Did you know that Paul Roos was once situated in Victoria Street? All three the well-known high schools in Stellenbosch are more than a century old and all three has been located in different parts of town.
The old Bloemhof school is now the Stellenbosch art museum, the old Paul Roos building is the Visual Arts department, and the old Rhenish school is the P.J. Oliver Art center.
All three was built with red bricks (as was the fashion at the time) and designed with all kinds of steeples and decorative elements on the roof. Today only the Bloemhof school has its beautiful red colour.
The old Paul Roos Gimnasium building
When the original Het Stellenbosch gimnasium was founded in the Ou Leeskamer on the corner of Dorp- and Drostdy street, the school had 3 teachers and 88 learners. The gimnasium was started with the aim to educate boys for University, especially in the study of Theology.
In that way Paul Roos is really the roots of the Victoria College and later the University. Three years after the Boy's school was founded a number of boys attained their 'B.A. degrees' and in little less than 10 years the college-department of the school (known as the Arts dept) was established as a tertiary institution.
For a number of years the boys' school was located in lower Dorp Street (opposite Dorp Street Boutique Hotel), in a building with a beautifully decorated entrance. Apparently the street was too noisy, and in 1874 the school once again moved. This time to the corner of Plein Street and Ryneveld Street.
Throughout the years the school grew and developed and it was decided to erect a new school building in Victoria Street. This is the building that today houses the Visual Arts department of the University. The beautiful new building was inaugurated in 1908 under the name "Boy's High School" (The school was only named Paul Roos Gimnasium from 1946 onwards). A few decades later the building was bought by die University and used as the first Engineering faculty.
Today Paul Roos Gimnasium is located on what was originally the farm Welgevallen. The lower part of Welgevallen was bought by Mr Willie Krige (the area became known as Krigeville) and the upper part sold to the famous Mr Jannie Marais of Coetzenburg. The original Paul Roos school hostel was housed in the Welgevallen farm house after it was changed into a double story. The need for accommodation grew, however, and later the chicken coop and stables were also employed. The first house father of the Young Men's Home, Mnr Japie Krige, was at the school for 17 years and characteristically became known as Japie Home.
Bloemhof
The distinct red building in Ryneveld Street (close to the Skuinshuis) is still often referred to as the old Bloemhof school, even though it is an art museum today.
Just like Paul Roos and Rhenish the school had a humble start with only 46 pupils in primary, secondary school and kindergarten. For a number of years the school gathered in Plein Street more or less where Absa is today (a building that has been demolished since). Later they moved to Church Street.
In 1907 the school relocated to a beautiful new building in Ryneveld Street, the red brick building. The school's hostel was located in the equally beautiful (and often overlooked) building across the road from Häzz, today the local municipal office. It was named Neetlingshof in honour of one of the founders Johannes Neethling.
In 1991 the red building was inaugurated as an art museum. It's restoration was funded by Sasol, inspiring the name Sasol Art Museum. If you are in the area, do yourself a favour and take a look at some of Stellenbosch's interesting art treasures.
Did you know: In 1977 Bloemhof and Paul Roos primary schools amalgamated to form the co-ed school Eikestad.
Rhenish
The girls school today known as Rhenish originated around 1860. Missionaries from the German Rhenish church had settled in Stellenbosch in the early 1800's and wanted to establish a school as many young girls had to leave home for extended periods to get a decent education back in their homelands.
When the original school in Alexander Street, which started with only 8 pupils, became too small, someone donated a large townhouse close to the Braak as the new school building. At that stage most of the buildings on and around the Braak already belonged to the Rhenish Church. Today the area is a national heritage site known as the "Rynse kompleks".
Today Bloemhof, Rhenish and Eikestad Primary school is located on what was originally the farm Doornbosch, one of Stellenbosch's first farms.
Did you know: Paul Daniel Lückhoff was a Rhenish missionary that came to Stellenbsoch in 1830. He was involved in the founding of Rhenish girl's school and due to his committed involvement in the community, the secondary school Lückhoff Secondary was later named after him. Lückhoff Seconday was originally located in Banhoekweg, but because of the group area acts the school was moved to the outskirts of town. In 2007 the University hosted an event of reconciliation in which the old school building was given back to the people of the community.
Article: Y Coetsee 2017
Sources: Stellenbosch Drie Eeue