DOCUMENT

Queen Margaret College is more than just the buildings that make up its campus. Over 100 years, the College has developed from a stately Thorndon home to a large school catering for Preschool to Year 13. Below is a brief history of some of the buildings that make up our school in 2019. Building QMC history The Old Hall and Tower The original concrete house where the main building of QMC is now based was designed by notable architect of the 19th centuryWilliam Henry Clayton, and it was his home in 1874. This was the first house in New Zealand to be made of concrete and the first inWellington to have hot and cold running water. The property was sold to Thomas ColdhamWilliams, who had the famous tower block added to the house. He also added balconies and the conservatory, and the house became known for its many social events. After Williams’s death in 1912, the property was leased by the Presbyterian Church, who opened Scots College at the site in 1916 and then QMC in 1919, when Scots moved to Miramar. Classrooms and boarders were housed in the tower block and the Clayton house. The tower block was refurbished and made earthquake safe and reopened on 4 November 2005. The official party featured speeches from Board Chair Alan Freeth and Principal Carol Craymer, and the ribbon was cut by the youngest student at the time, Minnie Bodman (Year 13 in 2018), past Principal Marion McCree and Head Prefect Michelle Johnson. Old Hall and Tower from a 1932 postcard. CENTENARY 14 Queen Margaret Calling :: ISSUE 63 :: May 2019