In the 1950s Dunmore Park House, owned by Peter Jones, timber merchant, Larbert, was leased to St Maray’s School. The school moved into the new premises in July 1953, having formerly been located at Kilbryde Castle near Dunblane. Mrs L Dunsmuir was the Principal. The school took pupils from the age of 4 up to 18 years and prepared the seniors for the Oxford general Certificate of Education and University Entrance Examination. The building had spare capacity and so day pupils and pre-prep boys were accepted from 1954 – a bus leaving Falkirk Bus Station at 8.45 am and returning at 4.15pm. Weekly boarders were also taken on and horse riding was provided. Fulltime boarders were allowed to remain at the house over the summer months, as were the members of staff.
St Maray’s Boarding and Day School (Dunmore Park) Ltd (Presbyterian) opened a Junior Department at Airlie House in Carronvale Road, Larbert on 2 May 1955. The house had belonged to Tom Bruce Jones, brother of Peter. The house at Dunmore must have been difficult to heat and so it is not surprising that the Senior Department also moved to Airlie House for the start of the term in January 1956.
Sites and Monuments Record
| Dunmore Park House | SMR 200 | NS 8848 8920 |
Falkirk Local History Society 