Kimberley Girls' High School
Why Kimberley Matters
Over the years, we have noticed that many of our guests—whether visiting Kimberley for business or leisure—have wondered why this remarkable city has played such an important role in South Africa's history over the past 160 years.
These pages invite you on a coffee-table journey through Kimberley's past, from the discovery of the Eureka Diamond in 1867 and the Great Diamond Rush, through wars, political change and the rise of the world's diamond industry, to the city we know today. They are not intended to be an academic history, but rather an enjoyable introduction to the people, places and events that shaped Kimberley.
So, make yourself comfortable, pour a cappuccino or a cup of chai, and enjoy exploring the remarkable story of one of South Africa's most fascinating cities.
Kimberley Girls' High School's magnificent entrance on Elsmere Road. Completed in 1907 as Belgravia Public School, the building became Kimberley Girls' High School in 1913 and remains one of the finest surviving examples of Edwardian school architecture in South Africa.
The Edwardian Landmark That Became One of South Africa's Great Schools
Among Kimberley's many historic buildings, few are as elegant or as enduring as Kimberley Girls' High School. Standing proudly on the corner of Elsmere and Rendlesham Roads in Belgravia, its warm red brick, steep terracotta roofs, decorative gables and distinctive corner tower have become one of the city's best-loved architectural landmarks.
For well over a century, the school has educated generations of young women, earning a reputation for academic excellence, sporting achievement and strong community values. Yet behind its beautiful façade lies a fascinating story that stretches back to the earliest years of Kimberley's development during the great diamond rush.
The Beginning – 1887
Kimberley Girls' High School traces its origins to 12 April 1887, when Kimberley's civic leaders established the Kimberley Public Undenominational Schools. At the time, Kimberley was one of the fastest-growing towns in the world, fuelled by the extraordinary wealth generated by the surrounding diamond mines.
The new institution brought together boys and girls under one administration, although they were taught separately. Classes initially met in temporary accommodation before moving into a purpose-built school in Lanyon Terrace in 1888, close to the De Beers Mine.
That impressive Victorian building still survives today and now serves as the Teachers' Centre Education Institute, making it one of Kimberley's oldest surviving educational buildings.
Public Undenominational Schools in Kimberley moved to a purpose-built school in Lanyon Terrace, which opened in 1888
A New School for Belgravia
By the beginning of the twentieth century Kimberley's population had continued to grow, creating the need for additional classroom space for younger pupils. In 1905, respected Kimberley architect Daniel Westwood Greatbatch prepared plans for a new Belgravia Public School on the corner of Elsmere and Rendlesham Roads. The surviving architectural drawing, dated 28 August 1905, reveals a handsome school inspired by the English Arts and Crafts tradition, complete with steep roofs, decorative timber gables, generous classrooms and an elegant corner tower.
The foundation stone was laid in 1906, and the school opened in 1907 as a preparatory school for girls destined to continue their education at the Girls' section of the Kimberley Public Undenominational Schools. Greatbatch was one of Kimberley's most influential architects, responsible for many of the city's finest buildings, including the Kimberley Club, parts of St Cyprian's Cathedral, numerous Belgravia homes and the supervision of the Honoured Dead Memorial.
Daniel Westwood Greatbatch's original architectural drawing for Belgravia Public School, signed and dated 28 August 1905. The design was prepared for the Kimberley School Board and shows the elevations facing Elsmere Street and Rendlesham Road together with the original floor plan. Although refined before construction, the drawing clearly reveals the building that would later become Kimberley Girls' High School.
The original 1905 plan shows that the building was designed as Belgravia Public School rather than Kimberley Girls' High School. When the Kimberley Undenominational Schools were reorganised in 1913, this building became the permanent home of Kimberley Girls' High School.
Photo 2 – Front Gardens and Main Building
The beautifully maintained front gardens frame the historic red-brick buildings that have welcomed generations of Kimberley pupils for more than a century. The mature trees and landscaped grounds add to the peaceful atmosphere that characterises the campus today.
Photo 3 – Central Courtyard
A tranquil courtyard surrounded by mature trees and Edwardian architecture. Few visitors realise that this elegant campus originally opened in 1907 as Belgravia Public School before becoming Kimberley Girls' High School six years later.
Photo 4 – Side Elevation
The long red-brick façade reveals Daniel Westwood Greatbatch's careful attention to proportion and detail. Decorative timber gables, steep tiled roofs and generous classroom windows are typical of the English Arts and Crafts influence popular at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Photo 5 – Garden View
Kimberley Girls' High School is as much a garden campus as it is an architectural landmark. More than a century of carefully tended trees and lawns has transformed the school into one of Kimberley's most picturesque heritage sites.
