Hamilton Academy was a boarding and day school in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was founded in 1588 as a boys' school and was open for nearly four centuries. In the late 19th century, the school began admitting girls.
The school was described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the Cambridge University Press County Biography of 1910, County Biographies – Lanarkshire, page 162 – Hamilton Academy. Cambridge University Press 1910, retrieved 2010-10-4 and was featured in a 1950 Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association magazine article series on Famous Scottish Schools.
Having joined the state sector, the school closed in 1972, as a result of the coming of comprehensive schools in Lanarkshire. It was replaced by the new Hamilton Grammar School, which took over its site and most of its pupils and staff.
History and building
1588–1714
No longer existing as an independent institution, Hamilton Academy had a history going back to 1588 when it was endowed by The 1st Marquess of Hamilton (c. 1535-1604), an extremely powerful Scottish nobleman.
The school, then known as the Old Grammar School of Hamilton (not to be confused with the present Hamilton Grammar School), stood near the churchyard adjoining Hamilton Palace until, in 1714, Anne, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, great-granddaughter of the founder, re-located the school to a new building on the newly named Grammar School Square also in the lower part of the town, and presented this to the Town Council of Hamilton. The Statistical Account of Lanarkshire of 1835 notes of this school building that it "is a venerable pile, near the centre of the town, containing a long wainscotted hall, emblazoned with the names of former scholars, cut out in the wood, as at Harrow."
In 1847 this old school building on Grammar School Square was sold for £253 (about £ now) and survived until its demolition in 1932. A plaque commemorating the site of the Old Grammar School of Hamilton (which was renamed Hamilton Academy in 1848) was commissioned by pupils of Hamilton Academy and unveiled by the academy's rector, David Anderson MC, on 21 March 1932 at a public ceremony in the presence of academy pupils and teaching staff; the provost and members of the town council, and members of Hamilton Civic Society.
1848–1900
The town council were sole managers of the school until, in 1848, the school (having been renamed The 'Hamilton Academy') re-located again, to larger premises on the town's Hope Street, with Rector's residence and accommodation for boarders, built by the heritors of the Parish of Hamilton, the town council and subscribers, the school then coming under the management of a Directorate chosen of these three parties. The Report on Schools in Scotland, 1868, notes that Hamilton Academy was unusual in this respect, being "a parochial, burgh and a proprietary school combined." In 1866 the Subscribers passed their interest over to the town council who, along with the heritors, managed the school until in 1872 management was transferred to the newly elected School Board of the Burgh of Hamilton under the terms of the Education (Scotland) Act 1872, under the terms of which Act the school was also confirmed (1876) as being a 'higher-class school.'Programme and Souvenir printed by the Hamilton Advertiser newspaper for the opening of the 'new' Hamilton Academy building, 22nd. Sept. 1913
By 1900 the school had not only outgrown the Hope Street building, but the building was also subsiding. Robert Gibson MP recalled during a House of Commons debate (November 1939) that during his time at Hamilton Academy (1890s), the junior department had had to be evacuated due to rapid subsidence of that part of the Hope Street building.Hansard, parliamentary proceedings. House of Commons debate, Scottish Education and Evacuation, 21 Nov. 1939, Robert Gibson MP The school was therefore re-located to temporary accommodation in a building newly erected by the school board as 'Woodside School', until such time as the question of the academy's increasing requirements could be addressed. The school's old site on Hope Street being considered too small, a site for a new Hamilton Academy building was secured on Auchincampbell Road.
1910–1972
At a cost of around £40,000 (£53,000 including equipment), construction of the new building began in 1910 (completed 1913) to competition-winning designs by Cullen, Lochhead and Brown (the former's son, Alexander Cullen Jnr., also an architect, attending Hamilton Academy Dictionary of Scottish Architects – Biography report and the latter, William Brown, attending Hamilton Academy 1889–1894 Dictionary of Scottish Architects – Biography Report) the competition entries being assessed by George Bell, president of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Institute of Architects. Dictionary of Scottish Architects – Building/Design Report
In 1911 Hamilton Academy's 'prep' (junior) school relocated to its new, separate smaller building behind the main edifice, before completion, in 1913, of the new senior school building in the French Renaissance style and of red freestone from Corncockle Quarry in Dumfriesshire. The main building, with separate entrances for girls and boys, was arranged over three storeys, with additional basements, providing accommodation for rector's office, board room, offices, classrooms, six laboratories, workshops, art rooms and gymnasia. Of particular note were the Central Hall, the large lecture hall (seating 200, gallery-style and communicating with the laboratories) and library, with reading rooms for girls and boys respectively. In addition, a domestic science block was erected in the same style to the south of the main building and near the girls' school entrance.
