Allan Glen's School was, for most of its existence, a local authority, selective

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

for boys in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland, charging nominal fees for tuition. It was founded by the Allan Glen's Endowment Scholarship Trust on the death, in 1850, of Allan Glen, a successful Glasgow tradesman and businessman, "to give a good practical education and preparation for trades or businesses, to between forty to fifty boys, the sons of tradesmen or persons in the industrial classes of society". The school was formally established in 1853 and located in the

Townhead Townhead (, ) is a district within the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of Glasgow's oldest areas, and contains two of its major surviving medieval landmarks – Glasgow Cathedral and the Provand's Lordship. In medieval times, Townhead was ...

district of the city, on land that Glen had owned on the corner of North Hanover Street and Cathedral Street.

School's evolution

Although notionally fee-paying, the school offered a large number of

bursaries A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awar ...

and enrolled pupils from all social classes, selected on the basis of academic ability. The school's emphasis on science and engineering led to it becoming, in effect, Glasgow's High School of Science. As such, in 1887 its management merged with the nearby Anderson's College to form the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College which later became the Royal Technical College in 1912, the

Royal College of Science and Technology The Royal College of Science and Technology was a higher education college that existed in Glasgow, Scotland between 1887 and 1964. Tracing its history back to the Andersonian Institute (founded in 1796), it is the direct predecessor instituti ...

in 1956, and ultimately the

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde () is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal charter in 1964 as the first techn ...

in 1964. By the end of 1888 a new building was ready for the school in North Hanover Street.

Glasgow corporation

In 1912, the school was transferred from the newly designated Royal Technical College to the School Board of Glasgow run by

Glasgow Corporation Glasgow City Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Ghlaschu'') is the local government authority for Glasgow City council area, Scotland. In its modern form it was created in 1996. Glasgow was formerly governed by a corporation, also kno ...

. Parents who paid domestic or business rates to Glasgow Corporation were charged a much reduced fee, enabling children from less wealthy households, but who had passed the entrance exam, to benefit from the high standard of teaching at the school. In 1923, playing fields were acquired for the school in the suburb of

Bishopbriggs Bishopbriggs (; ) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately from the Glasgow city centre, city centre. Shires of Scotland, Historically in Lanarkshire, the area was once part of ...

and in 1926 the school itself moved into the building previously occupied by Provanside Public School in North Montrose Street. In 1958 a new school building was planned on Cathedral Street, adjacent to the existing one. The new school building was opened in 1964.

Merger with City Public School

Selective schooling was discontinued in Scottish local authority schools in 1972, and Allan Glen's was merged with the City Public School to become a local co-educational

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

on 22 August 1973, known as Allan Glen's Secondary School. Following a major re-organisation of school provision, brought about by falling birth rates, population migration and declining school rolls throughout the city, including Allan Glen's, the school was formally closed in 1989.

City of Glasgow College

Following the closure of Allan Glen's Secondary School, the buildings on Cathedral Street were converted into an annexe for the nearby Glasgow Central College of Commerce. The Cathedral Street buildings were demolished in 2013 to enable construction of the City of Glasgow College, a new entity created by the merger of three former further education Colleges, Central College, Glasgow Metropolitan College and Glasgow College of Nautical Studies.

Playing fields

The playing fields first opened at Bishopbriggs in 1923 and are still owned by the Allan Glen's School Club. They provide the home ground for Allan Glen's Rugby Football Club, which currently plays in the West Regional League Division 1. In 2012, proposals were announced to sell part of the playing fields, following a change in the legal structure of the Trust that controls the assets of the Allan Glen's School Club.

Notable alumni

Although the school emphasised science and engineering, many of its former pupils are also present throughout politics, business, industry, and the arts. * Bill Aitken MSP, politician *

Sir John Anderson, 1st Baronet, of Harrold Priory Sir John Anderson, 1st Baronet (8 May 1878 – 11 April 1963) was a Scottish businessman, writer and lecturer. He was born in Glasgow to Peter Anderson, a slater, and Margaret Crawford Anderson. He was educated at Allan Glen's School and the U ...

