Blairmore House
| Motto |
Capta Majora (Latin: "Strive for better things") |
|---|---|
| Established | 1947 |
| Closed | 1993 |
| Type |
Private Boarding school |
| Location |
Glass, Huntly Aberdeenshire Scotland |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 8–13 |
| Colours | Navy blue |
Blairmore School was an independent boarding preparatory school in Glass near Huntly, Aberdeenshire until its closure in 1993. The site is now owned and used by a Christian organisation called Ellel Ministries International as a prayer, training and healing retreat centre.
Blairmore School was established in 1947 as an independent prep school for boys aged 8–13 by Colonel D.R. Ainslie D.S.O., B.A., a keen educationalist, Cambridge graduate and retired Seaforth Highlander. The school turned co-ed in 1975.
Pupil numbers peaked at 90 in 1989 but the economic recession of the early 1990s caused a decline in UK prep school subscriptions and in June 1993, with fewer than 30 pupils enrolled for the coming academic year, Blairmore became impossible to sustain financially and the school was forced to close.
The school was small and isolated in the country. Pupils were encouraged to spend time outdoors, taking advantage of the school's extensive grounds and rural surroundings. Daily sports were an integral part of the curriculum, while Scouting and camping were a key part of Blairmore life. Blairmore had its own riding school and stables at some stage, a woodland assault course, a ski-slope and Britain's only school ski tow.
In the evenings and at weekends, the woodlands around the school provided an ideal playground for the young boys and girls. Dressed in their "Woods Clothes" (as casual clothes were known), pupils played conkers, climbed trees and constructed dens, known as "cols" (short for colonies), from which raids were launched against rival groups.
The school was divided into four houses, named after rivers in the North-East of Scotland: Deveron (red), Dee (green), Spey (yellow) and Don (blue).
Boarders slept in dormitories in the main school building, although for a period senior boys were accommodated in the neighbouring Glebe House. Dormitories were originally given simple topographical names but were later renamed with an ornithological theme. The boys' dorms included: Tower (which became Buzzard), South (Eagle), East (Harrier). The girls' dorms were: Side (Lapwing), Middle (Heron), Back (Plover). The dormitories in Glebe House were given local place names: Cairnie, Cabrach, Botriphonie.
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