Grenville College, Ballarat

In 1855 or earlier, Rev. T. R. Thackeray founded the Ballarat Grammar School. By September 1857 the principal was J. M. Strongman and the master was William Stallard (late of the Commercial Academy), and the school was scheduled to open on Sturt Street in October 1857, however, by June 1857 it was in the old Commercial Academy premises, Doveton Street with William Stallard as principal.

In 1860 or earlier, John Victor founded Ballarat Collegiate School in a large rented house in Dana Street, Ballarat, then in December 1860 moved to Windsor House, Creswick Road (south), Ballarat.

A third institution, Ballarat College, principal McCoy, opened in July 1864 and by December 1867 had an enrolment of 173.^[1]

In December 1866 John Victor purchased Stallard's interest in Ballarat Grammar School and combined the two as Ballarat Collegiate and Grammar School in Doveton Street. In April 1868 H. B. de la Poer Wall was brought in as partner and vice-principal.^[2] In 1868 Victor had Ballarat architect Henry R. Caselli design a grandiose college building in ecclesiastic style to be built on a six-acre greenfield site on Creswick Road, Ballarat.^[3] The scheme fell through, ascribed to title difficulties,^[4] and instead Caselli (who designed Ballarat's Alfred Hall)^[5] designed a two-storey building for Holmes Street, attached to the existing residence.^[6] The building was 55 by 23 feet (16.8 by 7.0 m), of two storeys with a tower; the ground floor held a schoolroom with 16 feet (4.9 m) ceilings, and dormitories for boarders and staff on the upper floor.^[4] Around this time the college became known as Grenville. They continued to use the building on Creswick Road. The proprietors also ran the Agriculture Training, Grammar and Commercial School at Gracefield, near Ballarat.^[7]

At the end of 1869 Victor retired to run a college in Sale, Gippsland, leaving Wall in charge, but in January 1872 Victor returned, displacing him. At the annual distribution of prizes in 1879 Victor retired for good, announcing as his successor A. A. Buley, who had matriculated from the college eleven years earlier. Buley ran the college with distinction from 1880 to 1910, when he accepted a position as Senior Master position with the Agricultural High School, and the college folded. He was later on the staff of Melbourne High School.^[8]

The edifice on Holmes Street was demolished in 1947.^[9]