A history of James Gillespie’s

The man behind the school

James Gillespie was born in Roslin, Midlothian, in 1726. Together with his brother John, he built a thriving snuff and tobacco business on Edinburgh’s High Street, becoming one of the city’s wealthiest merchants and a notable figure in the Scottish Enlightenment.

Despite his fortune, Gillespie was famously unpretentious — he shared his evening meals with his servants and his favourite saying was “Waste not, want not.” A plaque at 231 High Street marks the site of his shop, and his shop sign can still be seen at Huntly House in the Canongate.

The school acknowledges that part of Gillespie’s wealth derived from connections to the North Virginia tobacco trade and its links to slavery. In keeping with best educational practice, we actively educate pupils about Black history, chattel slavery, and modern slavery as part of our curriculum.

Scotland’s first free school

In 1803, as a result of Gillespie’s bequest, Scotland’s first free school opened in Bruntsfield Place. The original building was designed by Edinburgh architect Robert Burn and was administered by the Merchant Company of Edinburgh. The first class consisted of 65 pupils taught by one master — the Reverend John Robertson, who served as Head Teacher for an extraordinary 42 years.

In 1870, the school moved to a larger building on the south side of what is now Gillespie Crescent — originally erected as ‘Gillespie’s Hospital’ for residential accommodation under the terms of his will. Girls were admitted alongside boys, modest fees were introduced, and the roll soon exceeded 1,000 pupils.

Growth, tradition — and Miss Jean Brodie

In 1908, the Edinburgh School Board took over responsibility from the Merchant Company. In 1914, the school moved into the original Boroughmuir School building on Bruntsfield Links.

Between 1923 and 1935, one of Scotland’s greatest writers walked these corridors. Muriel Spark — who would go on to write The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie — attended James Gillespie’s and based her iconic character on her teacher Christina Kay. The novel, set in 1930s Edinburgh, remains one of the most celebrated works in Scottish literature.

In 1926, Headteacher Thomas Burnett introduced the school uniform, the badge, and the motto Fidelis et Fortis — Faithful and Brave — along with the first Founders Day celebration. These traditions endure to this day. In 1935, Edinburgh Corporation acquired Bruntsfield House and its grounds from the Warrender family, setting the stage for the school’s permanent home.

A comprehensive school for all

In 1973, James Gillespie’s became a non-selective co-educational comprehensive school — a transformation completed by 1978. In 1989, following an extensive modernisation programme, the school consolidated onto a single site.

The current campus, designed by jmarchitects for the City of Edinburgh Council and completed in 2016, replaced the former buildings with a purpose-built £28 million development. Set within the 3.7-hectare grounds of the Grade A listed Bruntsfield House, the campus comprises five new buildings including a teaching block, performance and assembly building, and a sports pavilion with a four-lane swimming pool.

In 2015, James Gillespie’s was named Scottish State School of the Year. Today, the school educates over 1,500 pupils from S1 to S6.

Darroch Campus: a second home for Gàidhlig

The Darroch building at 7 Gillespie Street has a long and rich history of its own. Built around 1910 — probably to designs by architect John Alexander Carfrae — it is a striking three-storey Renaissance building in squared and snecked red sandstone, with large bipartite windows, carved emblems of learning, and ornamental wrought-iron gates. It is Category C listed by Historic Environment Scotland, recognised for its special architectural and historic interest.

Over the decades the building served a variety of educational purposes: as a secondary school in its own right, as an education centre, and as an annexe for both St Thomas of Aquin’s and James Gillespie’s. Most recently it provided temporary decant accommodation during construction of the 2016 campus.

As the school’s Gaelic Medium Education provision grew and the projected roll increased, a feasibility study was commissioned in 2018 to refurbish the building. Design work began, a planning application was submitted in October 2019, and detailed design was completed in July 2020. Construction was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic but got underway in March 2021, with the £10 million refurbishment completed and handed over in October 2022.

Today, Darroch Campus is the dedicated home for S1 and S2 Gàidhlig Medium Education — a bright, well-resourced environment designed to support full Gaelic immersion. It provides classrooms, a wellbeing hub, support for learning, specialist facilities including PE, Art and Music, and a spacious canteen and social areas. Higher and Advanced Higher classes also use the building, and it has played an important role in facilitating senior-year prelims.

Beyond the school day, Darroch has rapidly become a hub for the wider Gaelic-speaking community in the south of Edinburgh, hosting cultural events including Fèis Ghàidhlig Dhùn Èideann and Seachdain na Gàidhlig (Gaelic Week), and working in partnership with organisations such as Ionad Ghàidhlig Dhùn Èideann and Capital Gaelic.

Distinguished former pupils