Photo 6 – Entrance Tower
The distinctive entrance tower has become one of Kimberley's best-known educational landmarks. Together with its decorative half-timbering and brick detailing, it gives the school much of its unique character and makes it instantly recognisable.
Honouring the Dead After the Siege of Kimberley
Standing at the crossroads of Dalham and Oliver Roads, the Honoured Dead Memorial is one of Kimberley's most important heritage landmarks. Designed by Sir Herbert Baker and commissioned by Cecil John Rhodes, it commemorates those who died defending Kimberley during the Siege of Kimberley (1899–1900). More than a war memorial, it combines architecture, military history and the remarkable story of Long Cecil into a single monument that symbolises the city's resilience.
Did You Know?
Completed on 18 January 1900, Long Cecil measures over 4 metres in length, weighs nearly 4 tonnes, and was the largest gun ever manufactured in Africa at the time. It now rests on the memorial's stone stylobate. The massive stone platform was incorporated into Herbert Baker's design, placing the famous gun at the heart of one of South Africa's most significant Anglo-Boer War memorials.
Honoured Dead Memorial 1904
Honoured Dead Memorial 2014
A closer look at "Long Cecil"
Visitor Information
Location: Junction of Memorial Road and Dalham Road
Parking: Visitors can park along the kerb of the circular road around the Honoured Dead Memorial
Duration: Allow 30 minutes to view the exterior of the memorial and the Long Cecil cannon.
Extras: Why not combine this with a day visit to the Magersfontein Battlefield Museum?
Architectural Design of the Honoured Dead Memorial
During the South African War (Anglo-Boer War), Cecil John Rhodes instructed Herbert Baker to study some of the world's great classical monuments before preparing the design for a memorial to those who died defending Kimberley during the Siege. Baker visited historical monuments in Greece, where he made several key sketches. The caption on one of the sketches says:
Design suggested by Tomb of Theron - An Olympian Victor at Agrigentum, Sicily. Perspective. April 1901. Sir Herbert Baker: "Sketches of various monuments by H Baker on instruction from Cecil Rhodes".
Rhodes would not live to see the completed monument. He died of heart failure at Muizenberg on 26 March 1902, aged 48. This was several months before peace was declared with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging on 31 May 1902, and more than two years before the memorial was unveiled in November 1904.
Dedication by Rudyard Kipling
The final monument in Kimberley was dedicated on 28th November 1904 (after Rhodes had died). It is the tomb of 27 soldiers and features a dedication inscription by Rudyard Kipling as well as bronze plaques by Kipling's father. The sandstone was imported from the Matopo Hills in Zimbabwe where Rhodes was subsequently interred.
Built of Zimbabwean sandstone, the base of the memorial bears an inscription by Rudyard Kipling, which he wrote specifically for this memorial: "This for a charge to our children in sign of the price we paid. The price that we paid for freedom that comes unsoiled to your hand. Read, revere and uncover, here are the victors laid. They that died for their city being son's of the land."
Honoured Dead Memorial inscription by Rudyard Kipling
Bronze plaques cast by Kipling’s father.
The Making of Long Cecil
‘Long Cecil’, the field gun made and used during the siege of Kimberley is mounted on the stylobate of the Honoured Dead Memorial, surrounded by shells from the Boer ‘Long Tom'.
At the beginning of the siege, the artillery defence of Kimberley consisted only of 7 prs and 2.5 in RMLs. An American engineer with De Beers, Mr George Latham therefore suggested that he should attempt to make a gun of a calibre better able to deal with the Boer guns.
This gun was designed and constructed by engineers who had no previous experience of ordnance manufacture, without special plant or arrangements, and on designs adapted from descriptions found in a stray copy of an engineering journal. Its construction, from the day that designs were fashioned, took 24 days and, on the next day, it was in action against the enemy. During the first few days, it occasionally broke down, but the defects were soon remedied and it remained in action until the end of the siege.
Mr George Labram seen here in the dark suit in the centre
Log Cecil in the DeBeers workshop
Continue Exploring Kimberley
Whether your interests lie in history, culture, dining, shopping, entertainment, or simply discovering somewhere new, we hope these guides help you make the most of your time in Kimberley. If you're planning a visit to the City that Sparkles, Solomon Edwardian Guest House offers elegant accommodation in the historic suburb of Beaconsfield. Ideally situated for business and leisure travellers alike, The Solomon provides a comfortable base from which to explore.