Greenock Academy
Encyclopedia
The Greenock Academy was a non-denominational, mixed (11 to 18) comprehensive
school in the west end of Greenock
, Scotland
.
The Greenock Academy and Gourock High School
merged into a new school in the Bayhill area of Gourock. The new school, on the site previously occupied by St Columba's High School, Gourock, is known as Clydeview Academy
and opened in Summer 2011.
The School was evaluated by Her Majesty's Inspectors in 2008 and was named as the best secondary school in Scotland.
On Friday 24 June 2011, Greenock Academy closed its doors for the last time to pupils after a history spanning 156 years. Mrs Moira McColl was the final rector of the school and left the post on closing after nearly eleven years in office. Upon closing, pupils patriotically hung their maroon and white school ties to the school gates as a tribute to its name and history.
After its use as a state secondary school, the Greenock Academy is to be used as the location for the filming of TV Drama Waterloo Road
.
location for almost a century of its lifetime before the building was demolished and moved to a modern building in Madeira Street of Greenock's west end, in the site of the old Balclutha mansion. The Nelson Street site is now occupied by the Finnart Campus of James Watt College
.
The new Academy featured both a secondary and primary school with the later named 'south wing' area being the primary school. On Sunday 29 December 1968 BBC Scotland
's version of Songs of Praise
came from the school; the rest of the UK saw it from Holy Trinity Platt Church
in Rusholme, Manchester.
The school had a notable yacht club
, and competed in the Clark Cup of Mudhook Yacht Club at Helensburgh
. Another similar school with a yacht club was Rothesay Academy on the Isle of Bute
.
tiles still remained into the years as a secondary school.
The Madeira Street campus remained open through into the new millennium as Greenock Academy clocked up its 150th year in 2005. Three years later, the school was named as the best non-denominational school in Scotland and still remained within the top 10% of Scottish Secondary Schools long after the announcement. The disrepair of the ageing building overthrew the academic performance of the academy and in 2011 the school prepared to shut its doors after 156 in service. Over its century and a half in operation it had gained a reputation as an outstanding academic institution and a noble face of the community. Greenock Academy closed in at the end of the 2011 session with pupils moving on to the newly merged Clydeview Academy as a partnership with the nearby Gourock High School.
Notable students of the academy also include many prestigious roles across the international stage including a leader in management at The Coca Cola Company and a leader of many projects at CERN
, Switzerland
. The Greenock Academy was also the school of Got To Dance finalist 2011, Lauren Hair. Rev. William C. Hewitt, the Moderator of The General Assembly of The Church of Scotland, was a chaplain of the school in its later years.
announced that they had selected the Madeira Street building of Greenock Academy to film the new series' of TV Drama Waterloo Road
, after the production company made the move up north to nearby Glasgow
. The company bought the site lease from Inverclyde Council and filming is due to begin during the beginning of 2012.
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
school in the west end of Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The Greenock Academy and Gourock High School
Gourock High School
Gourock High School is a non-denominational comprehensive school catering for boys and girls, 11–18 years of age, located in Gourock, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school teaches around 630 pupils. The school motto is 'Honor Diligentiae Praemium.' which means 'The Reward for hard work is renown'...
merged into a new school in the Bayhill area of Gourock. The new school, on the site previously occupied by St Columba's High School, Gourock, is known as Clydeview Academy
Clydeview Academy
Clydeview Academy is a non-denominational secondary school situated in Gourock, Inverclyde. It was founded in 2011 and opened to pupils on 17th August 2011...
and opened in Summer 2011.
The School was evaluated by Her Majesty's Inspectors in 2008 and was named as the best secondary school in Scotland.
On Friday 24 June 2011, Greenock Academy closed its doors for the last time to pupils after a history spanning 156 years. Mrs Moira McColl was the final rector of the school and left the post on closing after nearly eleven years in office. Upon closing, pupils patriotically hung their maroon and white school ties to the school gates as a tribute to its name and history.
After its use as a state secondary school, the Greenock Academy is to be used as the location for the filming of TV Drama Waterloo Road
Waterloo Road
Waterloo Road may refer to:Places:* Waterloo Road, London, England* Waterloo Road, Hong Kong* Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, England. Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.'s Molineux Stadium is located on this road.Film and television:...
.
