Welcome to the Edinburgh Academy Digital Archive. As the School approaches its Bicentenary in 2024, we have initiated a digital archive project which will make the Academy Archives widely accessible. Our intention is to grow the online collection over the next four years so that by 2024 it will contain a representative selection of the physical Archives which will be of use, e.g. for Family Research, Biographies and Historical Research, and School Reunions, Exhibitions and Speakers’ events.
Just click on ‘Browse’ to see what is available for online research. In the first phase we have included a selection of documents relating to the founding of the School in 1824, a selection of parts of the School Chronicle beginning in 1893, the volume Chronicles of the Cumming Club containing reminiscences of the Class of 1841-47, The Edinburgh Academy Register 1824-1914 (1914) and War Supplement (1921), and the EA War Service Record 1939-45. The online facility offers several methods for searching on year, keyword, name or category.
Featuring some 200 years of the Academy’s and the Academical Club’s history, the Archive at Henderson Row records the foundation, development and activities of the school from the early 1820s. A school for boys until the late 1960s, the Academy became fully co-educational, firstly in its Junior School in 2008 to be followed a year later in the Upper School. The Archive’s extensive collections include:
Correspondence, minutes, reports and records
Photographs and works of art
Artefacts and Sporting Memorabilia
Books and Periodicals including the School Chronicle
The first 150 years of the School’s history are well documented in The Clacken and the Slate (Collins, 1974) written by Magnus Magnusson (EA 1935-48). Academy Lore (2011) written by David Standley (teacher at the Academy for 39 years from 1970) is a copiously illustrated recent account of the School’s development and traditions. Much use of the Academy Archives was made in the preparation of a volume entitled Pro Patria Mori - The Edinburgh Academy at War 1914-18 (The Edinburgh Academy and Edinburgh Academy Foundation, 2015). Copies of Academy Lore and Pro Patria Mori are available from the Development & Alumni Relations Office.
We welcome donations of photographs, documents and memorabilia relating to the School or the Academical Club. Anyone wishing to donate items or wishing to know more about the Archive is invited to get in touch with either Andrew McMillan, Honorary Archivist at archives@edinburghacademy.org.uk or the Development & Alumni Relations Office on +44 (0)131 624 4958 or accies@edinburghacademy.org.uk .