Alexander's School
Encyclopedia
Alexander's School, at 94 Duke Street
, Glasgow
, was designed by John Burnet and built in 1858 for James Alexander
, the proprietor of the cotton mill next door - itself an innovative 1849 fire-proof construction - to educate local children. It was known as "Alexander's Endowed School".
It is built in an impressive Italianate style, with the heads of Homer
, Aristotle
, Shakespeare, Michelangelo
and Milton
carved high on the front wall by John Crawford
. The site is adjacent to where the University of Glasgow
stood in the 19th century, and was opposite Duke Street Women's Prison
.
Following the Education (Scotland) Act of 1871, it became a state school known as the Ladywell School
- the district has a well
long associated with Our Lady - and in the 1960s became an Annexe to t Mungo's Academy, Glasgow..... [i attended school as a first year pupil of St Mungo.s academy in 1942,therefore this date is wrong].... St mungo,s Academy was removed in 1977 to Crownpoint Road and the building housed a special needs school.
The building was protected as a category B listed building in 1970, and this was upgraded to category A in 1998.
In 1996 it was taken over by the East End Parnership, a local agency dedicated to urban regeration. This commissioned extensive renovation to form The Ladywell Business Centre, housing small businesses.
Duke Street, Glasgow
Duke Street is a street running to the East End of Glasgow from the High Street in the City Centre, through the residential district of Dennistoun, running past The Forge Shopping Centre, before terminating at a junction with the Great Eastern Road , Westmuir Street and Springfield Road, to form a...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, was designed by John Burnet and built in 1858 for James Alexander
James Alexander
James Alexander may refer to:*James Alexander, 1st Earl of Caledon *James Alexander, 3rd Earl of Caledon *James Alexander, 4th Earl of Caledon *James Alexander James Alexander may refer to:*James Alexander, 1st Earl of Caledon (1730–1802)*James Alexander, 3rd Earl of Caledon (1812–1855)*James...
, the proprietor of the cotton mill next door - itself an innovative 1849 fire-proof construction - to educate local children. It was known as "Alexander's Endowed School".
It is built in an impressive Italianate style, with the heads of Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
, Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
, Shakespeare, Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
and Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
carved high on the front wall by John Crawford
John Crawford (sculptor)
John Crawford was a talented Scottish Sculptor, apprenticed to John Mossman. He attended Glasgow School of Art, where he won many prizes and attracted the attention of art collectors. He set up his own studio in 1858 and was one of the many British sculptors who worked with John Thomas on the new...
. The site is adjacent to where the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
stood in the 19th century, and was opposite Duke Street Women's Prison
Duke Street Prison
Duke Street Prison is one of 8 prisons which used to stand in and around Glasgow. By 1840 most of these were closed except Duke Street Prison and Glasgow Green Prison which closed in 1863...
.
Following the Education (Scotland) Act of 1871, it became a state school known as the Ladywell School
Ladywell School
The Ladywell School, in Duke Street, Glasgow, Scotland, was a school for pupils between 12 and 16 who had learning difficulties. It was housed in the Alexander’s School building from the 1970s until the early 1990s. Anne Bombelli was the last head teacher. It has moved to 12a Victoria Park Road...
- the district has a well
Lady Well
The Lady Well is a holy well in Glasgow in Scotland.When Christianity came to Britain, pagan holy and healing wells were aggressively rededicated to the Virgin Mary and other saints while remaining places of Old Religion practice. Also known as 'Our Lady's Well', Glasgow's Ladywell is an artesian...
long associated with Our Lady - and in the 1960s became an Annexe to t Mungo's Academy, Glasgow..... [i attended school as a first year pupil of St Mungo.s academy in 1942,therefore this date is wrong].... St mungo,s Academy was removed in 1977 to Crownpoint Road and the building housed a special needs school.
The building was protected as a category B listed building in 1970, and this was upgraded to category A in 1998.
In 1996 it was taken over by the East End Parnership, a local agency dedicated to urban regeration. This commissioned extensive renovation to form The Ladywell Business Centre, housing small businesses.