About us
Ourheritage
A school that began with fourteen students in a rented bungalow, and has been on the same hillside ever since.
The foundingof Hillwood
In January 1889, Elizabeth Bellerby and Ethel Jones arrived in Colombo, sent by the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society in answer to an appeal from Rev. Ireland Jones and Rev. Garret for a school that would serve the Kandyan girls.
The school opened the following year, between May and August 1890, with seven pupils on the roll and Ms. Bellerby as its first Principal. She would lead it for twenty-one years.
The choice of hillside was practical rather than romantic. It turned out to matter. The school has never moved, and the walk up from the town is still the first thing every Hillwood girl remembers.
What began as a school for seven now teaches more than two thousand, in a Christian foundation that has always taken girls of every race and religion. The intention has not been revised: to educate girls thoroughly, and to send them out steady.
A hundred andthirty-six years
- 1889Elizabeth Bellerby and Ethel Jones arrive in Colombo, sent by the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society to found a girls' school.
- 1890The school opens in Kandy with seven pupils, under Ms. Bellerby as founding Principal.
- 1911Ms. Leena Chapman succeeds the founder, and leads the College for twenty years.
- 1931Ms. Mary Dorothy Rigg becomes Principal, serving through the Second World War.
- 1947Mrs. Somakumari Samarasinghe begins the longest tenure of the century, leading the College through independence.
- 1964Ms. Barbara De Alwis takes office, presiding over a period of significant growth.
- 1971The Shining Star Unit is founded, among the first special education units in a Sri Lankan school.
- 1990The College marks its centenary under Ms. S.R. Ratnayake.
- 2004The Cambridge International curriculum is introduced alongside the national syllabus.
- 2016Mrs. Kumuduni Nelum De Alwis becomes Principal, serving until 2024.
Formerprincipals
Select a name to see her photograph and the years she served.
Ms. Elizabeth Bellerby1889 – 1911
Founding Principal. Sent to Ceylon by the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society, she opened the school in 1890 with seven pupils.
Ms. Leena Chapman1911 – 1931
Succeeded the founder and led the College through its first expansion beyond the original schoolroom.
Ms. Mary Dorothy Rigg1931 – 1944
Principal through the Second World War years, when the College continued teaching without interruption.
Ms. Elenor M Foss1944 – 1946
on record
Served in the immediate post-war years.
Mrs. Somakumari Samarasinghe1947 – 1964
Led the College through independence and the longest single tenure of the century.
Ms. Barbara De Alwis1964 – 1977
Presided over a period of significant growth in the College's academic and extracurricular life.
Mrs. Nimalathevi Perera1977 – 1990
Carried the College to its centenary year in 1990.
Ms. S.R. Ratnayake1990 – 2005
Principal from the centenary through to the new century.
Mrs. Sudharshani Kumari Hettige2007 – 2015
Oversaw the modernisation of the College's teaching facilities.
Mrs. Kumuduni Nelum De Alwis2016 – 2024
Led the College to its 130th anniversary.
Mrs. Asha Vidanapathirana2024 – present
The tenth Principal of Hillwood College, serving since 2024.
What a Hillwood day looks like now
The buildings and the bell are much the same. The timetable has moved on.