In 1841, John McNaughton re-opened the doors of his school, the "Established School at Wynberg", in Glebe Cottage with 16 pupils enrolled. McNaughton's school shared the cottage with the Lady D'Urban School of Industry for young ladies. Initially a co-educational school, it limited enrollment to boys in 1853. The senior and junior schools operated as one school until 1943 when they separated. In 1845, the school moved to Bryndewyn Cottage. In 1863, the Government relegated the school to the status of "second class elementary school" and instructed the headmaster, Mr. MacNaughton to close on 27 February. Permission was granted to change Wynberg Boys to a private school on 2 March. A building was purchased from the Higgs estate in 1876, and in 1891, Sir Herbert Baker designed new buildings that opened in 1892. In 1980, the school moved to its current site on the Hawthornden Estate in Wynberg. The school has two museums. Two books have been written on Wynberg: The History of a School by English teacher Doug Thompson, and A School Reflects by Old Boy Roger Goodwin. The school's motto, Supera Moras, can be translated from Latin as Overcome Difficulties. There is an unofficial motto that is used frequently for marketing, "Brothers in an endless chain"
Sporting activities
Wynberg Boys' High School has a competitive sporting tradition. Students take part in sporting competitions with schools from Western Cape and sometimes from other parts of South Africa, as well as occasional competitions with visiting international teams. Rivals include Rondebosch Boys' High School, Diocesan College, and Paul Roos Gymnasium as well as South African College Schools. The school offers sporting facilities such as an astro turf area, a swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, four rugby fields, and the WBHS cricket field, which was renamed in 2010 as "The Jacques Kallis Oval" in honour of the World cricketer of the year and former Wynberg Boy.
Culture
The WBHS choir has a large repertoire of songs ranging from jazz to classical music. Choir members are offered professional vocal training. WBHS has three school bands: the Concert Band, the Steel Band and the Jazz Band. The Wynberg Boys' and Girls' High bands joined to form the Combined Band, playing at many inter-school events. Every year Wynberg Boys' High School holds a memorial day celebrating the school's founding. The school pays tribute to Wynberg Old Boys who died fighting in World War I, World War II and the South African Border War. In World War I, 42 Wynberg Old Boys were killed.
