These photographs were taken by Kathleen Johnson, known as Kay, who came to Hillcourt as a pupil in its first year, 1919-1920, when she was about thirteen years old. She lived in Gilford, Co. Down, where her father, John Burney Johnson, was a GP. Kay herself trained as a pharmacist after school. She and her husband, Alan Power, lived and worked in Africa for most of their lives, and retired to Crofton Mansions in Dun Laoghaire. She died in 1978.

Her grand-nephew, Mark Barrett, lent us the collection during Hillcourt's centenary year, 2019-2020. The photographs show the exterior and interior of the school, the girls, staff, and animals in the grounds, and the progression of the school year from winter hockey to summer tennis.

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Many of the images have been colourised, but in these cases the original image is also shown. For the best experience, click on the first image, then progress through the exhibition with the right arrows, or swipe left on a mobile device.