Many beautiful and awe-inspiring schools can be found all around Africa – from South Africa to Angola, and from Senegal to Botswana. Some are designed to resist natural disasters, while others provide first-rate education to the underprivileged.
By the end of this article, you will definitely be amazed at some the architectural designs of the school buildings designed by top notch architects. Here are the best five of them all.
- St John’s College
St John’s College is an Independent Anglican day and boarding boys’ school situated in Houghton Estate in the city of Johannesburg in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It is a world-class Christian, African school founded in 1898 and comprises five schools: College, Preparatory, Pre-Preparatory and The Bridge Nursery, as well as a co-educational Sixth Form.
St. John’s numbers among South Africa’s pre-eminent schools, with a reputation for excellence extending well beyond the country’s borders. St. John’s follows the rich traditions of the Anglican Church. Teaching is based on sound values and morals and the Anglican ethos of respect and care, while also celebrating the traditions of other faith communities to encourage mutual understanding and tolerance.
St John’s is an African centre of excellence – the strong commitment to academic excellence is balanced by a diverse and rich extra-curricular cultural and sporting programme, to produce young individuals who are inquiring, enthusiastic, tolerant and resilient. The school nurtures today’s children to lead tomorrow’s world rightly trained in body, mind and character.
St John’s College was ranked 11th out of the top 100 best high schools in Africa by Africa Almanac in 2003, based upon quality of education, student engagement, strength and activities of alumni, school profile, internet and news visibility.
The college has eight college houses: Alston, Clarke, Clayton, Fleming, Hill, Hodgson, Nash and Thomson. The school is arranged around a number of quadrangles, each with its cloisters. Frank Leonard Fleming later worked with Baker on certain of the buildings.
2. Hilton College
Hilton College, more commonly referred to as Hilton, is a South African private boarding school for boys located near the town of Hilton. Hilton College was founded in 1872 and is situated on a 1,762 ha (4,350 acre) estate that includes a 550 ha (1,400 acre) wildlife reserve that borders the Umgeni River.
The school campus, which has been described as one of the most beautiful in the world, is home to all school buildings including the Crookes Block (main academic building), the Centenary Centre (which incorporates the theatre), the William Campbell Building, Memorial Hall and the Chapel. Immediately beyond the campus is the school farm which includes wattle plantations and natural grazing areas and is used by boys for running and cycling.
The lower portion of the estate is the Hilton College Nature Reserve. Hilton boys have access to the reserve and make use of the grounds on Sundays for swimming, tubing, mountain biking, fishing, bird watching and exploring. In addition, academic departments make use of the reserve as part of the curriculum (e.g., Art, Biology, Geography).
The architectural style of their chapel is fundamentally Cape Dutch, with prominent gables found on most of the buildings across the grounds. Unlike traditional Cape Dutch, the roofs are sheet metal or slate in lieu of thatch, sash windows make way for casement type, and shutters do not feature. The Centenary Centre introduced Southern Colonial Architecture into the mix. The building was designed in the, Georgian inspired, Southern Colonial Style.
There are a number of buildings, such as the Indoor Sports Centre, Crews Fitness Centre and the Hart Davis Scoreboard that have Georgian cues.
3. Michaealhouse School
Michaelhouse is a full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. It is located in the Balgowan valley in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The school buildings were started in 1900 and the school took occupation in 1901. The first buildings to be completed were the existing administration block, vestry and gallery of the now extended chapel, and Founders House. The hill overlooking Michaelhouse is one of the rarer biomes in the country (Midland’s mist belt grassland)
The original school buildings are made of traditional Pietermaritzburg red brick. The entire school is built in a lattice of quadrangles. It is in fact possible to move from one end of the school buildings to the other without ever having to get wet on a rainy day. There are ten boarding houses.
The chapel is an important focal point in the school’s architecture and ethos. The chapel was built running from North to South with the apse at the North end. The Schlesinger theatre is one of a number of facilities at the school that was funded by an old boy. It is a 550-seat theatre built and completed in 1976. The Inglis Indoor Centre is used for basketball and cricket and has three courts that can be used simultaneously as well as 4 indoor turf cricket nets, whilst during winter it is used for indoor hockey.
The library is stocked with over 16,000 books and has an adjoining 50 seat lecture theatre. There are four Science laboratories, three Biology laboratories and four computer centres. The school has a sanatorium and laundry service. The staff reside on the estate.
4. St Anne’s Diocesan College
St Anne’s Diocesan College is a private girls’ boarding school situated in the small town in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa. St Anne’s Diocesan College has a long tradition of providing excellent, balanced and globally relevant education. The College was founded in Pietermaritzburg in 1877, before moving to Hilton Village in 1904.
The College has a large boarding contingent, accommodating both weekly and termly boarders from all over South Africa, neighbouring countries, and abroad. Day boarders are also welcomed warmly and, as their title suggests, they are encouraged to spend most of the day at school to enjoy a full St Anne’s experience.
St Anne’s offers an empowering array of subjects and they pride themselves on their outstanding academic teaching and learning. Their students receive a school-provided laptop as they arrive and their excellent teachers assist them in maximising the benefit of the device which makes their learning more immediate and interactive, and gives them a distinct advantage for life after school.
The school is committed to providing a holistic education for each girl who has every opportunity to develop as an individual, whether in spirituality, academics, sport, music, drama and with general wellness, sense of belonging, and happiness, being prioritised.
The purpose of St Anne’s is to be the fertile ground to nurture women of significance who will impact on others positively through their warmth, kindness, integrity, confident sense of identity, responsible use of their voice, leadership and meaningful actions. The school is close to realising its vision of providing an excellent environment for young women to thrive.
It is an exceptional high school set in the quaint village of Hilton in the Kwazulu Natal Midlands through the gates within the sanctuary of the chapel onto the beautiful front and beyond which is where they nurture women of significance who will go on to make a positive impact on their community and globally by devleloping emotional, intellectual and spiritual awareness in a safe and inspiring environment to make a meanful contribution whever they go. Their building are a metaphor for this red brick on the outside, modern décor and the latest technology on the inside in their world class theartre. Class room blocks, sports fields and a wholistic environment is truly home away from home. It is a very special and beautiful place.
5. Magistério Mutu-ya-Kevela
Magistério Mutu – ya-Kevela ( MMK ) is an Angolan teaching institution , headquartered in the city of Luanda . It offers secondary-technical and higher education. It is a public school which began operation on February 22, 1919.
Having been founded at the beginning of the 20th century , it is one of the oldest educational institutions in the country. A large part of the country’s intellectual elite passed through this institution. Mutu-ya-Kevela, who lends his name to the school, was a Bailundo military leader who promoted the African continent’s largest nativist revolt against colonial power before World War I.
The Liceu Nacional Salvador Correia Building, headquarters of the Mutu-ya-Kevela Magisterium, considered as the maximum expression of the power of the Estado Novo at the time of its construction, was classified as a national monument because it is a building that represents the Portuguese architecture of the Estado Novo. The tiles of the corridors (1930s / 1940s) portray themes of Portuguese culture. They have been preserved and recovered as an integral part of the identity of the place.
Other Beautiful Schools in Africa Worth Noting
- St. George’s College, Harare (built in 1926)
- Colégio São José de Cluny – Luanda
- Université Cheikh Anta Diop – Dakar, Senegal
- Maru-a-Pula School (founded in 1972) in Gaborone Botswana
- St. Andrew´s College founded in 1855 in Grahamstown/ South Africa