Thanks to the kind generosity
of Baroness Strickland
St Edward's Catholic School for Boys, later known as St Edward's College, came into being thanks to the kind generosity of Baroness Strickland, Countess della Catena, who offered the necessary financial backing to build a school given that an appropriate site was found. The College, built on British Public School ideals, offset the void left in the Maltese education system by the departure of the English Jesuits and the closure of their school, St Ignatius College in 1908.
Sir John Philip Ducane
The governor of Malta, Sir John Philip Ducane, managed to obtain the buildings of what was once the Cottonera Military Hospital, along with the parade ground adjoining to St. Clement's bastions. The perimeter of the Western side of the site formed part of the impressive Cottonera lines, a fortified wall built by the Knights of St John. The extensive grounds between the bastion walls and the old hospital buildings would serve as ideal recreational areas and would also give the College enough space for expansion when needed.
To sign a Deed of Trust
Thus, with an ideal site secured and the necessary financial backing guaranteed, a small group of distinguished gentlemen gathered in Valletta on the 18th of January; 1929, to sign a Deed of Trust. The following October the College opened its gates to twenty nine foundation pupils!
The numbers of pupils during the College's first years would remain considerably low due to the relatively high fees which were necessary to keep the College running. The British Council's timely financial backing made it possible for the College to lower fees for local pupils and, as a result, the population grew steadily.
In the mid-thirties, an old ammunitions depot built by the Knights of St John was converted into the College's magnificent chapel. Physics and Chemistry laboratories and additional dormitories were also developed at this time.
Second World War
By the late thirties it became apparent that the buildings could not be altered or modified further and the construction of a new wing was proposed. However, these plans had to be shelved since the College's perilously close proximity to Malta's main harbours necessitated a temporary relocation to the old seminary in Mdina for the duration of the Second World War.
The building of the new classrooms (the Middle School block) occurred after the boys and masters moved back to Cottonera in 1946. With the building of the new classrooms complete, few other structural changes were made for nearly two decades when the clear need for modern science facilities became a pressing issue. A successful fund-raising campaign resulted in the laying of the foundation stone of the new block in 1967 by Sir Maurice Dorman, the Governor General of Malta. With a generous donation made by the Trustees of the British Boys Schools of Alexandria the much needed Assembly Hall in the new block became a reality.
The building of the new classrooms
The building of the new classrooms (the Middle School block) occurred after the boys and masters moved back to Cottonera in 1946. With the building of the new classrooms complete, few other structural changes were made for nearly two decades when the clear need for modern science facilities became a pressing issue. A successful fund-raising campaign resulted in the laying of the foundation stone of the new block in 1967 by Sir Maurice Dorman, the Governor General of Malta. With a generous donation made by the Trustees of the British Boys Schools of Alexandria the much needed Assembly Hall in the new block became a reality.
In the late Seventies, the block that used to house the married teachers was converted into the Junior School which also included an Infant's Section. Due to the College's growing popularity, the Junior School received a structural revamping and extension in 1994. Classrooms were enlarged and the designs (by Old Edwardian Richard England) also ensured that the Junior School building now had their own Drama and Music hall as well as an IT room.
Political Strife
Sadly, the political strife in the Eighties had a negative effect upon the College's well-being. The revocation of all Private School licences meant that St Edward's College could not open its gates to its pupils in September 1984. For two months loyal teachers gave lessons to classes in the private houses of parents. Finally, on December 3rd 1984 the College was allowed to re-open its gates. However, the ramifications of the College's temporary closure were severe as St Edward's lost the vast majority of its boarders and would never manage to recuperate the numbers it had enjoyed for decades. The boarding section dwindled for a few more years until the regrettable though unavoidable decision to close it completely was taken in the early Nineties. Since the number of day boys had increased, the dormitories were transformed into further classrooms, a games' room, an ICT suite and an Audio Visual Room for Sixth Form.
Donation from the Alexandria Trust
In 2000, a generous donation from the Alexandria Trust, made it possible for the College to further enhance its IT resources with a complete refurbishing of the ICT suite.
Major re-structuring
Major re-structuring took place in 2005 when the Board of Governors phased-out the old 6th Form. In its stead, plans were made to create International Boarding Sixth Form facilities (Years 12 and 13). Since the scope of Sixth Form is to prepare young adults for tertiary education and adulthood, day students will be mixed. Plans included the total restructuring of the old 19th century dormitories into modern, state-of-the-art, comfortable facilities - once again, St Edward's is "a home away from home" for its 21st century students.
2007 also saw the addition of a new section to St Edward's College - the Kindergarten. Two interconnected spacious classes house the KG1 and KG2 which welcomes both boys and girls. The Kindergarten has its own playing area consisting of a sand-pit, a rubberised general play-area and a turfed lawn. Its success has led the College to double the KG's size by the beginning of the 2008/2009 academic year.