{"id":492,"date":"2021-04-10T16:47:58","date_gmt":"2021-04-10T20:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/?p=492"},"modified":"2021-04-10T18:02:12","modified_gmt":"2021-04-10T22:02:12","slug":"the-school-among-the-magnificent-seven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/the-school-among-the-magnificent-seven\/","title":{"rendered":"The School Among the Magnificent Seven"},"content":{"rendered":"
by Josh Lu (March 11, 2016)<\/h6>\n
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Queen\u2019s Royal College. Photo courtesy the University of the West Indies, Michael Goldberg Postcard Collection. Photographer Herbert Lanks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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(Original article source<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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INTRODUCTION<\/h3>\n

Before what we know today as Queen\u2019s Royal College at its present location on Queen\u2019s Park West, the<\/span>\u00a0school had its beginnings as the Queen\u2019s Collegiate School, when, in 1858, the government planned to spend \u00a35,000 a year for a mixed non-denominational college. In 1859 this new school opened it doors on the premises of C.N Vessiny, situated at the corner of Oxford Street and Cumberland (Abercromby) Street, facing Lord Harris Square. The Queen\u2019s Collegiate School initially had five professors from England and a total of 34 students from forms 1 to 3. The school remained at Oxford Street for the next 29 years.<\/p>\n

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THE FORMATION OF QUEEN\u2019S ROYAL COLLEGE<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Queen\u2019s Royal College at Princes\u2019 Building c.1870. Photo courtesy the National Archives UK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Queen\u2019s Royal College at Princes\u2019 Building c.1870. Photo courtesy Scott Henderson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1870 the Queen\u2019s Collegiate School was officially renamed the Queen\u2019s Royal College by order of the Legislative Council, with Queen Victoria, through the Secretary of State for the Colonies expressing her pleasure in the name change. The college was inaugurated at the Prince\u2019s Building on Queens Park West by Governor A.H. Gordon. The Prince\u2019s Building was constructed in 1861 for the arrival of Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. However the visit was cancelled because of the sudden death of Prince Alfred\u2019s father in the same year and he never visited Trinidad. The Prince\u2019s Building was built within a month with great haste, using bricks from the ruins of Government House on Belmont Hill, where Hilton stands today.<\/p>\n

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Queen\u2019s Royal College showing the electric tramcar that ran around the Queen\u2019s Park Savannah for 2 cents a round trip c.1912. Photo courtesy Scott Henderson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The building stood on the site known as Little Savannah at the top of Frederick Street, Port of Spain. The National Academy for the Performing Arts now occupies this site. When Queen\u2019s Royal College had occupied this building it had 80\u2013100 students and had all six classes taught in the Supper Room, while the master\u2019s room was the Cloak Room. The principal who oversaw this transitional stage of the college was Horace Deighton (1870\u20131871). The person who took the principal position after Deighton was William Mills, who is also the longest serving principal for Queen\u2019s Royal College. The students were highly engaged in sports, playing cricket on the west side of the building, rugby and athletics on the Queen\u2019s Park Savannah close by. The College remained at this location for the next 32 years.<\/p>\n

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The foundation stone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1899 when Government Farm moved from St. Clair, this opened a series of empty plots of land to be sold off. The land on the west of Queen\u2019s Park Savannah was considered prime space due to its close proximity to the savannah. The plot of land on the corner of St. Clair Avenue and Maraval Road was specially reserved for the construction of the new Queen\u2019s Royal College building. In 1902, His Excellency the Acting Governor, Sir Courtney C. Knollys laid the foundation stone for the new Queen\u2019s Royal College. At the laying of the foundation stone the Governor remarked:<\/p>\n

Today we are taking the first step in giving new life to a new era for the college by laying the foundation stone of a new building, which would be suitable in every respect for an educational establishment. The boys would then have their own home and be able to establish an esprit de corps and the college would be their Alma Mater for which they would feel true affection and to which they would look up through their lives.<\/em><\/p>\n

After having the foundation stone blessed by the Bishop and set in place by the Acting Governor, the construction of the building was left under the supervision of Daniel Meinertz Hahn, architect and chief draughtsman. Daniel Hahn was a past student of Queen\u2019s Royal College at Prince\u2019s Building and was born in Carupano, Venezuela in 1867. Afterwards he went to Hamburg in Germany to continue his studies and later attended the Polytechnic School of Engineering in Berlin. He returned to Trinidad to gain his position in the Public Works Department, where he was able to design and build many buildings, which included the Red House among others.<\/p>\n

