From racecourse to high school: a slice of East London history
Stirling High School, one of East London’s longstanding public schools, stands on land that was once the Nahoon Racecourse, a venue that for decades shaped the city’s sporting and social life and even hosted South Africa’s first powered flight, historical accounts show.
The school’s roots trace to the East London Technical College, established in 1927. According to local reporting, the technical college added a high school in 1968 known as East London Technical and Commercial High School. Six years later the high school was divided into two separate institutions: Port Rex Technical High School and a Commercial High School. That Commercial High School was later rebranded as Stirling High School in 1985, reflecting its shift from a specialist commercial focus to a broader general curriculum.
When horse racing and early aviation met in East London
The land on which Stirling High now sits formed part of the Nahoon Racecourse. When fully developed, the racecourse featured a near-2km circular track with a grandstand capable of viewing the entire circuit. For roughly six decades the racecourse hosted racing, stables and related facilities and served as one of the city’s prominent fashion and sporting centres, local accounts say.
Significantly, the Nahoon Racecourse was the backdrop for one of the earliest milestones in South African aviation. Flightline Weekly and local reporting note that the East London town council invited demonstrations of flying machines at a 1909 year-end gala. Howard Farrar & Co imported a French aircraft that was flown by pilot Albert Kimmerling on 28 December 1909. That flight occurred just six years after the Wright brothers first flew and is recorded as South Africa’s first powered flight.
"The plane was piloted by Albert Kimmerling of France, and flew on 28 December 1909 to the delight of the East Londoners of the time," Flightline Weekly reported.
Decline of racing and the rise of educational use
By the 1960s, interest in horseracing had waned and the racecourse land was levelled. Parts of the former course subsequently became the grounds for Stirling High School, which today occupies that portion of the Stirling suburb. The name 'Stirling' was chosen in part because it matched the existing Stirling Primary School and located the institution clearly within the Stirling community.
Leadership at the school has seen long tenures. Peter Moore is recorded as the first headmaster of Stirling High after its renaming; he served for nearly two decades before retiring in 2005. He was succeeded by Charles Foster, who remained in the position until 2016. The current headmaster is named in local records as Doug Prior.
- 1909 — Albert Kimmerling flew at Nahoon Racecourse on 28 December, reported as the country’s first powered flight.
- 1927 — East London Technical College established.
- 1968 — Technical college established its own high school.
- 1974 — The high school split into Port Rex and Commercial High School (six years after 1968).
- 1985 — Commercial High School renamed Stirling High School.
Why the history matters to East London
The story of Stirling High is more than institutional biography. It underlines how urban land use in East London has evolved from leisure and sport to education and community services. The Nahoon Racecourse’s role as a social hub and as the stage for an early aviation milestone connects modern neighbourhood identity to a deeper civic past.
For parents, alumni and education planners, the continuity of place provides perspective on how the city repurposes valuable inner-suburb land. For heritage advocates, the link to the 1909 flight is a reminder that local sites can have national historical significance. The details above are drawn from local reporting and aviation history sources cited in contemporary accounts.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1909 | First recorded powered flight in South Africa at Nahoon Racecourse |
| 1927 | East London Technical College established |
| 1968 | Technical college adds a high school |
| 1974 | High school splits into two institutions |
| 1985 | Commercial High School renamed Stirling High School |
The historical thread linking Nahoon Racecourse to Stirling High School is well documented in local sources. Residents and historians who walk the Stirling streets today are, whether consciously or not, crossing ground where early South African aviators and generations of racegoers once gathered.