A feature of the wood-panelled Central Hall, rising two storeys with gallery to an arched ceiling, was the six large stained glass windows with figures representing Literature, Science, Art, Music, Technology and Gymnastics. South Lanarkshire public libraries – local history collection- Programme and Souvenir, opening of the new Hamilton Academy building 22nd. Sept. 1913
This new Hamilton Academy building was officially opened on 22 September 1913, a programme and souvenir of this event being published by the Hamilton Advertiser newspaper. This building remains and is a 'listed building,' category 'B.' British Listed Buildings Online
Following the First World War a handsome memorial to masters and former pupils who had fallen in that 1914–18 war was erected in the Central Hall which also housed the girl and boy school Dux medallists commemorative boards.
In 1934 plans were instigated to extend the school's junior department to accommodate up to 500 pupils,Glasgow Herald article 6 April 1934 and on 3 August 1939 plans were passed that would have seen alterations to the main building to create two new luncheon rooms, further staff rooms, offices and two new libraries; and a new annex to include two new gymnasia. Due to the outbreak of the Second World War in September, these plans were not followed-through.Glasgow Herald, article 'Reconstruction Plans for Hamilton Academy,' 4 Aug 1939 Earlier in 1939 the local Air Raid Precautions committee had announced that it had been arranged that in the event of war and air raids, Hamilton Academy would be used as a first-aid post in case of emergency.Glasgow Herald notice Air Raid Precautions, Hamilton Academy. 20 April 1939
On 19 February 1954 a war memorial, commemorating the one schoolmaster and 68 former pupils who had fallen in the Second World War, was unveiled at the school by its former rector David Anderson, who had himself been awarded the Military Cross (with bar) for gallantry in the Great War.Evening Times (Glasgow, UK) 15 Feb. 1954
Hamilton Academy continued at the 'new' Academy building from 1913 to 1972, when it closed down as an independent institution. Most pupils in the last intake (1971) to the former Hamilton Academy are still surviving, the school roll in 1971–2 session being 1025.Hamilton Academy's last school magazine 1972 What would have been Hamilton Academy's quadricentenary (1588–1988) was celebrated in 1988 by a reunion in Hamilton of remaining former pupils and staff.
Intake and education
Intake
Hamilton Academy was a senior and junior fee-paying day and boarding school. The Statistical Account of Scotland, 1792, states that the school "has had, for a long time past, a good reputation, and, besides the youth of the place, a great many boarders at a distance have been educated at it,"Statistical Account of Scotland 1792 quoted in Third Report by Commissioners, Schools in Scotland, 1868, page 254. Published, by her Majesty's Stationery Office. Edinburgh, 1868. and the Statistical Account of Lanarkshire, 1835, mentions that "many of (the school's scholars) are from foreign climes, and from all parts of Britain." The 1871 Census and the school's registers 1848–1900 list, among others, pupils from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paisley, Bridge of Weir, Stewarton, England and Australia.1871 Census Scotland. Reg No 647 ED 16 pp19. Entry: Hamilton Academy, Hamilton, Lanarkshire - listing boarders Cyclopedia of New Zealand - biographical note, Daniel Davidson (born 1862) sent from Sydney, Australia to be educated at Hamilton Academy, Scotland. Retrieved 2010-12-07 Becoming a Scottish selective day school in the 1900s, Hamilton Academy was to form, as the 'County School', the top-most layer of a four-layer public education system, drawing its pupils from the top stream on a competitive 'Eleven Plus' examination basis from across the whole County of Lanarkshire. South Lanarkshire public libraries, local history collection – list of Hamilton Academy pupils 1916–17 South Lanarkshire public libraries – local history collection, Hamilton Academy Prospectus, sessions 1935–1940 The selective nature of the school meant that most children in Hamilton did not attend Hamilton Academy, on the other hand, Hamilton Academy students often had quite long journeys to get to and from school each day. Hamilton Advertiser article October 2008
Although bursaries to allay fees in attending Hamilton Academy's senior school could be won on a competitive basis and were much sought after, BBC – 'Writing Scotland' – former pupil novelist Robin Jenkins' biography The Times – obituary, 26th. Feb. 2005 – Robin Jenkins, novelist The Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame – biography – Ian McDougall The Independent – obituary, former pupil Lord Stallard winning a place at Hamilton Academy following the end of the Second World War fees were phased out. Thereafter the criteria for selection rested solely on academic ability, selection being made from potential pupils from across the whole County of Lanark - the old County of Lanark being, in terms of population and wealth, the most important county in Scotland and comprising a larger area, including most of the city of Glasgow, than the sum of the subsequent late twentieth century local authority areas. Gealology UK website – excerpt Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland 1883 Gazetteer for Scotland web site