Belfast High School

History

• John Pyper He established the school as Pyper Academy, before changing its name to the Belfast Mercantile Academy shortly thereafter.
• James Pyper, the school's longest-serving headmaster. He was responsible for the building of what the Ulster Star described as "Mr Pyper's splendid new seminary" in Glenravel Street.
• Spring Pyper
• Dr Robert Harte, who changed the school's name to its current title. Under his headship the school purchased Ardilea House, a large 19th-century villa in Jordanstown, in 1953. Between then and 1963, when the entire school re-located from Glenravel Street, its then Vice-Principal, Harry Towell, headed a small suburban campus at the site. The house now forms the administration block, containing the staff room, sick bay, and offices of the principal, her secretary, the bursar and vice-principal. Dr Harte suffered a severe stroke in 1964 and his son acted as temporary head until the appointment of Mr Dunlop in 1966. Dr Harte was a Doctor of Philosophy and an eminent classical scholar.
• Samuel H Dunlop, who saw the building of a new science block, the closure of Somerton House in 1981 and the enlargement of the school library
• Stephen R Hilditch, who saw the Harte Building opened in the 1990s to house Home Economics, Careers, Technology, ICT and a science lab, the refurbishment of the science block and the refurbishment and enlargement of the Music Department
• Lynn F Gormley, who saw the installation of a state-of-the-art sports and fitness building which was opened by Dame Mary Peters in 2016.
• Charlotte Weir, who had previously served as Acting Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher.

  Houses

• Boyd
• Pyper
• Storey
• Watson

  Sports

Notable alumni

• Steve Aiken, Member of the Northern Irish Assembly
• George Cassidy, former Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham
• Tommy Cassidy, Northern Ireland international footballer, who played for Newcastle United and Burnley
• Edward Samuel Wesley de Cobain, MP, disgraced Conservative politician
• Fred Henderson, Socialist writer
• , Artist and sculptor
• , international footballer: Distillery and Cliftonville right-half and Captain of Ireland in 1880s and 1890s
• Jonny Evans, Leicester City and Northern Ireland international football player
• Sir Ronnie Flanagan, retired Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Northern Ireland
• Alan McNeill, professional football player
• Stephen Rea, film actor
• Mark McCrea, Ulster rugby player
• Maurice Field, former Ulster and Ireland rugby player
• Paul Stirling, Ireland cricketer
• Sinéad Morrissey, poet
• Jo Scott, TV presenter and news reader
• Dennis McBride, former Ulster and Ireland rugby player and part of the 1995 world cup squad.
• Gary Leslie former Ulster rugby player and part of 1999 European cup winning team. Appointed as IRFU Ulster branch President 2019/20 after subsequent appointment as senior vice President.
• Kirsti Adair, deputy editor BBC newsround