Bathgate Academy
Bathgate Academy is a mixed secondary school in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, also serving the nearby town of Blackburn.
Bathgate Academy | |
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Address | |
Edinburgh Road , , EH48 1LF Scotland | |
Coordinates | 55.8974°N 3.6133°W |
Information | |
Type | Secondary school |
Motto | Latin: Honos Habet Onus |
Established | 1833 |
Founder | John Newland |
Local authority | West Lothian Council |
Head teacher | Eileen Paxton[1] |
Gender | Mixed |
Age range | 11–18 |
Enrolment | 965 (2019)[2] |
Houses |
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Colour(s) | Red, blue, yellow |
Website | www.bathgateacademy.westlothian.org.uk |
History
Established by the will of John Newland (a Jamaican-plantation slave owner) in 1799,[3][4][5] the school was originally located on Marjoribanks Street;[6] its main building dates from 1833 and was designed by R & R Dickson.[7] In 1965, the Academy merged with Lindsay High School and moved fully to a new campus further east at Boghall two years later.[8] The existing Lindsay High building on Kirk Road was taken over by the local Catholic school, St Mary's Academy, which already had its own buildings next door – all were demolished in 1994. From 1970 to 1988, the rector (headteacher) was Ian McGregor.[9]
The original Academy building was taken over by West Lothian College (originally Bathgate Technological College) in the 1960s[10] when the secondary school moved to its current location – it was also used as annexe to Balbardie Primary School in the 1960s and 70s. After the college moved to new premises in Livingston,[11][12] the old Academy lay unused for several years in the early 21st century before being converted to apartments, forming the centrepiece of a development.[13][14]
Notable former pupils
- John McIntyre, Professor of Divinity and Principal of New College in the University of Edinburgh, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dean of the Thistle
- Paul di Resta, Formula 1 racing driver and television presenter
- Richard B. Angus of Montreal, co-founder of the Canadian Pacific Railway and President of the Bank of Montreal
- Lieutenant-General Sir James Baird, senior British Army officer and Director General Army Medical Services
- Sir Andrew Stark, British ambassador to Denmark
- Jack Kane, Lord Provost of Edinburgh
- Robert Lyell Mitchell, chemist
- Marcus Fleming, economist
- Very Rev Alison Elliot, first female Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
- William Wolfe, Leader of the SNP
- Sarah
References
- "Welcome from Head Teacher". Bathgate Academy. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- School Background, Bathgate Academy
- The First Scots in Jamaica, Flag Up Scotland Jamaica
- Bathgate Procession and John Newland Festival changes name due to Newland's links to slavery, Daily Record, 10 June 2020
- A Distant Connection – Newlands & Sugar in Jamaica in the 18th – 19th Centuries, Kerrie Anne Christian, Newlands Reaching Across The Waters
- Bathgate, Marjoribanks Street, Bathgate Academy, Canmore
- Bathgate Academy, Dictionary of Scottish Architects
- Heritage, Bathgate Academy
- Obituary: Ian MacGregor, Tam Dalyell, The Independent, 21 August 1996
- Bathgate in old picture postcards, William F. Hendrie, ISBN 9789028831674, via European Library
- West Lothian College celebrates 50th birthday, Daily Record, 21 February 2016
- West Lothian College, Gazetteer for Scotland
- Bathgate Academy, Miller developments, ZM Architecture
- Check out the £145,000 bungalow tucked away inside this stunning A-listed West Lothian building, Edinburgh Live, 1 July 2019