Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Glenalmond

Glenalmond, either all, or much, or a small part of the vale of the river Almond, in Perthshire. The small part, lying in the northern section of Crieff parish, and extending 2¾ miles south-eastward to Fendoch Camp in the vicinity of Buchanty, is a deep, narrow defile, only wide enough to afford passage to the river and a road, and flanked by bare rocky acclivities rising to the height of from 1600 to 2117 feet above sea-level. It is commonly designated the Sma' Glen; and contains an old stonefaced excavation, noticed under Clach-na-Ossian. The section of the vale eastward of the Sma' Glen, to the extent of about 3 square miles, bears the distinctive name of Logie-Almond; but contains, 7 miles NNE of Crieff, Glenalmond post office under Perth, with money order and savings' bank departments, as also Glenalmond House on the Cairnies estate, and the Scottish Episcopal College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, commonly known as Glenalmond College. The last stands on the right bank of the winding Almond, 4 miles NW of Methven station, this being 7¾W by N of Perth. It was originated in 1841, ' to embrace objects not attainable in any public foundation hitherto established in Scotland, viz-the combination of general education with domestic discipline and systematic religious superintendence ;' and until 1875 it comprehended a theological department, now removed to Edinburgh. There are a warden, sub-warden, and five assistant masters; whilst the governing council consists of the bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church and nine others, amongst them the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, whose father, Sir John Gladstone of Fasque, was a principal founder of the college. Its site and grounds, 20 acres in extent, were given by the late Lord Justice-Clerk Patton of Cairnies; the chapel was built (1851) at the sole expense (over £8000) of the first Warden, Charles Wordsworth, since Bishop of St Andrews; and the entire cost of the work had been £90,000, when, on 26 Oct. 1875, a further large outlay was entailed by a disastrous fire that destroyed the W wing and did other damage to a total amount of £20,000. The buildings, designed by the late Sir Gilbert Scott, were opened in 1847. In the Domestic Gothic style of the 15th century, they offer a very fine frontage to the W, and form, apart from the chapel, a quadrangle 190 feet square. The entrance is through an arched gateway, surmounted by an embattled tower; opposite, on the E side, is the handsome dininghall; and from the SE corner the chapel projects to the eastward of the other buildings. It is 136 feet long, 52 wide, and 80 high; in style is Decorated or Middle Pointed; has a graceful SW tower and spire; and is richly adorned with beautiful stained glass to the 'pious memory' of old Glenalmondians and others-Ord. Sur., sh. 47, 1869.


(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "either all, or much, or a small part of the vale of the river Almond"   (ADL Feature Type: "valleys")
Administrative units: Crieff ScoP       Perthshire ScoCnty

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