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The heavily ornate wooden frame for the now missing gong. The plaque reads \u201cHaec Olim Meminisse Juvabit\u201d 1832\u20131898 which is a popular latin phase from Publius Vergilius Maro \u201cThe Aeneid\u201d which loosely translate to \u201cOne day, this will be pleasing to remember\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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With his immense experience and tireless supervision, he was able to design and complete the building of the new Queen\u2019s Royal College within fourteen months. The date for the opening ceremony of this magnificent building on Queen\u2019s Park West took place on 24th March 1904, officiated by the Governor, Sir Alfred Maloney. In the presence of a large gathering of students, past students and members of the college the Hon. Walsh Wrightson, Director of Public Works presented the southern door key of the College Hall to the Governor. At which point speeches were made and where the Hon. Walsh Wrightson thanked Daniel Hahn for his endless dedication in the completion of this building.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Interior of the clock tower<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The front and back of Queen\u2019s Royal College without the turret clock prior to 1912. Photo courtesy the University of the West Indies, Michael Goldberg Postcard Collection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Completed at a cost of \u00a315,000, the design of Queen\u2019s Royal College was based on the German Renaissance style, which was influenced by Daniel Hahn\u2019s experience while he was in Germany. The new building was without equal in Trinidad as it boasted a clock tower 93 feet tall, which housed the King Edward VII Memorial Clock. It should be noted that the clock was not installed until 1912, as there was no funding to purchase the clock, instead it was gifted by William Gordon Gordon, a prominent businessman at the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The original Dent & Co. clock mechanism with a dedication plaque to King Edward VII from William Gordon Gordon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Few would know that the same mechanism that drives the gears and dials for the famous clock for Houses of Parliament in London, familiarly known as \u201cBig Ben<\/strong><\/a>\u201d is the same used for the turret clock at Queen\u2019s Royal College. Both clock were made by Dent & Co. the finest clock and watch maker in Great Britain for over three centuries. Established in 1814 by Edward J. Dent who gained prominence for his timepieces that he was given a Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria and HRH Albert Prince of Wales.<\/p>\n

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The coat of arms of the United Kingdom and the fives bells housed in the belfry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are five bells that are house within the belfry of the clock tower. Each bell was made in Great Britain as they all are marked by the coat of arms of the United Kingdom with the words\u00a0Dieu et mon driot\u00a0<\/em>(God and my right<\/em>)\u00a0<\/em>on a scroll beneath it.<\/p>\n

Take a look at a video of the interior of the clock tower:\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BMxpI7u5szI<\/a><\/p>\n

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The back of Queen\u2019s Royal College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Examples of staircases within Queen\u2019s Park Savannah<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The German Renaissance was the outcome of renewed interest in classical Greek and Roman philosophy, literature and architecture. In the 15th and 16th century German thinkers and artists such as Albrecht D\u00fcrer and Johannes Reuchlin visited Italy and brought the Renaissance movement with them to Germany. The Renaissance architectural style places importance on symmetry, proportion, strong geometry and different characteristics of classical antiquity such as well-ordered ornamental columns, pilasters, lintels and the use of semi-circular arches. All of these features are cleverly incorporated into the main building of Queen\u2019s Royal College with its open corridors and galleries to allow proper ventilation for this tropical climate. The entire structure was made of concrete with facing of blue limestone from Laventille and the concrete is coloured with tint to contrast with the blue limestone. The interior had six separate classrooms which can hold approximately 30 students each. There were also offices for the Headmaster and the Assistant Master and a lecture hall that could accommodate 550 students.<\/p>\n

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Second floor classroom showing the original dado panels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lecture Hall under restoration<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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In 1929 the Cricket Pavilion was built as a memorial to the six sons of T. Geddes Grant, who had all attended the college<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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After the completion of the main building the student population was 109 but in 1905 it was 171. It reached 400 students by the end of 1941 and continued to rapidly grow as it gain the reputation of being the top school on the island and when the government provided free secondary education. The current student population (2015) stands at 715.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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View of the North Block (L) and Science Block (R)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Art room on the first floor of the North Block<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With this dramatic increase in students and the development of the curriculum there was an immediate need to expand the facilities at the college. In 1939 the science block was opened followed by the North Block in 1940, flanking the northern and southern side of the main building. Built in an Art Deco architectural style, the Governor, Sir Hubert Young, in his speech on the opening of the new blocks stated:<\/p>\n

I have had the pleasure of going around and seeing the two new blocks, and I congratulate the Public Works Department very much on the excellent job they have made of them. The design is obviously exactly what is required and it is rather a relief to find that it has been possible to introduce modern ideas on each side rather older ideas typified in the existing building thus preserving symmetry and at the same time advancement.<\/em><\/p>\n

