| Hilton College | |
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 Hilton College school crest | |
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| Information | |
| School type | All-boys private school |
| Motto | Orando et Laborando (by Prayer and Work) |
| Religious affiliation | Christianity |
| Established | 29 January 1872; 153 years ago (1872-01-29) |
| Founder | Gould Arthur Lucas & Reverend William Orde Newman |
| Sister school | St John's Diocesan School For Girls |
| Exam board | IEB,Cambridge (IGCSE/IAL) |
| Grades | Forms 1 to 5 (Grades 8 - 12) |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 14 to 18 |
| Number of students | 600 boys |
| Language | English |
| Schedule | 08:00 - 15:00 |
| Campus | Urban Campus |
| Houses | Churchill Ellis Falcon Lucas McKenzie Newnham Pearce |
| Colours | Black White |
| Song |
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| Nickname | Hiltonian |
| Rivals | |
| School fees | R397,000 / US$21,500 (boarding & tuition) |
| Feeder schools |
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| Affiliations | |
| Alumni | Old Hiltonians |
| Website | hiltoncollege.com |
Hilton College, more commonly referred to asHilton, is a South Africanprivateboarding school for boys located near the town ofHilton in theKwaZulu-Natal Midlands and is situated on a 1,762 ha (4,350 acre) estate that includes a 550 ha (1,400 acre) wildlife reserve and the 150 ha (370 acre) school campus
Hilton College was founded in 1872 byGould Arthur Lucas and Reverend William Orde Newnham as a non-denominationalChristian boys' school. It follows Englishpublic school tradition and is a full boarding school, which means all pupils live at the school, and is one of only two such remaining single-sex boys' schools (the other beingMichaelhouse) to continue this practice in South Africa.
Hilton's 500 pupils each have access to a personal tutor and have a bespoke academic plan. It has maintained its position as the most expensive school in South Africa.[1][2][3]
The grounds on which Hilton College is located were established as farm by pioneering Voortrekkers.Ongegund, as it was then known, was sold to a young Englishman, Joseph Henderson, by Johanna Grobbelaar, widow of the original owner, in 1849. Later in 1857 Henderson and his wife renamed the farmHilton, afterHilton Hall in Staffordshire, England.[4]
The first of the founders, Gould Arthur Lucas, left for South Africa in 1851 as a lieutenant of the 73rd Foot Regiment of The British army. He had been one of three surviving officers during the sinking ofHMS Birkenhead, in 1852. Following this he was reposted as a district adjutant inPietermaritzburg. It was here in 1855 that he met the Rev. William Orde Newnham, who had arrived in Natal at the request of BishopJohn Colenso to become master of the new Pietermaritzburg Grammar School.[5] It was during this time that the two became close friends. In 1867, after a period in England, Newnham returned to Natal and left to establish a school in Ladysmith, with the encouragement and support of his friend Lucas.
However the school did not prosper and Newnham found "the summer climate there too oppressive".[6] In 1871, upon hearing of Newnham's troubles, Lucas offered to help establish a new school near Pietermaritzburg. He arranged to purchase part of the farmHilton from the Hendersons on which a school could be founded. Newnham arrived atHilton on 27 January 1872[7] and two days later, on 29 January 1872, Hilton College was officially opened. The first 50 pupils were housed in dormitories built near the stables and the original farm house was enlarged to serve as the main school building. Newnham continued to run the school until he returned to England at the end of 1877.
In 1878 the lease of the school was taken over by Henry Vaughan Ellis. Ellis, aRugby old boy,[7] sought to reform Hilton College around the Englishpublic school system. Ellis brought many of the Rugby traditions to Hilton; thus beginning an unofficial link between the two schools, perpetuated today in the Hilton crest and motto. In 1903, Ellis announced his intent to retire, but wished to ensure the survival of his school. It was suggested to him by Ernest Acutt, a founding pupil and Mayor ofDurban, that the farm and school should be sold to a company formed by Old Hiltonians[8] which became the Hilton College Ltd.[9] The capital raised by the old boys was intended to be used to buy the school from Ellis and for the construction of new buildings.
