The Stuart Grammar School, which was established by Edward Stuart and was located on
the corner of Duke and Edward Street in Port of Spain, was the forerunner of QRC. Stuart was
invited to join the venture by the colonial government in 1859, when a proposed "collegiate
academy" was being considered. Later that year, the Queen's Collegiate School opened opposite
what is now Lord Harris Square, which was then known as Billiards Orchard.
"The benefits should be available to those of any race and faith," Governor Arthur HamiltonGordon told the Legislative Council in 1870. "And the education offered should be of a distinctly
superior nature." The school became the Queen's Royal College in 1870, and it was housed in the
Prince's Building's supper room.
Acting Governor Sir Micah Fields intervened when the Government Farm was relocated from
St Clair in 1899, and a portion of the property was set aside as a temporary home for QRC. The
school, then known as Royal College, had 120 students who did not have to wear a uniform but
were required to wear a hat or cap with the college crest. Algebra, geometry, arithmetic, Latin,
French, English, geography, history, and Greek or Spanish were among the subjects they studied.
Today, uniforms are worn at Queen's Royal College, as they are at virtually all government
colleges, and most QRC programs and involvements have a blue theme, thanks to the well-known
blue shirt jack and long khaki trousers. The school adopted a new dress uniform for formal events
in 2009, replacing the previous one. David Simon is the school's principal. The college also has a
polo suit that can be used to social activities.
Courtney Knollys, the acting Governor at the time, laid the foundation stone on November
11, 1902. During the period when Queen's Royal College was located at the Princess Building,
Daniel M. Hahn, Chief Draughtsman of the Public Works Department and an Old Boy of Queen's
Royal College, designed the construction. The building's architecture is German Renaissance in
style, as shown by its strong appearance. The initial building, which cost 15000 British pounds
(1,845,000.00 British pounds adjusted for inflation), could hold six groups of 30 boys each. The
lecture hall could accommodate over 500 people at a time.
Despite the plan's German origins, possibly a legacy of Mr. Hahn's student days in Berlin, the
interior style is tropical with an aristocratic touch from the days when European school architecture
was austere. QRC was not always open, but after a few years, it became so.
In conclusion, Queen’s Royal College is a very important part of the heritage of Trinidad and
has had several major uses purposes. It is a constant reminder of where we have come from and
some of the struggles that have been undergone by our society.