[1] At the Methodist Conference of 1862, the Revd John Manton proposed that a collegiate institute be founded in Sydney.
On 16 July 1863, the Wesleyan Collegiate Institute opened with 16 boys and a small number of theological students.
As no suitable buildings were available in Sydney at the time, Newington House, the centrepiece of John Blaxland's estate at Silverwater, was leased.
Expanding student numbers meant that more extensive premises closer to the city were required.
A bequest by John Jones, of land at Stanmore, saw both institutions move to the newly fashionable inner-city suburbs.