History
The Greenock Academy was opened as a fee paying secondary and primary establishment in September 1855 in Nelson Street, Greenock. The school lay at this central GreenockGreenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
location for almost a century of its lifetime before the building was demolished and moved to a modern building in Madeira Street of Greenock's west end, in the site of the old Balclutha mansion. The Nelson Street site is now occupied by the Finnart Campus of James Watt College
James Watt College
The James Watt College is a further education college in Greenock, Scotland.-History, facilities:The James Watt Memorial College on the corner of William Street and Dalrymple Street was officially opened as the Watt Memorial Engineering and Navigation School on 1 June 1908...
.
The new Academy featured both a secondary and primary school with the later named 'south wing' area being the primary school. On Sunday 29 December 1968 BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
's version of Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. It is a widely watched and long-running religious television programme, one of the few peak-time free-to-air religious programmes in Europe Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional...
came from the school; the rest of the UK saw it from Holy Trinity Platt Church
Holy Trinity Platt Church
Holy Trinity Platt Church , is in Platt Lane, Rusholme, Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Hulme, the archdeaconry of Manchester, and the diocese of Manchester. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building...
in Rusholme, Manchester.
The school had a notable yacht club
Yacht club
A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...
, and competed in the Clark Cup of Mudhook Yacht Club at Helensburgh
Helensburgh
Helensburgh is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gareloch....
. Another similar school with a yacht club was Rothesay Academy on the Isle of Bute
Isle of Bute
Bute is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Formerly part of the county of Buteshire, it now constitutes part of the council area of Argyll and Bute. Its resident population was 7,228 in April 2001.-Geography:...
.
Comprehensive
The primary department was abolished in 1976 and the lower door handles and alphabetAlphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
tiles still remained into the years as a secondary school.
The Madeira Street campus remained open through into the new millennium as Greenock Academy clocked up its 150th year in 2005. Three years later, the school was named as the best non-denominational school in Scotland and still remained within the top 10% of Scottish Secondary Schools long after the announcement. The disrepair of the ageing building overthrew the academic performance of the academy and in 2011 the school prepared to shut its doors after 156 in service. Over its century and a half in operation it had gained a reputation as an outstanding academic institution and a noble face of the community. Greenock Academy closed in at the end of the 2011 session with pupils moving on to the newly merged Clydeview Academy as a partnership with the nearby Gourock High School.
Former teachers
- Colin CampbellColin Campbell (Scottish politician)Colin Campbell is a Scottish politician. He was a Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for West of Scotland region from 1999 to 2003.-Biography:...
, SNP MSP for West of ScotlandWest of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)West of Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament...
(taught from 1967-73) - Daniel Turner HolmesDaniel Turner HolmesDaniel Turner Holmes was Liberal member of the British House of Commons from 1911 to 1918 for Govan....
- James Brunton StephensJames Brunton StephensJames Brunton Stephens was a Scottish-born Australian poet, author of Convict Once.-Early life:Stephens was born at Borrowstounness, on the Firth of Forth, Scotland; the son of John Stephens, the parish schoolmaster, and his wife Jane, née Brunton. J. B...
, poet
Rectors of The Greenock Academy
| Rector | Start of Office | End of Office | Duration (years) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Robert Buchanan | 1855 | 1860 | 5 | First rector of Greenock Academy. Resigned from office in 1860. |
| Dr Archibald Montgomerie | 1860 | 1872 | 12 | Originally a Mathematics Scholar. |
| Mr Edward L. Neilson | 1872 | 1893 | 21 | First Classics Scholar to take up the post. |
| Mr Alexander Gemmell | 1893 | 1930 | 37 | Appointed at the age of 28 and was the longest serving rector of the academy, serving for 37 years. Largely responsible for the beginning of formal 'Games' at The Greenock Academy. |
| Mr William Baird Taylor | 1930 | 1941 | 11 | Previously the principal teacher of English at the academy and rector of Johnstone High School. |
| Mr William Dewar | 1941 | 1947 | 6 | Resigned from the academy in 1947 to become rector of George Heriot's School George Heriot's School George Heriot's School is an independent primary and secondary school on Lauriston Place in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, with around 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff and 80 non-teaching staff. It was established in 1628 as George Heriot's Hospital, by bequest of the royal goldsmith George... in Edinburgh Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area... . |
| Mr James W. Chadwin | 1947 | 1967 | 20 | Rector during the transfer of campuses of the academy. |
| Mr Robert K. Campbell | 1967 | 1990 | 23 | At the forefront of banning corporal punishment in schools, abolishing the belt in the academy two years before it was officially banned. Campbell died in 2008. |
| Mr Alan McDougall | 1990 | 2000 | 10 | Final male rector of Greenock Academy. Retired from the post in March 2000. |
| Mrs Moira A. McColl | 2000 | 2011 | 11 | Final rector of Greenock Academy and the first and only female rector in the school's history. In office at the close of the school in June 2011. |
Notable Greenock Academy Alumni
- Helen Doherty, TV producer of BalamoryBalamoryBalamory was a live action television series on British television for pre-school children, based around the fictional small island community of Balamory in Scotland. It was produced between 2002 and 2005 by BBC Scotland, with 254 episodes made...
