THE ACADEMY STORY

 

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The story begins with William Campbell of Tullichewan who founded the Drapery and Warehouse emporium of J & W Campbell in 1828 in Glasgow with his older brother Sir James Campbell of Strathcaro. The firm traded internationally with links to Canada, the West Indies, Australia and New Zealand. Sir James served as Lord Provost of Glasgow between 1840 to 1843. William was a generous benefactor of the Free Church of Scotland, the Royal Infirmary and the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow. James’ son - James Alexander Campbell - studied at the Academy and was involved in fundraising to build the new University of Glasgow at Gilmorehill in 1870. James Alexander Campbell became a Conservative MP which directly opposed the ideology of his brother Henry Campbell-Bannerman, the Glasgow Lord Provost who went on to become the British Liberal Prime Minister from 1905 until 1908.

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In May 1845, William convened a meeting in the Star Hotel in George Square with Free Church Ministers to discuss the possibility of establishing “an Academic Institution in the City”. Dr Robert Buchanan, Minister of the Tron Church, proposed that “an Academic Institution shall be established for the purpose of teaching youth the various branches of secular knowledge” and it was unanimously agreed by those present. Former Lord Provost of Glasgow - Henry Dunlop of Craigton - was appointed as the first Chairman of the Committee formed to set up The Academy.

 

By January 1846, a school of 400 pupils was envisaged and some members of the governing committee were in favour of admitting girls; however, the minutes of this meeting records that this decision was to be left open with the Architect’s plan to allow for the possibility of adding additional accommodation if it were “found advisable to admit girls”. However, this did not happen for 145 years.

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On 1 October 1846, The Academy commenced teaching and the first three pupils enrolled were the sons of Henry Dunlop; namely Henry age 12, John age 10 and Charles age 8 years old.

The mercantile trade in Glasgow was prosperous at this time and had many links with the transatlantic slave trade, especially those trading in goods such as linen, silk and cotton, including the firms of J & W Campbell and Co. and James Dunlop and Co. who were cotton spinners with premises in Miller Street, Virginia Street, the Calton and Barrhead.

Many of the first Academy families were connected with the textile industry in roles such as turkey-red dyers, lace manufacturers, cotton spinners and power loom cloth manufacturers. There were also high-ranking officials of the Royal Bank, the Clydesdale Bank, the National Bank and the Union Exchange Bank as well as brewers, candle-makers, iron merchants, printers and publishers. Most of the income from these individuals would have been derived from the import, export and sale of slave goods. The Free Church of Scotland were addressed by Frederick Douglass in February 1846 regarding their fellowship and financial connections to the slave-holding churches of America.

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