HISTORY

The Glasgow Academy is the oldest continuously independent school in the west of Scotland, with a history dating back to 1845.
At first, the school operated using temporary accommodation until the first site was ready to use in Elmbank Street near Charing Cross. Some thirty years later the school relocated further west to Colebrooke Street in 1878 in order to expand the campus. 

The historic main building was designed by eminent architects, the Barclay brothers, and a new Science block was added in 1903. The gradual purchase of the former residential homes which form Colebrooke Terrace began in 1924 and continued for the remainder of the century as properties became available. Additional new buildings were added to the campus, including the Cargill Hall in 1957, the Music building in 1994, a new Prep School in 2008 and the award-winning science and technology building, the Saunders Centre in 2015. Planning for an additional building to be added to the Kelvinbridge site comes in the form of "Project 100" with the proposed addition of a new building to create a more visual connection with the neighbouring community, by providing access from Great Western Road. 

In 1991, the Glasgow Academy merged with Westbourne School for Girls and became fully co-educational. Although the Academy is principally located at Kelvinbridge, there are two satellite schools for Nursery, Kindergarten and P1-P4 pupils at Milngavie and Newlands, in the former Atholl Prep School and Dairsie House School buildings respectively. 

At first, the school operated as "The Glasgow Academy Company". In 1920 after the First World War, The Glasgow Academicals' War Memorial Trust was set up as a permanent memorial to the  former pupils of the Academy who gave their lives during the "Great War" of 1914-1918. The Trust is now responsible for governing the school and continues to this day. The memory of that sacrifice is honoured by our community throughout the year.

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