St. Joseph’s School, North Point, Darjeeling

The Government of India acquired Darjeeling as a health resort in 1835. By 1846 the town had an excellent girls school conducted by the Loreto sisters. Several attempts were made to open a similar institution for boys, but for years none was successful. Finally, in 1887, when jurisdiction over the Catholic community in Darjeeling was transferred from the Bishop of Patna to the Archbishop of Calcutta, the Jesuits there were able to satisfy a long-standing request of Calcutta Catholics and establish a school for boys in Darjeeling.

On the slope above the presbytery was a long, low building locally known as Sunny Bank. As a provisional measure, this would now house the new school. Accordingly alterations were immediately decided on and carried into effect.

To bear the heavy responsibility of maintaining the infant institution the authorities could find no one more able than Fr. Henry Depelchin, the founder of flourishing colleges in Calcutta and Bombay and pioneer of the Zambezi mission.

The veteran missionary landed in Calcutta in January 1888, and a few days later assumed charge in Darjeeling. February 13th heralded the birth of the new school. The next day classes formally opened with 18 boarders and 7 dayscholars present.

That Sunnybank provided only temporary shelter for the school was clearly realized, and it was on this understanding that the Fathers cast about anxiously for a new and permanent site. The spur of Birch Hill called the North Point location was the final choice. The transfer of the land was effected on July 10th.

The building of the structure was entrusted to Brother Eugene Rotsaert, who commenced with characteristic energy the levelling of the site, approximately 2,000,000 cubic feet of rock and soil had to be removed before building could begin, and a force of some two thousand men was employed for the purpose. Below the school site, the Maharaja of Burdwan had an extensive field known as Ladbrooke Farm. It was acquired on long lease and the property taken over at a moderate rental. Thus came to a close the year 1888. The work at North Point proceeded apace under the strenuous lead of Brother Rotsaert. Alignments were taken on May 2, 1889 and the foundations marked out. By May 10, 1889 the excavation of the foundations was completed and construction was started without delay.

By December the plinth was four feet high, and in January, 1890 the arches were begun. On April 27th His Grace blessed the foundation stone. By December, 1890 the eastern wing had been roofed over.
By June that year 1891, the whole building had been roofed over, and Brother Rotsaert now devoted his entire attention to the rapid completion of the interior. In December, to the surprise and delight of all, the building was declared fit to be occupied, and on December 8th, Fr. Depelchin blessed the new school.

It was during this year, 1892, that Mr. E. H. FitzGerald joined the staff. From then until his death in 1945 he remained with the school and contributed enormously to its success by his generous and whole-hearted devotion.

Classes reopened on February 18th, 1892, for the first time at North Point. The boys were delighted with their new surroundings and ever so proud of their school, already recognized as the premier school of Darjeeling.

In spite of the financial difficulties at St. Joseph's material improvements were actively taken in hand from the very first year of its existence. The dormitories were panelled, spacious dressing-rooms were fitted out, and the equipment of the two laboratories-for physics and chemistry-was considerably improved. Important changes were made in the course of studies, with a thorough revision.

The first year at North Point was a decided success. The appreciation of the general public for the efficiency of Jesuit education was manifest beyond all doubt, and the boys' systematic and thorough ways of studying bore ample testimony to the good wrought by the Father efforts.
An important and most welcome change was the creation of the front flat in 1893 by the complete removal of the unsightly mound which stood between the building and the Lebong Road.

During the year 1893 Darjeeling residents were surprised by the excellence of the school sportsmen. St. Joseph's met St. Paul's for the first time in a cricket match on April 3rd, and to the amazement of many, the result was a glorious victory for the North Pointers. Ten days later they won again in a season of mostly victories.

The school year of 1894 began with a serious earthquake in Darjeeling, occurring at about the midnight of February 21/22 but the school suffered absolutely no damage.

Cricket flourished this year under the wise and firm direction of the captain, F. Boswell, who led the team from victory to victory. Such indeed was the success that at the close of the year the team organized and carried through a successful tour of Calcutta. During that year, the first cricket pavilion was erected. Though it cannot bear comparison with the present pavilion, it certainly served the purpose. The boys excelled in athletics, and secured several firsts at the public sports of the District.

After successfully guiding the school for almost four years, Fr. Neut was, in 1895, called away to Calcutta. His successor was Fr. John Schaefer, one of the two Jesuits present when in 1887, the Jesuits succeeded the Capuchins in Darjeeling. After only a few weeks in office Fr. Schaefer took sick, and soon his condition grew rapidly worse. On October 14th, after only five months in office, he left Darjeeling and was replaced by Fr. C. De Clippeleir.

In cricket and football the school was well to the fore. Under the matchless guidance of G. O'Brien Power the cricket team was well nigh invincible, and the Football XI reached the finals of the first open football tournament to be held in Darjeeling, only to be beaten by a military team by a margin of one goal.

To meet the wishes of many old boys eager to remain in touch with their Alma Mater, the school paper, the North Point Annual, was started. North point cricketers of 1896 were presented with a new pavilion built on the site of the old, which had proved inadequate. Largely responsible for the new one was a generous benefactor, Captain Lord, who had long been a warm friend of the School.

The disastrous earthquake of 1897, which wrecked Darjeeling and reduced to ruins most of the towns that lay in its path, did not leave the college untouched. Such was the intensity of the shocks that twisting motions in visible waves rapidly succeeded each other; a terrifying rumbling was heard throughout, and the cracking and rending of houses and trees produced a horrible din. The school building was oscillating more than a foot-and-a-half from the vertical, and all expected its immediate collapse. To the architect's credit it survived the ordeal, and though much plaster fell and some minor cracks appeared, the structure was unimpaired. The western wall had suffered most, so to ensure its greater security it was firmly bolted to the main building by iron ties and binding plates.

In the following year, 1898, two serious landslides from exceptionally heavy rain caused much inconvenience. The resulting damage necessitated immediate attention, and the heavy expense incurred was wholly unanticipated.