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Michaelhouse School
Balgowan, KwaZulu-Natal
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| (Price's FRIBA nom papers 1901) Michaelhouse school was started in Loop Street, Pietermaritzburg in 1896. The land for the present site at Balgowan was purchased in 1899 but because of delays caused by the South African War the new building was only completed in 1901. Over the entrance to the new school, standing commandingly in the bare veld, was a square battlement which contained the chapel. The buildings consisted of a dining hall, which later became a laboratory and then a library; staff accommodation; five classrooms; and three dormitories, called Spear, Helm and Shield. Enrolment stood at 77 when the boys moved into their new school - already seven over the capacity accommodation of the dormitories. In 1909 Canon Hugh-Jones dedicated a new chapel and turned the old one into a library. The design was done by Herbert BAKER. By the time the First World War broke out, Michaelhouse was an established school, with 92 boys on the register. A sanatorium and two music rooms were added but it was not long before the need for further accommodation became urgent and in 1915 the services of the architect FLEMIMG – Herbert BAKER's partner – were retained for the design. The additions, austere but not unattractive, ran along the east side of the quadrangle and turned the southeast corner. They encompassed a classroom, dormitories, a bath and drying room, a housemaster’s living quarters, and – at last – a septic system for the lavatories. It was during Pascoe's tenure (1917-1926) that, despite financial hardships and thanks to generous donations from the public, Old Boys and friends of the school, the Memorial Hall - designed by FLEMING -was built to commemorate those who had fallen in the First World War. A kitchen block and two more classrooms were also erected, as well as a music room. The new buildings added to the appearance of the school, balancing the chapel on the east and providing an almost complete west wing. The effect was a replica of the medieval monastic schools, with arcades enclosing a central quad, a style favoured by BAKER (and copied by his contemporaries) in his many educational designs. Warin Foster Bushell became the rector in 1927 and during his short but remarkable tenure (1927-1928) he instructed FLEMING to draw up plans for the completion of the school’s quadrangle, resulting in the building of a further dormitory accommodation, a bath house, a tuck shop, a bursar’s office, a dark room, and master’s quarters. The quadrangle was then paved (and later grassed) and a fountain set in its centre and dedicated to the memory of rector James Todd. Ronald Fairbridge Currey became the next rector in 1930 and although the worldwide depression stalled building alterations for a few years he was able through imaginative use of what materials and labour were available to add a room to the rector’s lodge (giving a uniform line to the eastern façade of the school building), and turn the chemistry laboratory into a library with the addition of an oriel window. A new chemistry lab and lecture theatre were built. The problem of accommodating the growing school was solved in 1935 with the addition of a complete new west wing beyond the original square block. Frederick Rowlandson Snell took up the post as the next rector of Michaelhouse in 1939. Finally, in 1950, the additional dining hall and other new buildings were erected. The memorial to the men who gave their lives in the Second World War (1 200 served, most of them in the air force; 77 were decorated; 128 lost their lives) is the chapel, the last addition to be designed by FLEMING, completed in 1949 and dedicated in 1952. Traditional in design, it was able to contain the whole school at once - for the first time in 25 years. Its stained-glass rose window, enhanced by the stained-glass sanctuary windows, is one of the gems of the school. Clement Yorke Morgan became rector in 1953 and in 1955 a rector's house, agitated for for years but continuously postponed for lack of funds, was finally built. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 1960 and in 1969 the Crypt Chapel was renovated and dedicated to him. In 1969 with Rex Frampton Pennington as rector a long needed gap in the accommodation of Michaelhouse was filled with the building of four staff houses. Further building improvements included the rebuilding of the school kitchens, and the opening of a music school and an audiovisual centre. The Schlesinger Theatre, the gift of Old Boy John Schlesinger was opened in 1976. [Extracted and edited from Hawthorne, Peter and Bristow, Barry, 1993. Historic Schools of South Africa. Cape Town: Pachyderm Press cc. pp, 156-164] All truncated references not fully cited below are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon. Books and articles that reference Michaelhouse School
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