Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about 8 miles (13 km) west of the city of Perth. The college opened in 1847 as Trinity College, Glenalmond and was renamed in 1983. Originally a boys' school, Glenalmond became co-educational in the 1990s.
Glenalmond College | |
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Address | |
Glenalmond , , PH1 3RY | |
Information | |
Type | Public school Private Day and boarding |
Motto | Floreat Glenalmond (Let Glenalmond Flourish) |
Religious affiliation(s) | Scottish Episcopal Church |
Established | 1847 |
Founder | |
Warden | Mark D. Mortimer |
Staff | 52.3 (on an FTE basis) |
Gender | Co-educational |
Age | 12 to 18 |
Enrolment | 300+ |
Campus size | 300 acres (120 ha) |
Campus type | Rural |
Houses |
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Colour(s) |
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Alumni | Old Glenalmonds |
Website | www |
History
editTrinity College, Glenalmond, was founded as a private school by the former Prime Minister, William Gladstone and James Hope-Scott.[1] The land for the school was given by Lord Glenalmond, who for the rest of his life, in company with his wife Margaret, took a keen interest in its development and success.[2] It was established to provide teaching for young men destined for the ministry of the Scottish Episcopal Church and where young men could be brought up in the faith of that Church.[1] It was originally known as The Scottish Episcopal College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Glenalmond.[2] The school opened its doors on 4 May 1847 to fourteen boys (though one boy, Lord Kerr, later Marquess of Lothian and Secretary for Scotland, arrived a day early).[1] The first Warden (headmaster) was Charles Wordsworth.[1]
The Edinburgh architect John Henderson worked on the project in 1841–51; later the firm were to be re-employed with his son George Henderson in charge on rebuilding work after a fire in 1893. In 1955 Basil Spence was engaged to alter the chapel.[3]
In 1983, the school's name was changed to Glenalmond College.[4] Until 1990 Glenalmond was an all-boys school. Girls were initially admitted into the sixth form only, and the school became fully co-educational in 1995.[1]
There are seven boarding houses split by gender: Goodacre's, Home, and Lothian are female. While Matheson's, Patchell's, Reid's and Skrine's are for male students.[2]
Controversy
editIn 2007, the school received media attention after pupils reportedly created a spoof video that featured them "hunting" "chavs" (a derogatory term for lower class teenagers in use in the UK) on horseback and with rifles.[5][6] The school condemned the video.[7] Later, the school was the subject of a documentary broadcast on BBC 2 in Autumn 2008. Pride and Privilege chronicled a year in the life of Glenalmond and followed a number of pupils and teachers.[8]
Notable alumni
edit- Robbie Coltrane – actor[9]
- Andrew Dunlop, Baron Dunlop – Conservative peer[10]
- Johnie Everett – cricketer[11]
- Christopher Geidt – Queen's private secretary[12]
- Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, current head of the House of Hohenzollern[13]
- Andrew Gordon – historian[14]
- Ronald Gordon – cricketer and soldier[15]
- Dougie Hall – rugby player[16]
- David Leslie – rugby player[17]
- Alastair Mackenzie — actor[18]
- Richard Simpson – Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament and former Justice Minister[19]
- Brian Stewart — diplomat and spy[20]
- Andrew Macdonald — Film Producer[21]
- Kevin Macdonald — Film Director[22]
- Rob Wainwright — rugby player [23]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Glenalmond's History". Glenalmond College. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ a b c "Glenalmond College". Scottish Places. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ Scotland’s archaeology website. "Archiltect references". Canmore. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ "Celebrating 125 years of the Old Glenalmond Club" (PDF). Glenalmond College. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "Outrage at 'Chav hunting' videos". Metro. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ "'Chav chasing' public schoolboys criticised". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ "School condemns 'chav-hunt' spoof". BBC. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ "Pride and Privilege". BBC. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "Robbie Coltrane biography". Tiscali.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ "Lord Dunlop to lead taskforce of business minds". The Courier and Advertiser. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ "Johnie Everett". Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ "Who's Who". Ukwhoswho.com. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ Cleaver, Hannah (26 December 2001). "I don't envy Royal Family, says heir to German throne". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Staff profile of Dr. Andrew Gordon". King's College (London). 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ McCrery, Nigel (30 July 2015). Final Wicket: Test and First Class Cricketers Killed in the Great War. Pen and Sword. pp. 24–5. ISBN 978-1473864191.
- ^ Tozer, Malcolm, ed. (2012). Physical Education and Sport in Independent Schools. John Catt Educational Ltd. p. 291. ISBN 9781908095442.
- ^ "Eagles land Coll deal". Perthshire Advertiser. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "Borgen's Alastair Mackenzie on his TV comeback". The Scotsman. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ "Personal Information: Richard Simpson". Scottish Parliament website. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ "Obituary: Brian Stewart Intelligence Officer". The Telegraph. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ^ "Bringing a ray of sunshine to British films". The Guardian. 6 April 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "Top Scots Public School Shamed OVer Bullying". The Herald. 17 April 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ Aitken, Vivienne (26 September 2024). "Scots rugby legend to host world's most remote disco in memory of Doddie Weir". Daily Record. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
Further reading
edit- The Glenalmond Register 1950–1985 and Supplement 1900–1949, published by Hunter & Foulis Ltd. 1986
- Alumni Montium, Sixty Years of Glenalmond and its People, by David Willington, published by Elliott & Thompson, 2008
External links
edit- School Website
- Profile on the Good Schools Guide
- Profile on the ISC website
- Glenalmond College's page on Scottish Schools Online
- Pride and Privilege documentary director's film page
- Architect and College origins