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St Patrick's CBC

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.

St Patrick’s CBC – Part of Kimberley’s Story for Over 125 Years

For more than 125 years, St Patrick’s Christian Brothers’ College has been part of the story of Kimberley. Founded in 1897 by the Irish Congregation of Christian Brothers, the school began with just 15 pupils in a city still riding the extraordinary prosperity created by the diamond discoveries. From those modest beginnings, an institution grew that educated generations of Kimberley children and became one of the city's best-known schools.

Its history is closely woven into that of Kimberley itself. The College experienced the Siege of Kimberley, its buildings were converted into a hospital, boarding became an important part of school life, and successive generations added chapels, sporting grounds, classrooms and memorials to the campus. Today, St Patrick’s CBC is a modern co-educational school, but its historic campus still preserves many reminders of the institution that began here in 1897.

The Christian Brothers Come to Kimberley

Christian Brothers’ College Kimberley was founded on 8 September 1897 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, the Irish Catholic order associated with Blessed Edmund Rice, who founded the congregation in Ireland in 1802. The school describes itself as the first Christian Brothers’ College in Africa. There is, however, an important distinction behind that description. The name “Christian Brothers” is used for two different Catholic teaching congregations. The Brothers of the Christian Schools, founded by St John Baptist de La Salle in France, are commonly known as the De La Salle Brothers or simply Christian Brothers.

The Congregation of Christian Brothers, founded by Edmund Rice in Ireland, is the order that established the Kimberley College. St Patrick’s CBC is therefore more precisely described as the first College in Africa established by the Irish Congregation of Christian Brothers, the Edmund Rice tradition. That distinction is worth making because the two congregations have sometimes been confused in accounts of Christian education in Africa. For Kimberley, the important point is that 1897 marked the beginning of the Irish Christian Brothers' educational work in Africa.

A School Born in the Diamond City

The College was established at a remarkable moment in Kimberley’s history. Diamonds had transformed the town from a rough mining camp into one of the most prosperous and technologically advanced settlements in southern Africa. By the 1890s Kimberley had railway connections, electric lighting, a tramway and a rapidly expanding population.

Among its residents was a substantial Irish Catholic community. Bishop Anthony Gaughren recognised the need for a Catholic boys’ school and worked towards establishing one. Three Christian Brothers — Jarlath Mullan, Malachy Conlon and Evangelist Delaney — arrived in Kimberley in August 1897. On 8 September, the new school opened its doors with just 15 pupils. Another 22 joined them the following day. At first, the institution was known as the Christian Brothers’ High School. The curriculum was remarkably broad. Pupils were taught Greek, Latin, English, Dutch, French and German. Brother Jarlath Mullan became the College's first principal. From these small beginnings, the College grew rapidly.

The Siege of Kimberley

The College had been open for barely two years when Kimberley became the scene of one of the most dramatic episodes in its history. The Siege of Kimberley began in October 1899 during the Second Anglo-Boer War. The town was surrounded by Boer forces and remained cut off for more than four months.

CBC was temporarily closed during the crisis, and its buildings were turned into a hospital. Teaching eventually continued in tents erected on the College grounds.  For a College that had existed for only two years, it was an extraordinary experience. The College was no longer simply a place of education. Its buildings had become part of Kimberley's emergency medical services during wartime.

Boarding Life Begins

In 1905, the Christian Brothers’ College expanded significantly with the introduction of additional classrooms and dedicated boarding facilities. Designed by the architectural firm Fergus Carstairs Rogers and Ross, the new hostels reflected the College's changing role. No longer was CBC simply a local boys’ school. It was becoming a regional institution, attracting pupils from across the Northern Cape and beyond. The growth of boarding coincided with a period of major development on the College campus.

The early twentieth-century postcards below provide a valuable record of the College during this important phase of expansion. Produced between approximately 1906 and 1911, these postcards show the early Christian Brothers’ College frontage before several later additions and alterations transformed the campus's appearance. The familiar War Memorial Clock Tower had not yet been created, and the Cenotaph had not yet been added to the front facade. These later memorial features date from the 1930s and reflect a different chapter in the College’s history.

