This page will tell you some things about our school from the moment it was built until the present day. There are fifty pieces of information for you to enjoy. Please read on. 

1. The first demands for the school which would become Inst. came from a group of well-to-do Belfast merchants, and professional gentlemen. They insisted that the existing Belfast Academy under Dr. William Bruce did not offer a "complete, uniform, and extensive system of education." They hoped that a new school would give more access to the ‘higher' branches of learning as well as to those which would fit youths for a practical commercial career.

2. The foundation stone of Inst. was laid, in pouring rain, on 3rd July 1810 by George Augustus Chichester, 2nd Marquess of Donegall. Donegall owned much of the land in the Belfast area and granted the school a lease for the grounds at an annual rent of £22-5s-1d.

3. The eminent English architect John Soane, who designed the new Bank of England in 1788, offered to draw up plans in 1809. Building began in 1810.

4. Money was collected to pay for the buildings by encouraging rich merchants and businessmen to subscribe one hundred guineas each for the privilege of being able to nominate one boy to receive free education at Inst.

5. The roof of the main building was completed during the winter of 1811.

6. The Institution was formally opened at 1:00pm on the 1st of February 1814. William Drennan announced that the aim was to ‘diffuse useful knowledge, particularly among the middling orders of society, as a necessity, not a luxury of life.' He also referred to the particularly noble and rural setting of the school - in front a fair and flourishing town, and backed by a sublime and thought-inspiring mountain.

7. Until the middle of the 19th Century Inst. was both a school and a university, a dual function which the Belfast Academy never had. This was of course before Queen's University was opened and the only University in Ireland was in Dublin. The present system of Headmasters of Departments is a reminder of the days when Inst. had professors and what today we would call ‘faculties.'

8. In the early days boys could choose which ‘schools' they wanted to attend within Inst. If a boy attended all the schools his education was likely to cost £12 a year. In May 1814 the number attending were: Classical, 80, English, 230, Mathematics, 140, Writing, 155 and French, 20.

9. School uniform was only introduced in 1932. However, from 1889 boys had to wear a plain black cap with a yellow monogram--R.B.A.I.

10. A debating society was formed in 1817.

11. In the early days lessons started at 7:45 am although the Classical school expected its pupils to be seated at 7:00am.

12. The collegiate (University) part of Inst. opened in November 1815. An important ‘school' within the collegiate department trained ministers for the Presbyterian Church.

13. The collegiate Department was closed in October 1849, although the Inst. Medical school was still used until 1862.

14. The North wing was added to the central block in 1835.

15. Between 1857 and 1875 the average number of pupils attending Inst. was 280.

16. From 1868 all boys had to attend a fixed number of classes and subjects. A six period day was formulated which lasted from 9:00am to 3:00pm with a twenty minute recess, from Monday to Friday. There were two hours of lessons on Saturday Mornings.

17. A popular pastime of pupils in the 19th Century was to hire rowing boats from fishermen who lived in what is now Chichester Street and row out into Belfast Lough.

18. Cricket was first played at Inst. in 1849.

19. Inst.'s first swimming pond was opened September 1871. It was closed in 1902.

20. A science school was opened in 1876, taking the total number of schools up to six.

21. 1885 a Board of Governors replaced the Board of Managers and Visitors and the Board of Masters became the Council of Studies.

22. Rugby and Lacrosse became popular school games in the 1870's. The first rugby team appeared in 1873; it was not until 1888 that Inst. recorded its first Schools' cup victory. The famous yellow and black jerseys were adopted in the 1882- 1883 season.

23. Until 1897 there was no Principal at Inst. - only the Headmasters of the various schools. Robert Dods became the first principal; he retired after one year to be replaced by R.M. Jones.

24. The prefectorial system was introduced in 1885.

25. Shortage of money in the 1890's resulted in the building of the Technical College on the front of the North lawn.

26. School News was first published in 1889.

27. Boarding ended at Inst. in 1902.

28. 1900-1910 numbers at Inst. rose from 170 to 320.

29. The first school athletics meeting was held in 1907; in the same year hockey was first played.

30. School meals of meat, bread and two vegetables were introduced in 1908. The cost was 7d.

31. 1910 Inst. celebrated its centenary.

32. World War I: 701 Inst. pupils served in the armed forces, 122 were killed, Instonians won 213 decorations, including a Victoria Cross.

33. 1914 the West block was built.

34. 1925 R.M. Jones retired and was replaced as Principal by Geoffrey Garrod, the former Headmaster of Sevenoaks School.

35. Sept. 1925. Inst. pupils required to wear a yellow and black quartered cap.

36. The house system was introduced in 1926; the four original houses were Dill, Kelvin, Larmor and Pirrie.

37. The school song was written in 1925.

38. A school library was created in 1928.

39. The scout troop was formed in 1926.

40. The Principal G.Garrod resigned in 1938 having been injured in an accident in 1935.

41. His temporary replacement J.C.A. Briefly died suddenly July 1940. John Grummitt was appointed Principal in Nov. 1940.

42. During World War 2 the RAF set up a barrage balloon in the middle of the front lawn. Close to 1150 Instonians served in the armed forces, of whom 106 laid down their lives.

43. The two new houses were added in 1950, Jones and Stevenson.

44. The building of the present Science block began in 1957.

45. 1959 J.H. Grummitt retired as Principal and was replaced by S.V. Peskett.

46. The ‘new' Common Hall and the swimming pool were opened in 1964.

47. S.V. Peskett resigned in 1978 to be replaced by T.J. Garrett as Principal.

48. The sixth form centre was opened in 1983.

49. R.M. Ridley was appointed Principal in 1990.

50. 1994/1995 Inst. teams won the major Ulster schools trophies in rugby, hockey, cricket and tennis.