Methodist College Belfast
Methodist College Belfast, locally known as Methody, is a co-educational voluntary grammar school in Belfast, located at the foot of the Malone Road, Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1865 by the Methodist Church in Ireland and is one of eight Northern Irish schools represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. It is also a member of the Independent Schools Council and the Governing Bodies Association.
In the 2023 The Sunday Times Parent Power Best UK Schools Guide, which ranks schools based on GCSE and GCE Advanced Level examination results the college failed to make the top 100 in the United Kingdom but was placed 19th in Northern Ireland
In sport – and rugby in particular – which has brought the college very mixed headlines in 2025 the school has won both the Ulster Schools Cup and the Medallion Shield a record 37 times outright. The college choirs have won Songs of Praise Choir of the Year, Sainsbury's Choir of the Year and RTÉ All-Island School Choir of the Year. The Chapel Choir has performed in Westminster Abbey and the Carnegie Hall as well as during Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the Republic of Ireland.
Past pupils of the college style themselves Old Collegians and the college has a former pupils' organisation that brands itself as Methody Collegians. They have branches across the world, including London, Hong Kong and Canada. The college has links with Belfast Harlequins, the successor of the former sports club for staff and past pupils, Collegians. Methodist College is a registered charity.
History
Foundation
Methodist College Belfast was founded in 1865 by the Methodist Church in Ireland and opened three years later in 1868. In 1844, the Conference of the Methodist Church in Ireland approved a proposal to establish a Methodist school in Belfast. Shortly after, a decision was taken to relocate the site of the school to Dublin. Funds for this school were raised in 1845 and it was opened the same year, first as the Wesleyan Connexional School and later to be called Wesley College after the founder of the Methodist religion, John Wesley.It was only in 1855 that the idea was raised of founding a school specifically for the education of sons of ministers like the Methodist Church in England had at Kingswood School in Bath. Funds were raised with significant amounts coming from the United States and England. The original site for the school was to be in Portadown but the location was changed, first of all to Dublin. Land was acquired in Dublin but proceedings stalled. Several prominent Belfast Methodists began a campaign to have the school built in Belfast. The Methodist Conference allotted the remaining £2000 left from the purchase of the Dublin site to Belfast so long as they could raise £8000 extra with the added proviso that no building could take place until they had raised £10,000. A last attempt was made 1863 for the building to take place in Portadown but this failed. The necessary money had been raised by 1864 to satisfy the Conference's stipulations but it was held that £10,000 would not be sufficient. Further fundraising missions were made to the United States and England in 1866. These were led by Robinson Scott, Robert Wallace and William McArthur. Wallace would die on this mission in Cincinnati from cholera. However an additional £10,000 was raised. Several subsequent missions took place to fund building work.
The present site of the college, near Queen's University Belfast on the Malone Road, was purchased by James Carlisle and offered to the committee on the same terms. The site covered 15 acres all of which have been developed by the college to the present day. In addition to the school it was proposed that a strip on the North side be let for building and the rest used by the college. This would become College Gardens which is still owned by the college.
The school originally had a dual foundation as a school and a theological college and the school was designed with this in mind. The architects firm Joseph Fogerty & Son of Dublin won with their bid to design the school. The foundation stone for the Main Building was laid in 1865, and in 1868 the college was opened.
Early years
From the outset, the school catered for boarders and day pupils with accommodation. Although the school was founded as an all-boys institution, girls were very quickly included when ladies classes began. However, as they were strictly segregated from male pupils this put significant pressure on space. In the years that followed, wings were added to the main building. In 1877 a porter's lodge was built at the Lisburn Road end of College Gardens which was the only college building designed by notable Belfast architect Charles Lanyon. Also in this year, it was decided that no land would be let along the Lisburn Road.Although originally conceived primarily as a school for the education of the children of Methodist ministers, the school styled itself as interdenominational from its inception.