The postcards also capture buildings that have since disappeared. The smaller building on the left of the main College block, thought to have been the original College building and headmaster’s residence, was later demolished. Major alterations to the main College building were planned, and work commenced in 1959. These changes were completed in 1961, with an extension adding three additional arches to the left of the main block and creating much of the façade we recognise today. Comparing these early views with the present-day College buildings provides a fascinating insight into how the campus evolved as the school expanded.

Together, the images show a confident Edwardian institution shaped by Kimberley’s diamond-era prosperity. Within little more than a decade of opening with only 15 pupils in 1897, Christian Brothers’ College had grown into a substantial educational establishment with imposing buildings, landscaped grounds and boarding facilities capable of serving pupils from across the region.

The Brothers Who Shaped the College

The history of CBC is inseparable from the Christian Brothers who taught there. Some served for relatively short periods, while others devoted a significant portion of their lives to the College. Among the early principals was Brother Malachy Conlon, who served from 1903 to 1912.

Another major figure was Brother F. C. McManus, who was associated with CBC for approximately half a century and served as principal for 24 years over four terms. His long influence on the College was later commemorated by the construction of McManus Hall. 

But perhaps the most extraordinary example of long service was Brother John Maurus Reidy. Reidy arrived in Kimberley in 1901 and remained associated with CBC for 64 years. He became particularly involved in sport, coaching cricket, soccer, tennis and gymnastics. He was also closely associated with the development of the College's extensive sporting grounds, now known as Keeley Memorial Park.

From the Ashes: The Keeley Park Sports Pavilion

On 5 September 2026, St Patrick’s CBC officially opened the new Keeley Park Sports Pavilion, an important addition to the school’s sporting facilities and one with an unusually powerful connection to its history. Mr Neave opened the ceremony, with Bishop Rose blessing the new building. Mr Goncalves, Chairperson of the Board of Governors, formally opened the pavilion and unveiled a commemorative plaque.

What makes the pavilion particularly significant is the material it was built from. Every brick used in its construction was reclaimed from the former Oppenheimer House hostel following the devastating fire that destroyed the building. Some bricks still bear the marks left by the fire. Rather than allowing the remains of Oppenheimer House simply to disappear, St Patrick’s gave them a new purpose. The bricks that once formed part of generations of pupils’ lives now form a building that will serve generations still to come.

The symbolism was particularly appropriate as St Patrick’s CBC celebrated its 129th year. The pavilion represents more than a new sports facility: it reminds us of the school’s resilience and its ability to preserve the memory of the past while continuing to build for the future. As the school expressed it at the opening:

“The fire may have left its marks on these bricks, but it did not destroy the spirit they represent. From the ashes, we have risen. From the past, we continue to build our future.”

One school. One family. One beating heart.

Three Chapels

Faith has played an important role in the Catholic educational tradition associated with St Patrick's CBC, and the school campus today contains three historic chapels. What makes them particularly interesting is that they do not all belong to the same period or even to the same original institution. Together, they reflect different strands of Kimberley's Catholic history: the earlier Holy Ghost College, the growth of Christian Brothers' College, and the later incorporation of the historic Nazareth House complex into the St Patrick's CBC campus.

Holy Ghost Chapel

The smallest of the three is the Holy Ghost Chapel, which is the oldest chapel associated with the present St Patrick's CBC campus. The chapel was built as part of Holy Ghost College, established in 1888 by the Holy Ghost Fathers. This was the original Catholic educational institution on the site.

In 1897, responsibility for the school passed from the Holy Ghost Fathers to the Congregation of Christian Brothers, who established Christian Brothers' College in Kimberley. The Christian Brothers inherited the existing buildings, including the Holy Ghost Chapel, which continued to serve as a place of worship for pupils and staff.

As the College expanded over the decades, later buildings grew around the chapel. Today, the former vestibule lies within the interior of newer school buildings, while the sanctuary end remains visible externally from Cornwall Road. The result is striking: the small historic chapel is now physically embedded within the much larger modern school complex. Although it is no longer in regular use, the Holy Ghost Chapel survives as a reminder that the Catholic educational history of this site began before St Patrick's CBC itself.

College Chapel

As Christian Brothers' College grew, the older chapel became too small for the expanding College community.

