Loretto School

Updated on Oct 28, 2023

Edit

Comment

Established 1827 Headmaster of Junior School Philip Meadows Phone +44 131 653 4444 Founded 1827 Staff 112		Headmaster Graham Hawley Ages 0–18 Founder Thomas Langhorne Number of students 615 Gender Mixed-sex education

Type Independent day and boarding school Location Linkfield Road Musselburgh East Lothian EH21 7RE Scotland Address 1-7 Linkfield Rd, Musselburgh EH21 7RE, UK Similar Fettes College, George Heriot's School, Stewart's Melville College, George Watson's College, Merchiston Castle School - E Profiles Facebook Twitter YouTube Google+

Loretto School, founded in 1827, is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 0 to 18. The campus occupies 85 acres (34 ha) in Musselburgh, East Lothian. It has approximately 600 pupils.

History

The school was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. Langhorne came from Crosby Ravensworth in Westmorland. He named the school for Loretto House, his then home, which was itself named for a medieval chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto which had formerly stood on the site of the school. The school was later taken over by his son, also Thomas Langhorne. The last link with the Langhorne family was Thomas' son John, who was a master at Loretto from 1890 to 1897, and later headmaster at John Watson's Institution. Loretto was later under the headmastership of Dr Hely Hutchinson Almond from 1862 to 1903.

The school originally accepted only boys, but in 1981 girls joined the sixth form and in 1995 the third form, so making the school fully co-educational by 1995.

In 2001 the film director Don Boyd published an article in The Observer detailing his systematic sexual abuse by a teacher in the school. The revelation led to further allegations about the teacher from other former pupils and subsequent calls for the teacher's prosecution. The teacher, then 79 years old, was charged, but the case was dropped on the grounds of his ill health. The teacher subsequently died.

Although the school is not the oldest independent school in Scotland (it is nearly 200 years younger than George Heriot's School), it claims to be the oldest Scottish boarding school.

Facilities

Loretto's campus includes Pinkie House as well as a 300-seat theatre and 600 seat Chapel. The school is made up of three parts – the Nursery for children aged 0–5, the Junior School ('The Nippers') for children aged 5 – 12 and the Senior School for those aged 12 and over. Pupils attend as boarders, flexi-boarders and day pupils and are all attached to a specific house. Houses include Schoolhouse (for day pupils), Seton house (for 2nd to 5th form boarder boys), Holm house (for 2nd to 5th form girls), Balcarres house (for 6th form girls), Eleanora Almond house (for 6th form girls), Pinkie (for 6th form boys) and Hope house (for 6th form boys).

Loretto Golf Academy

The Loretto Golf Academy, established in 2002, offers golf to over 250 pupils using the local links courses and the School's new Indoor Golf Centre.

Headmasters

1825–1862 Langhorne family (Thomas, Thomas II, John)

1862–1903 Hely Hutchinson Almond

1903–1908 Henry Barrington Tristram

1908–1926 Allan Ramsey Smith

1926–1945 Dr James Robertson Campbell Greenlees

1945–1960 David Forbes Mackintosh

1960–1976 Rab Brougham Bruce Lockhart

1976–1984 David Bruce McMurray

1984–1995 The Rev. Norman Walker Drummond

1995–2000 Keith Joseph Budge

2001–2008 Michael Barclay Mavor

2008–2013 Peter A. Hogan

2013–2014 Elaine Logan (Acting Head)

2014 – Dr Graham Hawley

Notable alumni

For a more inclusive list see Category:People educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh

Notable Old Lorettonians include:

Sir A. G. G. Asher – international cricketer and rugby player

George Bertram Cockburn – pioneer aviator

Don Boyd – film director, producer, screenwriter, novelist

Alexander, Lord Balfour of Burleigh – Unionist representative peer, Secretary for Scotland, Governor of the Bank of Scotland, Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, and leading figure in the Church of Scotland

Iain Conn - CEO Centrica

Alexander Cary, Master of Falkland – nobleman and screenwriter

Jim Clark – Formula One Champion (twice), Grand Prix winner and world champion

Paul Clauss – international rugby player

Alistair Darling – former Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer

Fergus Ewing – SNP politician

Sir Nicholas Fairbairn – Conservative politician, former Solicitor General for Scotland

Sir Denis Forman – Chair of the British Film Institute; Chairman and Managing Director of Granada Television

Peter, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie – Conservative politician, former Solicitor General for Scotland

Stephen Gilbert (1912–2010) – Northern Irish novelist

James Greenlees – Scottish international rugby captain; later headmaster of Loretto School

William Alexander Kerr – Victoria Cross recipient

Norman Lamont – former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer

Hew Lorimer – sculptor

Donald Mackenzie Scottish judge, styled Lord Mackenzie

Miles Mander – early Hollywood actor

Andrew Marr – journalist

James, Duke of Montrose – nobleman

Jamie Parker – actor and singer

Edward Powys Mathers – translator, poet, and pioneer cryptic crossword setter

Robin Orr – composer

Hugo Rifkind – columnist

Rev. Henry Holmes Stewart (1847–1937) FA Cup winner in 1873

Rob Strachan – Commander of Clan Strachan

Alan Sutherland – artist

References

Loretto School Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA