The Hope Waddell Training Institution (HWTI) started as an industrial school at the Duke Town School premises (then known as Orange Grove) in May 1894. The school was then moved to its present site in March 1895, with Rev. William Risk Thompson as its first principal. This school was dedicated to the memory of Rev. Hope Masterton Waddell, the leader of the Presbyterian mission team that first came to old Calabar in 1846. The motto of the school is “IN SPE GLORIAE DEI” (in hope of the glory of God). Rev. James Luke, a principal of the school, introduced the game of football for the first time at the school in 1902.
The Restoration and Preservation of the Premier Building
Hope Waddell Training Institution, Calabar
The Premier Building of the Hope Waddell Training Institution was assembled in 1894. It is made up of a one-story prefabricated building made by a Glasgow firm with corrugated sheets and Scot’s pine. The building was shipped from Scotland in sections and assembled on the new site in Leopard Town, Calabar. It has a double staircase set in a solid cement base. The building measures 24 meters by 14 meters, is supported by steel pillars and girders, and the upper floorboards are wooden. The building is composed of eight (8) rooms, which were built to accommodate the administrative offices, printing press, and classrooms.
For over a century, many young African men received education in this building, including former presidents and national leaders. Unfortunately, due to financial difficulties, ongoing maintenance of this delicate building was neglected, and it became unsafe for use and was at risk of collapsing.
Through the Gerda Henkel patrimonies funding initiative, we were able to restore this building to its original fund. As we complete the finishings on the project, the building will return to use by the institution. This project was also an opportunity to train local architects and artisans on the delicate process of restoration and preservation.