Shortly after Ellis' retirement the position of headmaster was taken over by George Weeks. However he too resigned that year and another new headmaster was needed. The position was awarded to William Falcon in 1906.[9] Under his headmastership Hilton College grew from 50 pupils to over 200. Many buildings were completed such as the William Campbell building and the school chapel. The original school buildings, which were red brick, were changed to the presentCape Dutch style. The present school uniform was introduced along with the house system (the first three houses being Newnham, Ellis and Weeks (later renamed Pearce).[10] Falcon also lead reforms in the school's academic curriculum and, foreseeing the inevitableunion of the South African colonies, replaced French with Dutch as the official second language in 1907.
On 31 March 1928 the original shareholders of Hilton College Ltd. signed aSolemn Covenant of Dedication which, in 1930, established the Hiltonian Society,[9] a non-profit sharing association of the Old Hiltonians which take over the original shares and thus would own and control the school.[11]
Hilton College andMichaelhouse have enjoyed a history of friendly rivalry. The two schools have much in common and are the only two full boarding schools remaining in South Africa. The schools are located near one another in theKwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
The bond between Hilton's "old friend and rival, Michaelhouse"[12] has developed since 1904 when the two schools played their first rugby match at Hilton College, which Hilton won 11–0.[13] Both schools consider each other their main fixture in all sporting disciplines. The high point of this rivalry is the biannual Hilton-Michaelhouse Day. This event, held alternately between the two schools, sees them play one another in rugby and hockey. The culmination of the day is the main rugby match between the two schools' 1st XVs, which is the oldest continuous rugby fixture inKwa-Zulu Natal.[13]
The Hilton College Guard was a mounted unit established on 4 June 1872[7] by Rev. William Newnham and lasted until its disbanding in the mid-1980s. As the oldestcadet corps in South Africa, the Hilton College Guard enjoyed the position ofCadet Detachment No. 1.[14] Since its establishment, members of the Hilton College Guard and Old Hiltonians have fought in theAnglo-Zulu War, theSouth African War,World War I,World War II, theKorean War and theSouth African Border War.
The years of study at Hilton are referred to as Forms 1 to 5. "First Form" is the equivalent of Grade 8 and has boys aged 14. "Fifth Form" is the equivalent of Grade 12, also known as matric, and has boys aged 17–19. In Forms 1 and 2, Hilton College pupils follow a bespoke, semesterised curriculum that draws content and structure from the best curricular practices in South Africa and globally. In Form 3, pupils choose to follow either the IEB Pathway or the A Level Pathway. As such, Hilton College leavers write either theIndependent Examinations Board exams or a set of International A Level exams (Cambridge Assessment International Education). Hilton has produced over 20Rhodes scholars for study at theUniversity of Oxford and two Elsie Ballot scholars for study at theUniversity of Cambridge.[15] Hilton College students can also be found in the USAivy league universities.Harvard University has 1 Hilton College student currently (2019) studying Computer science and Philosophy, in second year. He is joined by a second Hilton student in August/September 2019.He plans to major in Social Sciences with a view to going toHarvard Law School. In addition, another Hilton College student began at the University of Pennsylvania in August 2018 studying Finance and Behavioral Economics atWharton School of Business. Two students have been accepted toUniversity of Pennsylvania and have started in August/September 2019. Currently (2023), there is one student in second year atPrinceton University, one student in his third year at Brown University and recently (2018) a Hilton student graduated in public health fromCornell University. Two Hilton students who matriculated in 2019 have been accepted for undergraduate degrees atHarvard University have begun in August/September 2020.[16]
Hilton College's sporting tradition stretches back to its establishment in 1872. There are three sports seasons at Hilton College and sport is compulsory at Hilton College and every form 1 is required to play a team sport in term 1. Hilton's most popular sports are Rugby, Cricket, Water Polo and Hockey. The school has seen success particularly in rugby, producing severalSpringbok Rugby players and also lending its colours to the Natal Rugby Union, which would later become the provincial colours of Natal[12] and subsequently Kwa-Zulu Natal.
