This year marks 175 years since Airdrie Academy founded in 1849. The school has been a key institution in North Lanarkshire for an incredibly long time and this anniversary encourages us to reflect and learn about its history.
The Four Buildings
Not only has Airdrie Academy as a school seen many changes and developments, but its buildings have too. Since 1849 the school has had four buildings across Airdrie. The first building was on Cairnhill Road and was home to Airdrie Academy for 46 years. In 1895, Airdrie Academy moved to a new site at Mavisbank (also referred to as ‘Top Cross’).
Postcard of Airdrie Academy (built 1900 c.) Mavisbank Park, Airdrie. The second school of that name, which later became the High School. Designed by Airdrie Architect George Arthur. 1902 c.
Publisher: John Craig, Printer, Airdrie Image Credit: North Lanarkshire Archives
This building was originally meant to be assigned to another school, but this school and Airdrie Academy combined and decided to keep the name ‘Airdrie Academy.
Less than 50 years later, the school moved to a third building on South Commonhead Avenue. Originally, Airdrie Academy was a grammar school that required students to pass an entry exam to attend (with pupils who did not pass this exam going to Airdrie High instead). It was this building that first saw a comprehensive Airdrie Academy in the 1960s, meaning that there was no grade requirement or exam to attend.
In 2006, the current building was built on what was the school’s playing fields and the old building was then demolished.
Pupils
Some of Airdrie Academy’s most famous pupils include:
Bobby Watson was a footballer born in 1946 in Airdrie. Bobby played for Rangers for five years in the 60s and played for Motherwell for seven years in the 70s. He even played a game for Scotland in 1971. Bobby was a defender and by the end of the career he had made 234 appearances and seven goals. Bobby went on to be the manager of Airdrie in 1978 was inducted into Airdrie Football Club’s Hall of fame in 2015.
Jason Leitch is a dentist and attended Airdrie Academy from 1980 to 1986. He is most recognisable for joining the scottish government in press conferences and announcements about the Covid-19 pandemic. He has worked with the Scottish government since 2007 and has been the National Clinical Director of Healthcare Quality and Strategy since 2015.
Graeme Armstrong is a writer most well-known for his first book, The Young Team. Graeme went to Airdrie Academy until he was 14 in the early 2000s and wrote the book based on his experiences being a part of ‘gang culture’ in Airdrie. The book was named the Scots Book of the Year by the Scots Language Awards in 2021 and is currently being adapted for television.
Celebrations
Airdrie Academy recently celebrated the anniversary with ‘Showcase 175’ in June which displayed art, had design and photography exhibits, enjoyed music and drama performances, and hosted a silent auction. The school has also welcomed back former pupils to talk to the pupils about their life and experiences at Airdrie Academy such as Mr R. Inglis who started at the school in 1941. Pupils also took part in a Creative Writing workshop where they wrote short stories from the perspective of an Airdrie Academy pupil from any decade in the school’s history.
Award Winning School
In 2022, Airdrie Academy became the first school in North Lanarkshire to be awarded the LGBT Gold Charter by LGBT Youth Scotland and became one of only seven state schools in Scotland to receive this award.
About the Author
Lucy Irvine is a Digital Collections Volunteer with the Curatorial Team. She is a sixth year pupil at Airdrie Academy who hopes to study history at university next year. She has an interest in local history, particularly that of Airdrie and other places close by in North Lanarkshire.