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View of the westward extension<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Cast iron lamp post located on the south eastern corner of the school<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Finally a westward extension was built for further housing of the students in 1966, it was unwaveringly utilitarian modern structure that provided a clear view of the playing grounds from the gallery. However it failed to add any elegance to the college. Around this period, the school reputation began to diminish as its best teachers were sent to new educational institutions to become principals and had its funding reduced. This did not stop the school from educating and producing highly distinguished alumni such as:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Lloyd Best<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 economist, essayist, politician, scholar. Founder of the \u201cPlantation school\u201d of economics.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Ralph de Boissi\u00e8re<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 novelist.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Marc Burns<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 athlete and 2008 Olympic medallist \u2014 4x100m relay.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Rudranath Capildeo<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 mathematician, politician.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Dr E. F. Gordon<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 physician and labour leader in\u00a0Bermuda<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Boscoe Holder<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 artist, dancer and choreographer.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Geoffrey Holder<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 actor and dancer.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Karl Hudson-Phillips<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 jurist, politician; former judge of the\u00a0International Criminal Court<\/a>\u00a0and former\u00a0Attorney General<\/a>\u00a0of Trinidad and Tobago.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0C. L. R. James<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 pre-eminent Caribbean philosopher, historian, novelist, essayist, political theorist and cricket writer. James writes about his schooldays at QRC in his classic cricket memoir\u00a0Beyond a Boundary<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(1963).[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Peter Minshall<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 artist, Trinidad Carnival Masman, designer of opening ceremony for the\u00a0Olympic Games of Atlanta<\/a>\u00a01996,\u00a0Emmy Award<\/a>-winner.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Wendell Mottley<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 1964 Olympic silver medallist and politician; former Minister of Finance.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Deryck Murray<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 West Indian wicket-keeper in cricket.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Shiva Naipaul<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 novelist and journalist.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Sir Vidia Naipaul<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 Nobel Prize\u2013winning author. QRC is memorialised in his masterpiece novel\u00a0A House for Mr. Biswas<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(1961).<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0George Maxwell Richards<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 engineer, academician, former\u00a0President<\/a>\u00a0of Trinidad and Tobago.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Richard Thompson<\/strong><\/a>– athlete and 2008 Olympic medalist \u2014 100m; 4x100m relay<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Eric A. Williams<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 geologist, former politician and Minister of Energy.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Eric Eustace Williams\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 historian, first\u00a0Prime Minister<\/a>\u00a0of Trinidad and Tobago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Memorial monument and plaque dedicated to the fallen past students during the last two world wars<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The WWI memorial was made by the stone mason J. Underwood based on Baker Street, London<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

THE RESTORATION OF QUEEN\u2019S ROYAL COLLEGE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The restoration project began on January 15th 2007 at a cost of $34,489,635.04 and the contract awarded to Kee Chanona Ltd. The Construction Division Ministry of Works & Transport and the Historical Restoration Unit under Architect Rudylynn De Four Roberts within the Division and Architect Bernard McKay, supervised the project. All major works included:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Restoration of all significant architectural elements of the building<\/p>\n

\u2022 Improving the infrastructure of the Administrative Facilities and providing more updated services<\/p>\n

\u2022 Removing previous insensitive alterations with more suitable and adequate restorations<\/p>\n

\u2022 Providing access to all users in keeping with existing building codes and standards<\/p>\n

During the restoration, paint was meticulously removed to determine the original colours. In the classrooms it was discovered that there was hand-painted dado panels under the layers of paint, each framed by stenciled and hand-painted border friezes. All of the Dado panels were carefully restored and returning the facade of the main building to its original colours. The project came to completion on Wednesday 28th April 2010 and was officially reopened on Friday 7th May 2010.<\/p>\n

REFERENCES:<\/strong><\/p>\n

J. Mavrogordato, Olga. Voices in the Street. Port of Spain: Inprint Publication, 1977. Book.<\/p>\n

De Verteuil, Anthony. The Great Eight. Port of Spain: The Litho Press, 2015. Book.<\/p>\n

MacLean, Geoffrey. The Built Heritage of Trinidad and Tobago. Maraval: The Office Authority, 2012. Book.<\/p>\n

Newel Lewis, John. Ajoupa. Trinidad: J. Newel Lewis, 1983. Book.<\/p>\n

Queens Royal College.\u201d Wikipedia, ND. Web. 1 September 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cGerman Renaissance.\u201d Wikipedia, ND. Web. 1 September 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cQRC Restoration.\u201d Ministry of Works and Transport, ND. Web. 1 September 2015.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/caribbeanhistoryarchives.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/queens-park-savannah.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Josh Lu (March 11, 2016) (Original article source)   INTRODUCTION Before what we know today as Queen\u2019s Royal College at its present location on Queen\u2019s Park West, the\u00a0school had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=492"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":528,"href":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492\/revisions\/528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citizensforconservationtt.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}