OUR HISTORY

1994 was the birth of our democracy and a time of significant growth in our valley. It soon became apparent that there was a demand for an excellent, world-class, English-medium school in the valley. Three families came together to make this dream a reality. If their imagination got us this far, just imagine what we can achieve in the next 25 years.

The concept of a local English-medium independent school in the Berg River Valley moved from the realms of fantasy to a realistic possibility. The Huxter, Friedman and Rands families devoted themselves tirelessly to making it happen; Graham Beck, the owner of the neighbouring farm, Bellingham, generously agreed to donate 10 hectares of an undeveloped corner of his land and the Bridge House School dream became a reality.

OUR TIMELINE

1995
Bridge House School Opens
The school opens in a rented state school building in Simondium
  • 54 students
  • Lloyd Smuts appointed as Head

1997
Growth and New Head of School
Our School Continues to Grow
  • Allan Graham appointed as Head
  • Student numbers increase
  • 13 October 1997 – Sod Turning Ceremony at the new campus at Waterfall Farm
1998
New Beginnings
The school moves mid-year
  • School moves to spacious, newly developed campus
  • Chris Storey appointed as Head of Prep

1999
New School Facilities Added
Bridge House is building!
  • Swimming pool
  • A shallow pool for beginners
  • The tennis courts
  • Indoor sports centre added to the Bridge House facilities

2002
New Head of School Appointed
Taking the School to an International level
  • Allan Graham retires, and Anne van Zyl is appointed as the Head of School. 
2003
Bridge House Gears up for Expansion
Extensive building of new facilities to accommodate the growth
  • The Barnyard Theatre
  • New College block with seven new classrooms
  • College Reception and Administrative Offices with College staff room
2004
Boarding opens at Bridge House
Our First Boarding House is Built
  • A boarding house (Waterfall) for boys and girls in two separate wings opens

2006
Bridge House joins International Round Square Organisation
International associations begin
  • Bridge House becomes a full member of Round Square

2007
New Head appointment for our Preparatory School
A New Era
  • Melvin King is appointed as Head of Prep

2008
Further Growth
Separate boarding house for boys is built
  • Second boarding house (Bellegam) is completed and the boys move in

2009
College Facilities Grow
Further School Expansion
  • Extra wing of classrooms is added parallel to the fields

2010
New Head for School
Anne van Zyl moves to the Oprah Winfrey School
  • Mike Russell appointed as new head of School

2012
The Campus Continues to Grow
Graham Beck donates further land
  • Extra 18 hectares of land donated, Campus expands to 28 hectares
2013
New Facilities Added
We are building again
  • The Renaissance Centre, housing six new classrooms and the Learning Commons is completed
  • A new boarding house (Huguenot) for junior boys and girls in two separate wings is built

2014
New Head of Prep
Melvin King moves to the Oprah Winfrey School
  • Marc Barrow is welcomed as Head of Prep
2015
New Pre-Primary Built
A new Pre-Primary School is built on campus
  • The Pearl Valley Playschool children move onto campus
  • All the Playschool and Pre-Primary children are now in one facility

2016
21st Birthday
Another milestone
  • Bridge House celebrates it’s 21st birthday
2016
World Class Astro-turf Built
Sports field development
  • The world-class, water-based Astroturf was declared open by Tim Rands

2017
Further Expansions
We are building again
  • The College Maths and Science Centre was built
  • Fourth boarding house (Erica) is opened

2019
Further development
Tim Rands Oval developed
  • Tim Rands Oval opened by Svend and Abbey Rands
  • Rory Malcolm (Deputy Head for 23 years) and Mike Russell (Head for 10 years) retire

 

2020
25th Birthday Year
Bridge House celebrates 25 years
  • David Clark appointed as Head of School
  • A family Trust buys the land and buildings, and the previous owners, the Bridge House Educational Foundation Trust, are dissolved
  • Bridge House School retains its independence
  • The Covid pandemic affects the world. Bridge House moves seamlessly online during lockdowns and continues to offer a hybrid model when required