College was incorporated by an Act of the Cape Parliament in September 1887, this Act was amended in 1932 and 1985. It has since been controlled by a council composed of communicant members of the Anglican Church, administering the school in terms of a trust deed, leaving its internal economy and discipline in the hands of the principal, who in terms of the 1887 Act was required to be a cleric. The Bishop of Grahamstown is ex officioVisitor to the college.[1]
Campus
A general plan showing the layout of the school building and fields as drawn by the architectural practice of Sir Herbert Baker
The school campus straddles the main road from Cradock, Eastern Cape into Grahamstown and is an open campus with buildings, sports fields and other facilities spread over a number of city blocks. The St Andrews Clock tower, found at the centre of the school, was designed as a memorial to those Old Andreans who had died in the first world war. The foundation stone was laid in 1921 and the tower was dedicated on St Andrew’s Day in 1923.
Chapel
The chapel, dedicated to St. Andrew and designed by Sir Herbert Baker, is at the heart of the school.[2]
Chapel, St Andrew's College, Somerset Street, Grahamstown
The foundation stone of the new chapel was laid by the Rt Revd Charles Cornish, bishop of Grahamstown on St. Andrew's Day, 1905, the jubilee year of the college. But chiefly owing to lack of funds the stone remained built into a buttress at the back of Espin Cottage, and no start was made until 1913 when the building was begun on plans by Messrs. Herbert Baker & Kendall of Cape Town. A corner stone, to commemorate the building, was laid by the Hon. Sir Lewis Mitchell, C.V.O. on 8 September that year.
The design for the new chapel is in the early Gothic manner, but in order to suit the comparatively sunny climate of the Eastern Cape, there is just that suggestion of Italian treatment which prevents it from being a direct copy of an English type. The form is that of a central nave of six bays, spanned by an open timber roof with massive beams, king posts and struts, the prototypes of which form such an attractive feature in: so many old English churches. There are two narrow side aisles to serve as passages, each having space for one row of additional seats in case of emergency. The chancel has an apsidal east end, and is to be covered by a groined roof constructed in concrete, the sanctuary windows being kept high in such a way as to cut into the semi-circular line of the vault in an effective manner. Instead of transepts, the plan provides a projecting vestry on the north side so as to preserve the cruciform plan, while the side aisles at the west are terminated against small projecting porches.
At the west end the-baptistry is placed projecting westward of the wall and forming a semi-circular recess, which is to be covered with a grained ceiling. Springing from the projecting baptistry are buttresses which are carried up with diminishing outline and form a picturesque bell cote to terminate the west end of the roof. As far as possible local material was used. The walls throughout were built in Grahamstown stone with a rough face, both inside and out. This stone demands a simple treatment for the dressings-so that most of the windows are plain-but those around the apse include some effective tracery.
The roof is covered with tiles made in the province on the Broseley pattern, and laid to a steep pitch. The aisles are paved with red tiles, while the floor of the chancel is paved in somewhat the same manner, and the floor under the seats is, of course be boarded in the ordinary way.
The nave is about 70 feet (21 m) × 20 feet (6.1 m) irrespective of the side aisles; the chancel and sanctuary 37 feet (11 m) × 20 feet (6.1 m); from the floor of nave to ridge of roof about 35 feet (11 m) The total accommodation is for 330, of which number about 30 may be seated in the choir. Contrary to the custom of college chapels, the seats are all arranged facing the east instead of being placed down the two sides, facing one another.
The contractors were Messrs. Carr & Co., Paarl.[3]
Boarding houses
Six houses comprise the school listed in chronological order:
Upper House – and Lower House is mentioned in the Register for the first time for 1895. Lower House ceased to exist in 1905.
Merriman named after the Rt Rev'd Nathaniel Merriman, previously known as Lower House
Armstrong named after the Rt Rev'd John Armstrong this house was built in 1898[4]
Mullins, named after Canon R.J. Mullins [aka the Republic Of Mullins]
Graham was a new boy house long before it became the sixth House of the School in 1963.: Roger Clark first Housemaster. Graham house was named after the Graham family who attended St Andrew's since 1861 – they collectively gave St Andrew's years of wisdom, serving either on the council or as President of the OA Club. (TBIY p. 38). Graham house was purchased by Canon Mullins in 1872.
Curriculum
The school follows the curriculum set by the Independent Examinations Board (IEB), which is the curriculum followed by most private schools in South Africa. In 2019 the school also implemented the Cambridge Assessment International Education A Level curriculum as an alternative syllabus to the IEB.
Extracurricular activities
The school has an active pipe band. The band is an important part of the traditional life of the school, the pipe band leads the cadet corps during parades. St Andrew's College is one of the few schools in South Africa that still trains a cadet corps. The cadet corps is attached to the First City Regiment
The school has three cultural societies whose membership is by invitation:
Alchemists meet twice a term to discuss matters of general, non-scientific interest.
Astronomers meet 6 times a year where boys present papers of a scientific nature to the club which is discussed over supper.
Cornish for a selected group of boys who share a love of poetry.
The School also hosts a number of other clubs and societies such as Choir, Debating, Model United Nations, Round Square, Ballroom Dancing, Chess, Outdoor Club, Surfing among others
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(January 2023)
Eric Norton, He returned to St Andrew's to teach, coach rugby and cricked and was Headmaster from 1972 – 1980. Norton made his debut for Eastern Province in the Currie Cup in 1936–37 against Transvaal in Johannesburg at the age of 17. He was selected to tour Australasia in 1952–53. He was also a prominent rugby player, who captained the Junior Springboks in Rhodesia in 1950.
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