The school offers a wide variety of sports:
The house system at Hilton was created under the headmastership of William Falcon. Today there are seven houses, Churchill, Ellis, Falcon, Lucas, McKenzie, Newnham and Pearce which each occupy their own independent building. These houses serve as both a boys boarding and sporting house. Every new boy entering Hilton College is assigned a house which they stay in until Form 5 (Grade 12). There is a rivalry between the seven houses who compete in inter-house tournaments such as swimming, athletics, rugby, general knowledge, debating and pancake eating. The matrics take responsibility for the running of the houses under the supervision a housemaster and deputy housemaster who live in adjoined apartments.
Hilton is a non-denominational Christian college, and Christian worship, values and principles are the foundation of Hilton College life. Pupils attend chapel service twice a week, including Sundays. About 40% of the school pupils come fromAnglican backgrounds; 15% fromRoman Catholic; 13% fromMethodist; the other denominations are less than 10% each.
Hilton College has two school songs. The formal 'School Hymn' isLift Up Your Hearts!, an English hymn written in 1881 by A. Douglas. It is sung during chapel services such as Remembrance Day and Opening and Closing Services. The informal 'School Song' is Oh Boys of Hilton, which was written byBobby Skinstad in 1993, and is sung to the tune ofFlower of Scotland.
Hilton College has a student exchange programme withEton College,Harrow School,Wrekin College andFramlingham College inEngland,Gordonstoun andStrathallan School inScotland,Schule Schloss Salem inGermany,The Scots College,Knox Grammar School andCanberra Grammar School inAustralia, andCharlotte Latin School andWoodberry Forest School in United States.
Hilton College is situated on a 1,762 ha (4,350 acres) estate that includes a 550 ha (1,400 acres) wildlife reserve that borders theUmgeni River.[17] The school campus, which has been described as one of the most beautiful in the world,[18] is home to all school buildings including theCrookes Block (main academic building), theCentenary Centre (which incorporates the theatre), theWilliam Campbell Building,Memorial Hall and theChapel. 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)
Hilton College has produced a number of notable old boys. There have been eightSpringbok Rugby players including two captains (Gary Teichmann andBobby Skinstad)[19] and two constitutional court judges (John Didcott andArthur Chaskalson).
Hilton also educated sports journalistRobert Marawa and Italian Rugby playerSebastian Negri.Lungi Ngidi[20] is a South African cricketer.
Paul Maritz was previously Vice President of Microsoft and CEO of VMware
Fundi Sithebe former CEO ofAirports Company South Africa (ACSA) and 4Racing.
Conor Mccreedy Swiss based artist and engineer. In 2022 a rare 4 kg book was made about his work by the publishing giantAssouline. Mccreedy has been described as the Blue Sultan of the Art World.[21]
Robert-Falcon Ouellette is a politician from Canada and attended in 1995 for the historic elections. He was a member of Falcon House.
Neil Smith, class of 1997, Pearce House is an Emmy award winner for his contribution to Broadcast Technology at Super Bowl LVIII (Las Vegas 2024). He has been nominated for four other Emmy awards including the George Wensel Technical Achievement award for the 2023 Masters golf at Augusta.[citation needed]
The Hiltonian Society is a non-profit organisation that owns and runs Hilton College. It was formed in 1930 by the share holders of Hilton College Ltd., which owned the school at the time.[11] Any Hilton Old boy or past teacher is eligible to become a member of the Hiltonian Society.
The following schools are all considered Hilton feeder schools and pupils are eligible to receive closed scholarships to Hilton College.
{{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help)The Illustrated London News of April 29, 1961 features photographs of Hilton College in its series, The Education of Commonwealth Youth.
29°29′31″S30°18′04″E / 29.49206°S 30.30109°E /-29.49206; 30.30109
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