
The UCT English language Centre is located in the Rosedale Building on the University of Cape Town’s Hiddingh Campus.
Hiddingh campus is one of the satellite campuses of the University of Cape Town located in the middle of the city of Cape Town and is located about 10 minutes’ drive from the main university campus in Rondebosch.
Hiddingh campus is also the oldest University Campus of Cape Town and is home to the School of Fine Arts, Drama, and most recently, ELC.
The campus buildings are rich in culture and history, and the architecture is beautiful. It is also nestled right at the foot of Table Mountain and if you visit Simon and Juliette’s office you will even see the Table Mountain cableway right from their office window!
Monday Monthly did a little investigating and according to Volume 34.01, 25 February 2015, There are a number of very special buildings on Hiddingh campus. This is a brief summary of their interactive map, which you can find here.Â
As you enter the campus at the main gate, the building you see on your right hand side is called the Michaelis School of Fine Arts and is where all current Fine Arts students at the University of Cape Town study. Both this building and Hiddingh Hall were occupied by the South African defence Force during Word Wars I and II. Apparently, the evidence of this is still there as the timber props used to enforce the stairs because military engineers were concerned the stairs would not manage the weight of soldiers marching in step. This building originally housed the university’s departments of zoology and botany.

Michaelis School of Fine Arts Building

Old Medical Building
Behind Betram House and Place is a very unique building called the Egyptian Building completed in 1841 which was the original site of an old zoo! This is also the first building in South Africa built for the sole purpose of higher education which were lecture venues. Today, they are used by artists and sculptors as studios.

Bertram House

Hiddingh Hall

Hiddingh Hall

Commerce Building
If you turn left, and pass the Commerce Building on your right, you will come to The Ritchie Building on your left and Rosedale House on your right.
The Ritchie Building was actually the former home to SACS (from 1896 to 1960). SACS (South African College High School) is the oldest high school in South Africa and the boys shared the grounds with their university going compatriots. The Rosedale Building, where the UCT English language Centre is now located, used to be the accommodation for the boys at the university and SACS. When the schoolboys left to Newlands, their new premises in 1960, the Faculty of Law took over the building before drama, Photography, and most recently, ELC moved in.
Our campus is campus steeped in history and has buildings that all have different, but their own splendid architecture.
Join us at the UCT English Language Centre and enjoy being a UCT student located on the University of Cape Town’s oldest campus.