and Me Too! - Scottie McClueScottie McClueScottie McClue is the on-air pseudonym of media consultant, actor, writer and broadcaster Colin Lamont, whoin 1992 as Senior producer and presenter at Red Rose Gold in Preston, created the persona for the Scottie McClue Mega Phone-In, networked on various Independent Local Radio stations across the...
(Colin LamontColin LamontColin Lamont is a media consultant, actor, writer and broadcaster. He is best known as the man behind the on-air persona of radio host Scottie McClue.-Career:...
), radio presenter and broadcaster
Notable students of the academy also include many prestigious roles across the international stage including a leader in management at The Coca Cola Company and a leader of many projects at CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The Greenock Academy was also the school of Got To Dance finalist 2011, Lauren Hair. Rev. William C. Hewitt, the Moderator of The General Assembly of The Church of Scotland, was a chaplain of the school in its later years.
Grammar school
- Archibald Allan, painter
- Sir Dugald BairdDugald BairdSir Dugald Baird was a Scottish medical doctor.He graduated in medicine from Glasgow University in 1922. His early experiences attending births in the Glasgow slums and in the city's Royal Maternity Hospital shaped his interest in the social and economic influences on the health of women, their...
, Regius Professor of Midwifery in the University of Aberdeen from 1937-65 - George Blake, author
- Walter Clarke BuchananWalter Clarke BuchananSir Walter Clarke Buchanan was a New Zealand politician. He was born in Kilmodan, Argyllshire, Scotland, attended Greenock Academy, and moved to Australia at the age of 18, where he became a farmer...
, Politician - Edward CairdEdward CairdEdward Caird FRSE was a Scottish philosopher and younger brother of the theologian John Caird.He was the son of engineer John Caird, the proprietor of Caird & Company,...
, Master of Balliol College, OxfordBalliol College, OxfordBalliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
from 1893-1907 - John CairdJohn CairdJohn Caird FRSE was a theologian, born at Greenock and educated at Greenock Academy and Glasgow University...
, theologian - Alexander CarmichaelAlexander CarmichaelAlexander Carmichael was a writer and folklorist, best known for his multi volume work Carmina Gadelica.-Life:...
, writer - Graham Creelman OBE, Managing Director from 1999-2006 of Anglia TelevisionAnglia TelevisionAnglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
, and Director of Regional Programming from 2003-6 for ITV - Sir John Denholm CBE, President from 1954-5 of the Chamber of Shipping
- Col Sir William Denholm, President from 1962-7 of the International Shipping Federation, and Chairman from 1962-5 of the Shipping FederationShipping FederationFor the Shipping Federation of British Columbia, see British Columbia Maritime Employers' Association.The Shipping Federation was an association of employers in the shipping industry. It was formed in 1890 in response to the London Dock Strike of 1889 and the successes of the National Union of...
- Andrew Dougal, Chief Executive from 1997-2002 of Hanson plcHanson plcHanson plc is a British based international building materials company, headquartered in Maidenhead. Traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index for many years, the company was acquired by a division of German rival Heidelberg Cement in August 2007.-History:Hanson...
- Philip Dry, President from 1998-9 of the Law Society of ScotlandLaw Society of ScotlandThe Law Society of Scotland is the professional governing body for Scottish solicitors.It promotes excellence among solicitors through representation, support and regulation of its members. It also promotes the interests of the public in relation to the profession...
- Sir Robin Duthie, Managing Director from 1962-72 of BlacksBlacks Leisure GroupBlacks Leisure Group plc of Northampton, UK owns British outdoor retailers Blacks, Millets and Free Spirit. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index.-Structure:It is based at , Northampton...
