The Levack Ladies of Westbourne

From 1991, the process of merger between the Westbourne School for Girls and The Glasgow Academy began, resulting in the school becoming co-educational.

A notable Glasgow Merchant by the name of Mr William Levack purchased no. 34 Westbourne Gardens in Kelvinside around 1876. William had settled in Glasgow in 1836 and was a partner in the firm of ‘Scobie Brebner and Levack’. He was also responsible for setting up the Glasgow Caithness Association, which was founded in 1837.

Westbourne Gardens was a newly built terrace of houses in an up and coming area, west of the centre of Glasgow. William and his wife Helen (Noble) had nine children in all; seven daughters and two sons. Six of their daughters decided to set up and run a school for girls at the four-storey house in Westbourne Gardens.

A few years earlier in 1872, the Education (Scotland) Act was passed, stating it was the duty of every parent “to provide elementary education in reading, writing and arithmetic for children between five and thirteen years of age”. Around this time, schools for young ladies were becoming popular, and so the Miss Levack’s opened The Westbourne Gardens School “for the education of young ladies” on 3rd September 1877. The aim of the school was “to produce young women with as much good influence in matters of morals, speech and elegant living as seemed possible”.

The two eldest Miss Levack’s were Headmistresses during the first year; initially, Ellen Levack, who after her marriage to Lieutenant Robert Assheton Napier, meant she was unable to continue in the position,  and was replaced by her sister Elizabeth Levack, who had to bow out for the same reason after her marriage to James Dunnachie, Director of the Glenboig Fire Clay Company shortly after. Their next sister, Miss Margaret R. Levack - known as Miss Madge - became headmistress after her two sisters’ marriage in 1877. Madge taught at the school from the beginning and continued as Headmistress until she retired in 1917. It is worth noting that the practice of prohibiting the employment of married women, particularly those who were teachers, was something that carried on into the mid twentieth century.

Three of the younger sisters were involved in the school in one way or another. Pansy and the youngest sister Jessie (who later became Mrs Hyslop Kerr) both taught, and Ruby attended to the housekeeping.

The pupils of Westbourne were referred to as ‘Levites’ – a contraction for 'Levackite', as the school was colloquially known as the "Levack’s School". It is thanks to these pioneering women that many girls went on to have opportunities which until that point were largely unavailable to them due to their gender.