George Watson’s College
| George Watson's College | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
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Colinton Road (Merchiston) Edinburgh, EH10 5EG Scotland |
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| Information | |
| Type | co-educational, independent |
| Motto |
Ex Corde Caritas (Love from the Heart) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Christian |
| Established | 17 May 1741 (as George Watson's Hospital) |
| Founder | George Watson |
| Principal | Melvyn Roffe |
| Age | 3 to 18 |
| Pupils | 2,358 |
| Area | 50 acre |
| Campus type | urban parkland |
| Houses | Cockburn-Greyfriars, Lauriston, Melville-Ogilvie, Preston-Falconhall |
| School colour(s) | Maroon, white |
| Sports | Rugby, hockey, cricket, rowing, badminton, squash, football, sailing, rifle shooting, skiing, athletics, tennis, rock climbing, polo, surfing, fencing, curling. |
| Rival | George Heriot's School |
| Publication | The Watsonian, Caritas, Recorder, Tick Talk |
| Alumni | List of Old Watsonians |
| Alumni name | Watsonians |
| Website | gwc.org.uk |
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George Watson's College is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871, and was merged with its sister school George Watson's Ladies College in 1974. It is a Merchant Company of Edinburgh school and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
The school was established according to the instructions of George Watson (1654–1723) who bequeathed the bulk of his fortune of £12,000 – a vast sum in 1723 – to found a school for the provision of post-primary boarding education.
Watson was never a member of the Merchant Company of Edinburgh, but he was impressed by their running of the Merchant Maiden Hospital and so he chose the Company to implement the terms of his will. After some years, the Governors bought land known as Heriot's Croft, located off Lauriston Place in Edinburgh, close to the Meadows and opposite George Heriot's School, and engaged an architect. The foundation stone was laid on 22 May 1738, and the building was completed early in 1741. (At the time, there was concern that this site was too far from the city, but today it would be regarded as close to the city centre.)
The school opened as George Watson's Hospital on Whitsunday, 17 May 1741. The initial roll consisted of 11 boys, aged 9–10 years; by 1749 there were 30, while in 1842 pupils numbered 86, this figure being maintained until the end of the Hospital system in 1870.
In accordance with Watson's will, the governors were responsible for former pupils up to the age of 25; they were helped to find apprenticeships and paid an allowance. Watson's stated preference was for allowing the hospital's charges to become skilled workers, though the governors also allowed boys who showed an ability to pursue medicine or academia.
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