Where we have come from helps us to be who we are today. Read on to learn more about what makes us tick.
Chilton Saint James School was founded in 1918 by Miss Geraldine FitzGerald. Lower Hutt was chosen as the wartime location as it was considered a safer environment than Wellington's city centre.
A suburban setting has its advantages still, since Chilton has expansive playing fields, an outdoor swimming pool and space for future development of facilities.
Our campus is laid out across various period and modern buildings, all of which are named after important people in our history. The latest addition, the Greenwood Wing opened by the Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, and the Right Reverend Dr Thomas Brown, Bishop of Wellington, is no exception. It is named after Miss Greenwood, a friend of Miss FitzGerald and a leading figure in fundraising for the School’s establishment.
The learning hub for the whole school and used by all students from Preschool to Year 13, is the library. This is situated in the Greenwood Wing and is named after Nesta Mason, the second Principal of Chilton.
Another focal point of the School is the Jubilee Centre, built in our Jubilee year and housing a large multi-purpose space used for activities including concerts, shows, sports and assemblies, and with a theatre used for dance and drama classes.
Each year the Year 13 School Council raises funds for charity and to fund their own projects within the School. A good example of the kind of legacies they choose to invest in is the sculpture ‘Reference Point‘ commissioned by Year 13 in 2008. Wellington artist Cathryn Monro created it to showcase the different elements of the School Crest, our motto ‘Possumus’ (We are able), and silhouettes of past and present students, staff and trustees to reflect the 2008 School Council theme of ‘Come Together’.
We are also lucky to benefit from donations and bequests from time to time, with one recent such donation helping to build the new Greenwood Wing. The Helen Watt Laboratory is named after an Old Girl who attended Chilton from 1939 – 1948. Helen, a keen student of science, left a bequest to the Chilton Old Girl’s Association who in turn have donated it to the School.
Until the late 1970’s, Chilton catered for boarders however we are now a day school only. The Chilton Historical Trust wrote a comprehensive book in 1993 that details many personal accounts and photos from Old Girls, recounting their memories from their time at Chilton as boarders. To get your hands on one of the few remaining copies of ‘Chilton Saint James – A Celebration of 75 years’, please contact us for details of purchase.
Click here for the history of the Name, Houses, Crest and School colours. For more detailed information please contact our archivist, Mrs Sue Blundell.