- Ross FinnieRoss FinnieRoss Finnie is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician and former Member of the Scottish Parliament. He is a former Minister for the Environment and Rural Development in the Scottish Executive, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the West of Scotland region...
, Lib Dem MSP from 1999-2011 for West of ScotlandWest of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)West of Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament... - Rt Rev Archibald Fleming, first Bishop of The Arctic from 1933-49
- Annabel GoldieAnnabel GoldieAnnabel MacNicoll Goldie is a Scottish Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament for the West of Scotland Region. She was the Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament from 2005 until 2011....
, Conservative MSP since 1999 for West ScotlandWest Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)West of Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament. Ten of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, and Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party - Douglas Gordon, Ambassador to Yemen from 1993-5, to the Republic of Suriname and High Commissioner to Guyana from 1990-3
- Linda Gray, opera singer
- James Hutchison, Chairman from 1950-72 of BOCThe BOC GroupThe BOC Group plc was the official name of the multinational industrial gas and British based company more commonly known as BOC, and now a part of The Linde Group. In September 2004, BOC had over 30,000 employees on six continents, with sales of over £4.6 billion. BOC was a constituent of the...
- Prof Andrew Lowdon OBE, Professor of Surgery from 1954-65 at Newcastle University
- Sir Alexander Lyle, son of Abram LyleAbram LyleAbram Lyle is noted for founding the sugar refiners Abram Lyle & Sons which merged with a rival to become Tate & Lyle in 1921....
, who formed Tate & LyleTate & LyleTate & Lyle plc is a British-based multinational agribusiness. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index as of 20 June 2011...
in 1921 (and his brother Charles) - Dr Allan MacartneyAllan MacartneyDr Allan Macartney was a Scottish National Party MEP for the North East Scotland constituency between the 1994 European Parliament election and his sudden death from a heart attack in 1998.Born in Africa, the son of a Church of Scotland minister, his family soon returned to Scotland and he was...
, SNP MEP from 1994-8 for North East ScotlandNorth East Scotland (European Parliament constituency)Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales... - John McDougall CBE, former head of the tuberculosis section of the World Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(WHO) - Very Rev John McIndoeJohn McIndoe (Moderator)John H. McIndoe is a retired minister of the Church of Scotland. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1996.-Background and career:...
, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of ScotlandModerator of the General Assembly of the Church of ScotlandThe Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May....
from 1996-7 - Prof Edward McInnes, Professor of German from 1974-9 at the University of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghThe University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, and from 1979-96 at the University of HullUniversity of HullThe University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire... - Daphne Robertson (nee Kincaid), Sheriff of Lothian and Borders at Edinburgh from 1996-2000
- Edward Russell OBE, President from 1940-2 of the Linnean Society
- Prof Robert Walmsley, Bute Professor of AnatomyBute Medical SchoolThe University of St Andrews School of Medicine is the school of medicine at the University of St Andrews in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland; it used to be known as the 'Bute Medical School' until the 2010–2011 academic year...
from 1946-73 at the University of St Andrews - Air MarshalAir MarshalAir marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Harold Whittingham CBE, Director-General from 1941-6 of RAF Medical Services, and Director of Medical Services from 1948-56 of BOACBritish Overseas Airways CorporationThe British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
, and former pathologist - Prof Robert Wilson, Professor of Biblical Criticism from 1978-83 at the University of St Andrews
- David Wright YoungDavid Wright YoungDavid Wright Young, known as David Young , was a British Labour politician.Born in Greenock, Young attended the Greenock Academy, St Paul's College in Cheltenham, and the University of Glasgow...
, Labour MP from 1983-97 for Bolton South East, and from 1974-83 for Bolton EastBolton East (UK Parliament constituency)Bolton East was a borough constituency in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester . It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
Waterloo Road
On 27th October 2011, the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
announced that they had selected the Madeira Street building of Greenock Academy to film the new series' of TV Drama Waterloo Road
Waterloo Road
Waterloo Road may refer to:Places:* Waterloo Road, London, England* Waterloo Road, Hong Kong* Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, England. Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.'s Molineux Stadium is located on this road.Film and television:...
, after the production company made the move up north to nearby 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...
. The company bought the site lease from Inverclyde Council and filming is due to begin during the beginning of 2012.