Dollar Academy

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Dollar Academy main building
Aerial view of the campus

The Dollar Academy is a private school and boarding school in the Scottish town of Dollar in the Clackmannanshire Council Area . In 1960 the main building was included in the Scottish List of Monuments in the highest category A.

history

Coming from a poor family in dollars, John McNabb went to sea as a young man and later made a fortune as a shipowner. He died in 1802 and bequeathed the Parish Dollar £ 60,000 (the equivalent of around 5,980,000 euros today) to build a charity or school for the poor. This was followed by a long-term dispute over the use of the funds, whereby the plan to build a school for 40 boys and girls seemed to prevail. When Andrew Mylne took over the management of the Parish in 1815, he discarded the previous plans and implemented his idea of ​​a large academy to teach local and foreign students. Students from dollars should have had to pay a low tuition fee, while boarding school students had to pay a higher tuition fee. In addition, a certain quota should be made available free of charge for local students from low income groups.

The Dollar Academy was then founded in 1818. Since McNabb's legacy had increased since 1802, sufficient financial resources were available to construct a stately building. Well-known architect William Henry Playfair was entrusted with the planning and the buildings were eventually built between 1818 and 1821. In addition to the main building, there were also numerous outbuildings to accommodate teachers and students, as well as a kindergarten with a primary school in 1832. In 1868 the rear of the main building was added and a sports hall was built in 1893. With the introduction of compulsory schooling, the institution was banned from teaching under-10s free of charge, which is why these institutions were given into the hands of the state. After the First World War , the Dollar Academy's financial situation worsened and it received substantial support at times. Former students raised funds to support the academy, and from 1934 it was able to support itself again. In 1932 the private Argyll House Prep School was bought and in 1937 campus-related housing was built for the students.

In 1961 a fire devastated the main building, which also lost the library's holdings of 12,000 books. Until the restoration work was completed and the Dollar Academy reopened in 1966, local residents and local authorities provided classrooms. These included other school buildings, halls and private homes, including Harviestoun Castle in Tillicoultry . Since then, numerous buildings have been added and sports facilities have been created. In 2009 the Dollar Academy had 1,240 students.

Rectors

  • Andrew Mylne (1818-1850)
  • Thomas Burbidge (1850-1851)
  • John Milne (1851-1868)
  • William Barrack (1868-1878)
  • George Thom (1878-1902)
  • Charles Dougall (1902-1923)
  • Hugh Martin (1923-1936)
  • Harry Bell (1936-1960)
  • James Millar (1960–1962) (acting)
  • Graham Richardson (1962-1975)
  • Ian Hendry (1975-1984)
  • Lloyd Harrison (1984-1994)
  • John Robertson (1994-2010)
  • David Knapman (since 2010)

Former students

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b c Information from the Dollar Academy
  3. ^ Information from the Dollar Academy

Web links

Commons : Dollar Academy  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 56 ° 9 ′ 54.7 "  N , 3 ° 40 ′ 27.2"  W.