A much larger chapel was therefore commissioned. Designed by Irish architect G. L. O'Connor, the new College Chapel was solemnly blessed and opened on St Patrick's Day, 17 March 1932.

It was designed to accommodate approximately 300 people in the nave and a further 40 in the gallery. Its spacious interior, timber roof structure and stained-glass windows gave the growing College a much more substantial place of worship. Today, the College Chapel remains the principal chapel of St Patrick's CBC and continues to be used for Masses, prayers, commemorations and important school occasions.

During the Siege of Kimberley (1899–1900), the Nazareth House complex served as a nursing ground and hospital for the sick and wounded, adding another wartime connection to the later St Patrick's CBC campus.

When the Sisters of Nazareth left Kimberley in 2001, St Patrick's CBC acquired the complex. The chapel  has now taken on a very different role. Today, it is home to the St Patrick's CBC School of Music, where its historic setting and acoustics are used for rehearsals, performances and other school music activities. The building, therefore, continues to serve the school community, but in a way quite different from the purpose for which it was originally constructed more than 130 years ago.

Three Chapels, Three Stories

The three chapels tell three connected but distinct stories.

• The Holy Ghost Chapel reflects the Catholic educational presence on the site before the arrival of the Christian Brothers.
• The College Chapel represents the growth and confidence of Christian Brothers' College during the twentieth century.
• The Nazareth House Chapel reflects the incorporation of another important Catholic institution into the St Patrick's CBC campus and the continuing adaptation of historic buildings to new uses.

Together, they show that the history of St Patrick's CBC is not contained in one building or one moment in time. It is layered across a campus where different parts of Kimberley's Catholic, educational and architectural history have gradually come together.

Four Houses

St Patrick's CBC House System was introduced in 1945. The four Houses — Cavanagh, Michaelis, Keeley and Spiers — commemorate people associated with the school and its history.

• Cavanagh was named after Stephen Cavanagh, whose dedicated service and support of the school earned him the honour of having one of the Houses named after him.
• Michaelis was named after Sir Max Michaelis, the prominent South African mining magnate, financier and philanthropist. Michaelis was closely associated with the diamond industry and supported education through scholarships, some of which benefited pupils at the school.
• Keeley commemorates Jim Keeley, a former CBC pupil who left South Africa to serve during the Second World War and was killed on active service.
• Spiers commemorates Alan Spiers, another former CBC pupil who also served during the Second World War and was killed on active service. By naming two of its Houses after Keeley and Spiers, the school ensured that the names of these former pupils remained part of everyday school life.

The House System created another layer of identity within the school, bringing academic, sporting and cultural competition into school life while preserving the names of people whose stories had become associated with St Patrick's CBC.

A School Continually Evolving

The CBC campus was not built all at once. The College expanded gradually as increasing numbers of pupils required additional classrooms and facilities. The main building consequently developed over many decades, with successive additions reflecting the school's changing needs.

Major alterations to the main College building began in 1959 and were completed in 1961, creating much of the façade that is recognisable today. The result is an interesting architectural mix of periods — an older educational institution repeatedly adapted rather than replaced.

For much of its history, St Patrick's CBC operated within the racial restrictions of colonial and apartheid South Africa. In 1977, the school was permitted by government decree to admit "non-white" pupils, although this was restricted to a maximum of 10 per cent of enrolment. This represented an important step in the institution's gradual transformation, but it occurred within the limitations imposed by apartheid legislation. Ten years later, this restriction was lifted, and today the school is fully integrated. In 1986, the school became co-educational, opening its doors to girls as well as boys.

The Christian Brothers' influence on CBC lasted for almost a century. In 1991, Brother Chris Wise became the last Brother principal. He introduced the first lay principal for the following year, bringing to an end the era in which Christian Brothers led the school. In 1994, Nathan Johnstone became the school's first non-Catholic principal, and in 1997, Michael Thiel became its first former pupil to serve as principal.

The year 1997 marked CBC's centenary. As part of the celebrations, the school officially adopted the name St Patrick's CBC. The change marked the beginning of its second century and gave the school the name by which it is known today. The name St Patrick links the school to its Irish Catholic origins while retaining the familiar CBC identity that generations of Kimberley families had known.

Taken together, these developments marked important steps in the transformation of an institution originally established as a Catholic boys' school serving a largely white community. They reflected a much wider transformation in South African education and society.

From Sisters of Nazareth to Oppenheimer House

One of the most fascinating buildings associated with St Patrick's CBC stands slightly apart from the main College campus. For generations, Kimberley knew it as Nazareth House. The building was established in 1888 by the Sisters of Nazareth and operated for more than a century as a home for elderly people, the poor, the sick and orphaned children. It therefore predates St Patrick's CBC by almost a decade.

Nazareth House became an important Catholic institution in its own right in Kimberley. Its story is part of the wider history of the city's charitable and religious organisations during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Sisters of Nazareth eventually closed Nazareth House in December 2001, after which St Patrick's CBC acquired the buildings and began using them as a boarding residence for pupils.

The Hostel Fire

The long history of Nazareth House took another dramatic turn on 5 May 2025. A major fire badly damaged the historic boarding building. The blaze destroyed much of the roof and severely damaged the interior.

The school's boarders and staff were evacuated safely, and no lives were lost.

For a building that had served Kimberley for well over a century, the fire represented another extraordinary chapter in its history. St Patrick's CBC has since begun restoring the boarding facility (2026).

The work means that the story of Nazareth House is still being written. From a home established by the Sisters of Nazareth in the nineteenth century, to a boarding house for CBC pupils, to Oppenheimer House and now a building being rebuilt after fire, its purpose has changed repeatedly while its place in Kimberley's landscape has endured.

The Legacy of St Patrick's CBC – A School Campus of Many Layers

Perhaps the most interesting thing about St Patrick's CBC is that its history cannot be understood by looking at a single building. The school campus is a collection of layers.

• There are the early College buildings dating back to Kimberley's diamond-boom era.
• There is the main chapel, opened in 1932.
• There is the War Memorial Clock, added in 1933 in memory of former pupils who died during the First World War.
• There are the sporting grounds associated with Brother Reidy and Keeley Park.
• There is Nazareth House, now Oppenheimer House, whose history began nine years before CBC itself.
• And there are the many additional classrooms and buildings created as the school expanded over the decades.

Together they tell a much larger story — of Catholic education, Irish immigration, Kimberley's diamond wealth, war, changing social attitudes, apartheid and the transformation of South Africa. Today, St Patrick's CBC is a co-educational school serving pupils from early childhood through Grade 12. It describes itself as a multicultural, socially diverse school with academic, sporting, cultural and leadership programmes.

The school has changed enormously since 1897. The Christian Brothers are no longer responsible for its day-to-day leadership. Girls learn alongside boys. The pupil population reflects a much more diverse South Africa. Modern facilities exist alongside buildings that are more than a century old.

Yet the school still occupies the same historic site and continues the educational tradition that began here in 1897. That combination of continuity and change is what makes St Patrick's CBC such an interesting part of Kimberley's heritage. It is at once a historic campus and a living school, still evolving more than 125 years after its doors first opened.

Did You Know?

•  Nazareth House, designed by Fergus Carstairs Rogers, was opened by the Sisters of Nazareth in 1888 as a home for elderly people, the poor, the sick and orphaned children.
•  The Christian Brothers' High School opened on 8 September 1897 with only 15 pupils.
• The following day, another 22 pupils arrived.
• The College was converted into a hospital during the Siege of Kimberley.
• Boarding facilities designed by Fergus Carstairs Rogers were introduced in 1905.
• The enlarged College Chapel was opened on St Patrick's Day in 1932.
• The War Memorial Clock was incorporated into the Cornwall Street tower in 1933.
• The House System was introduced in 1945.
• In 1977, the school was permitted to admit "non-white" pupils, initially limited to a maximum of 10 per cent of enrolment. This restriction was lifted 10 years later.
• Girls were admitted from 1986, making the school co-educational.
• The last Christian Brother principal served in 1991.
• The school adopted the name St Patrick's CBC at its centenary in 1997.
• The Sisters of Nazareth closed Nazareth House in 2001, after which it became a boarding residence for school pupils.
• The boarding residence was renamed Edmund Rice House in 2001 and Oppenheimer House in 2020.
• The historic Nazareth House was severely damaged by fire on 5 May 2025 and is now being restored.