Queen's College Boys' High School

Queen's College started as Prospect House Academy when Mr C.E Ham first opened the doors to his school on 21 April 1858 at 6 Shepstone Street in Queenstown. The school was situated in an outbuilding on the property and consisted of a single room with a mud floor and holes in the wall for ventilation. The enrollment had reached 30 boys by 1859 and was also known as the Queenstown District School.[2] It was in receipt of a government grant of £50, backdated to initial opening of the school.[2] From inception the school offered boarding facilities, in the home of Mr Ham, conveniently situated directly across the road from the schoolhouse.

In 1864, a dispute regarding financial support for the school by the district council, led to the abrupt closure of the school by Mr Ham and he ceased teaching in order to open a general store in the town. Boys returning from their holiday in July 1864 discovered that their school house had been let to another tenant and their schoolmaster had become a haberdasher.[3] Public concern was such that a committee was formed, which decides that St Michael's Grammar School should assume the mantle of Prospect House Academy by accepting the status of a government-aided school. The resulting amalgamated school becomes the Public School for Boys and classes are held in a billiard hall.[4]

It was only in 1910 that the school was renamed Queen's College.

• Mr. CE Ham (1858–1864)
• Mr. G Elliot (1864–1865)
• Mr. R McCormick (1865–1867)
• Mr. FJ Beswick (1867–1899)
• Mr. B Noaks (1899–1900)
• Mr. GFH Clark (1901–1904)
• Mr. H Wilkinson (1904–1929)
• Mr. A Parry-Davies (1930–1939)
• Mr. HQ Davies (1940–1964)
• Mr. TW Higgs (1965–1973)
• Mr. DH Schroeder (1974–1992)
• Mr. CP Harker (1993–2010)
• Mr. DCP Lovatt (2011–2012)
• Mr. BJ Grant (2013–2017)
• Mr. J van der Ryst (2018–present)

• 4 science and biology labs
• Design and Technology facility
• Media centre
• Library
• Music centre
• 4 full sized cricket fields
• 8 turf wickets for practices
• 3 indoor cricket nets
• 2 squash courts
• 7 rugby fields
• 400m Cinder athletes track
• 1 floodlit AstroTurf
• 50m swimming pool
• Water polo pool
• 2 basketball courts
• Gym
• School Hall
• Memorial Hall

[5]

The school has 3 hostels; Whitson House, Athlone House and Connaught House. Whitson enrolls students in Grades 8–9, Connaught Grades 10–12 and Athlone Grades 9 & 10. Athlone was reopened in 2021 after many years of closure. All hostels are referred to as Beswick House, a name taken from the school's 4th headmaster's last name, Mr Frederic John Beswick (1841–1929).

Whitson House was the first hostel of the school and was built in 1904 and named Connaught House. In 1932, the hostel was closed leading to the later opening of hostels Athlone and De Vos Malan in 1939. In 1975, Connaught House was renamed Whitson House after old boy Mr H Whitson. The new Connaught House was built in 1979. Enrollment back then stated; Athlone grade 8, Whitson grades 9-12, De Vos Malan grades 10-12 and Connaught grades 9-12. After a decline in Boarders in the early 2000s most of the hostels were closed and converted into classrooms. Hostels outside campus were sold. [6]