While day classes had been provided for girls for the early years, there was no provision for the daughters of ministers to board. This was remedied by a gift from Sir William McArthur to found a hall of residence for girls. Building work on McArthur Hall was completed in 1891. The hall was designed by Sir Thomas Newenham Deane and his son Thomas Manly Deane.
No further major building work would take place until the 20th century but modifications were made to existing buildings including the creation of science labs.
Edwardian period
During the course of the First World War 428 pupils served in the armed forces and 80 were killed.Further specialised rooms were built in 1919 including more labs, art rooms and classrooms. In an attempt to provide classroom space to a growing student population, the college purchased second-hand American Hospital Huts which were erected across the school in 1921. One of these huts remained in the college, between the Whitla Hall and the Drama Studio, until the early 2010s. The Marquess of Londonderry donated books to the college that were used in the school's Londonderry Library.
Around this time with the theological students gone and the Headmaster moved out of his rooms to College Gardens, the Main Building was remodelled to better accommodate boarders. Like other schools at the time, the boarders lived in "houses" but unlike other schools, rather than staying in the same house during their time there, they would move from house to house as they progressed through the school. The houses were Bedell House, Castlereagh House and Kelvin House and the boys would move up through them. They were named after two prominent Irishmen and one Englishman; Anglican clergyman William Bedell, born in Essex but dying in Cavan, statesman Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh and scientist William Thomson, Lord Kelvin. There was also another house for day pupils named after Lord Wellington.
In 1932 the college purchased Pirrie Park from Harland and Wolff with the financial aid of William Fullerton and Hugh Turtle. It had already been partially developed by Harland and Wolff including the erection of a pavilion. The college began work to convert this pavilion into a Preparatory School. It was called Downey House and named after John Downey, a benefactor to the college.
Following a bequest of £10,000 for a chapel, library or hall from a governor of the school, Sir William Whitla, the college completed the construction of the Whitla Hall in 1935.
Further modification were made to the science rooms in 1936 to bring them up to required standards.
World War Two
Due to governmental restrictions no significant building work took place in the college during the Second World War; this included maintenance. As a result, many buildings deteriorated, including the huts which were still being used as classrooms. In addition, McArthur Hall was rented to the Government for war use. 16 members of staff and over 1000 former pupils joined the reserve forces, including the Territorial Army and RNVSR and saw active service. 101 men were killed in the war. Unlike other city based schools, the governors at Methody decided against relocating outside the city. Adaptations were made to the college to provide additional protection to the school. The Main Building's Victorian basements were reinforced and campbeds and bunks installed. Fire escapes were added and a fire engine bought.The college was unaffected by the Belfast Blitz in April 1941. After the evening of the first raid, the college offered the Whitla Hall as a refuge for people who had been left homeless and from the evening of the following day, people began to arrive. Food and beds were provided for the men, women and children until the women and children could be evacuated to the country and the men who needed to work in the city were moved into hostels.
Until the end of the war and food rationing, Pirrie Park was cultivated to grow crops along with raising hens and ducks.
Post-war Methody
With the passing of the Education Act 1947, all children over the age of 11 had to be enrolled in secondary education so creating the grammar school system as understood today with the selection taking place after the age of 11. This resulted in a large increase in the number of applications to institutions like Methody and the number of pupils increased significantly.One of the houses in College Gardens fell vacant and was converted into a second preparatory department in 1950. It became known as Fullerton House, named after William Fullerton who had been a governor, chair of the board and founder of Downey House. Extensions to this were made to the adjacent house in 1957. The existing preparatory department, Downey House, also received extension works in 1954. In 1959 a boathouse for rowing was built at Lockview Road in Stranmillis.
Additional classrooms in what are now called K, L and M blocks were added as well as a lecture theatre, specific rooms for Home Economics, other classrooms, a canteen and gym were completed. In 1954 the Duchess of Kent, accompanied by Princess Alexandra, opened the college's extension.