, businessman * William Auld, poet, author, translator * * Prof Dr James Allan Jamieson Bennett, pioneer of helicopter flight and designer of the

Gyrodyne A gyrodyne is a type of VTOL aircraft with a helicopter rotor-like system that needs to be driven by its engine only for takeoff and landing, and includes one or more conventional propeller or jet engines to provide thrust during cruising flig ...

* Sir Dirk Bogarde, actor and writer * Hugh Dunbar Brown MP, politician * Thomas Graham Brown, Electrical Engineer and co-designer of first medical ultrasound scanner. * Walter Brown (mathematician), engineer and mathematician

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

* Admiral Sir Lindsay Sutherland Bryson KCB, engineer, Controller of the Navy * Sir John Buchanan CBE, FRS FRAeS MIMechE, President of the Royal Aeronautical Society, director of aircraft production 941ref name="allanglens.com"> * Sir Kenneth Calman, Chief Medical Officer of Scotland * Donald Cameron, Aeronautical Engineer and pioneer of modern hot air ballooning. * Dr. John Arnold Cranston

, Research chemist, co-discoverer of

protactinium Protactinium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pa and atomic number 91. It is a dense, radioactive, silvery-gray actinide metal which readily reacts with oxygen, water vapor, and inorganic acids. It forms various chemical compounds, in which p ...

* Sir Andrew Davidson (chief medical officer) MB ChB DL (Glasgow), Chief Medical Officer for Scotland 1941–54, footballer for

Celtic F.C. The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a professional Association football, football club in Glasgow, Scotland. The team competes in the Scottish Premiership, the top division of Scottish football league system, Scottish ...

and St Mirren F.C. * Gregor Duncan Episcopalian Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway * Prof William Jolly Duncan FRS, pioneer researcher in aero-elasticity and air flutter * Dr Tom Eastop, Engineer, academic and author *

Leonard Findlay Leonard Findlay (5 February 1878, in Glasgow – 14 June 1947) was the pediatrician who was the first Leonard Gow Lecturer on the Medical Diseases of Infancy and Childhood. Findlay was also the first person to hold the Samson Gemmell Chair of ...

, pediatrician, first person to hold the Samson Gemmell Chair of Child Health at the University of Glasgow * Sir Harold Montague Finniston FRS, engineer and industrialist * The Reverend Professor John Macdonald Graham CBE, Deputy Lieutenant of Aberdeen, Lord Provost of the City of Aberdeen 1961–64, Professor of Systematic Theology at The University of Aberdeen * Dr Ian Greer, obstetrician; President and Vice Chancellor,

Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

. * Thomas Grier,

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

during the Second World War * Bernard Parker Haigh, professor of applied mechanics in the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equi ...

* Robin Hall, singer and broadcaster * Dr John Vernon Harrison, structural geologist and explorer * Prof John Gordon Harrower

, anatomist * Prof James Blacklock Henderson, naval architect, inventor, academic * Bill Hill (computing graphics pioneer), computing graphics pioneer with

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

* Sir James Colquhoun Irvine, Scientist, academic and educator, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews 1921–52. * James Alexander Jameson CBE, LH, Hon MIMechE, mechanical engineer, director of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company * SVT Jeffrey, pioneer of the Canadian Pacific Railway, member of the first Scottish Schoolboys' international football team * Sir William Alexander Jeffrey, KCB, civil servant * David Cunningham King, South African businessman and chairman Of Rangers Football Club * Sir Robert Alan Langlands, academic, educator, vice-chancellor of the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

* Prof Donald Neil McArthur

, director of the Macaulay Institute of Soil Research * Angus John Macdonald, Baron Macdonald of Tradeston * Michael William Frederick MacKenzie, MSP * Stuart McKellar. Venture Socialist. Labour Member of Northumberland County Council. Founding Chair of the North East Social Enterprise Partnership. *

Charles Rennie Mackintosh Charles Rennie Mackintosh (7 June 1868 – 10 December 1928) was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macd ...

, architect, artist and designer * Hugh Miller MacMillan, Shipbuilding Engineer.

Lloyd's Register of Shipping Lloyd's Register Group Limited, trading as Lloyd's Register (LR), is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research ...

