1874 MERCHISTON CASTLE SCHOOL Colinton, Edinburgh, attractive Expense account for Master J.A.Robson Scott, covering Extras, Pocket Money, Hair Cutting, Tramway fares, cab fares, Excursions, statinery & books etc.

Merchiston Castle School is an independent boarding school for boys in the suburb of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has around 470 pupils and is open to boys between the ages of 7 and 18 as either boarding or day pupils; it was modelled after English public schools. It is divided into Merchiston Juniors (ages 7–13), Middle Years (ages 13–16) and a Sixth Form.

History

In 1828 Charles Chalmers started a small school in Park Place on a site now occupied by the McEwan Hall. In May 1833, Charles Chalmers took a lease of Merchiston Castle (the former home of John Napier, the inventor of logarithms) — which at that time stood in rural surroundings — and moved the school. It is from here that the school name is derived.[2] Over time, the number of pupils grew and the Merchiston Castle became too small to accommodate the school. The governors decided to purchase 90 acres of ground at the Colinton House estate, four miles south-west of Edinburgh. Building began in 1928 including the Chalmers and Rogerson boarding houses, designed by Sir Robert Lorimer.[3] In 1930 the school moved to Colinton.

Three years later, in 1933, Merchiston celebrated its centenary, attended by the Duke and Duchess of York.[5] Fifty years on, in 1983, at a time of further expansion and with 350 boys on the roll, their daughter, now Queen Elizabeth II, visited the school for its 150th anniversary.

Academic performance

In 2018, 50% of grades achieved at A Level were A*/A.

Sports and games

A range of sports and activities is available at the school; particularly in rugby union, which over 60 Merchistonians have played at international level. The Merchistonian Football Club for former pupils of the School was a founding member of the Scottish Rugby Union and was involved in the very first rugby international,[7] supplying three players.[8] The former 1st XV coach, Frank Hadden, who was at the school from 1983 to 2000, was the head coach of the Scottish national team from 2005 to 2009. The school has won the Scottish Schools U18 Rugby Cup a record eight times: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2018, 2021 and 2022.[9] Merchiston also participates, with the Edinburgh Academy, in the oldest continuous rugby football fixture in the world, the first being on 11 December 1858 at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh.

Merchiston Castle School tartan

The Merchiston Castle School tartan was designed by Kinloch Anderson in 1988. It is based upon the Napier tartan as the school was founded in the 1830s in the original home of John Napier of Merchiston, now part of Edinburgh Napier University. The tartan retains the sett of the Napier tartan, but changes the white to royal blue, the royal blue to navy, and the white line to scarlet to reflect the school colours.[11]