. Founder, chairman and managing director of Blythswood Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. * Wing Commander Norman Macmillan OBE, MC, combat pilot, test pilot and author * David Forbes Martyn, physicist, radiographer, founder of Australian Academy of Science * Ian McCallum, naval architect and chief designer for the liner

Queen Elizabeth 2 ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' (''QE2'') is a retired British ocean liner. Built for the Cunard Line, the ship was operated as a transatlantic liner and cruise ship from 1969 to 2008. She was laid up until converted into a floating hotel, operating sin ...

, Lloyd's Chief Ship Surveyor. * Sir John Mills McCallum, MP, politician * Sir Andrew McCance DL DSc LLD (Strathclyde) FRS, metallurgist, industrialist, chair of Governors of the

* Duncan MacRae, actor, comedian. * Sir Robert Arthur McCrindle, MP, politician * Henry Bell McCubbin, MEP, politician * Harry Duncan McGowan, 1st Baron McGowan KBE, chairman and managing director of Imperial Chemical Industries * Roderick M McKay, chess

international master FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...

* David Gemmell McKinlay FRSE, civil Engineer and academic * James McKissack Prominent Scottish architect and photographer * Jack McLean (journalist), journalist, author * Sir James McFadyen McNeill, principal naval architect for the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth *

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...

, comic book writer and playwright. * Prof Thomas Crawford Phemister, FRSE, geologist * Dr James Phemister, FRSE, geologist * Craig Pritchett, chess

* George Strachan Ramsay, footballer, Royal Air Force, killed in action 1918 * Jon Rankin, MP, politician * Dr Gordon Rintoul, CBE FRSE, director of National Museums Scotland * Brian Alexander Robertson, actor, singer, composer * Sir David Robertson, MP, politician * Prof William Russell FRSE, molecular virologist, founder of Scientists for Labour * Prof

Alan Sked Alan Sked (born 22 August 1947) is a British Eurosceptic academic. He founded the Anti-Federalist League (in order to oppose the Maastricht Treaty) and its successor the UK Independence Party (UKIP). He is Professor Emeritus of International ...

, Academic, politician and founder of the

UK Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP, ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of parliament (both through defect ...

* John Kendrick Skinner VC, DCM * Robert Haldane Smith, Baron Smith of Kelvin, chairman of the Green Investment Bank; BBC governor * Alan Spence Author, poet, playwright, emeritus professor of creative writing at Aberdeen University * Rev Campbell Stephen, MP, politician * Dr Walter Wilson Stothers, Scottish Mathematician. PhD in Number Theory, Cambridge University (1972). Proved the Mason-Stothers theorem in 1981. * Hugh Brown Sutherland, Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering, Vice President,

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a Charitable organization, charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters ar ...

, renowned Soil Mechanics expert * George Walker Thomson, prominent trade unionist,

President of the Trades Union Congress The president of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in United Kingdom, British trade unionism. History Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serv ...

for 1946/47. * Sinclair Thomson RSA, Artist, winner of the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country's national academy of art. It promotes contemporary art, contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy ...

's Guthrie Award in 1948 and elected a member of RSA in 1952. * Alexander Robertus Todd, Baron Todd, OM, PRS, FRSE, Nobel laureate, biochemist * Edward Tull Warnock, first professionally-qualified black dentist in Britain. * Sir Archibald Boyd Tunnock, Businessman and Philanthropist. * Prof George Macdonald Urquhart FRSE FRCVS eminent Veterinarian, developer of the Dictol cattle vaccine. * Sir John Weir, GCVO, Royal Victorian Chain, Physician Royal * William Douglas Weir, 1st Viscount Weir GCB, PC, engineer, industrialist * Prof Henry Wallace Wilson FRSE, nuclear physicist, first director of the Scottish Universities' Research and Reactor Centre * Robert Winter, politician, former Lord Provost of Glasgow * George Ralston Wyllie, MBE, artist and sculptor
William Henderson McAteer, MBE
journalist an
historian

References

Sources

Allan Glen's School Club
{{authority control Defunct boys' schools in Scotland Defunct secondary schools in Glasgow Educational institutions established in 1853 1853 establishments in Scotland 1989 disestablishments in Scotland Educational institutions disestablished in 1989