Selma House in Arnothill Gardens was built in the 1870s for the Wyse family and was sold in 1889 to David Miller and in 1901 to James Hunter, the minister of Laurieston United Free Church. Four of his daughters then set up a school for girls in the house with Miss Janet Fairburn Hunter as the principal. Advertising began in July and the school opened in September 1902:
“SELMA HOUSE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, ARNOTHILL, FALKIRK. FIRST TERM Commences TUESDAY, l6th September. Miss HUNTER will be “At Home” at SELMA HOUSE on 9th and 10th September. Prospectus may be had on Application. Laurieston Manse, Falkirk.”
(Falkirk Herald 12 July 1902, 1).
The homely atmosphere and kindly spirit of the establishment were important to the staff as well as the pupils and parents. The initial intention was to prepare scholars for university examinations and in 1905 it was recognised by the Scottish Education Department as a secondary school, and thereby became open to its inspections. The first of these, on 12 July 1905 was effusive – the report and the recognition being used to promote the institution. By then the school roll had grown by word of mouth, though it was always only in the range of 30 to 40. Before long its very good examination results were also used in the publicity drive.
Within a couple of years the school had outreached its capacity and the adjacent semi-detached house was acquired and internal access provided to it. Miss M H Hunter taught French and German and had travelled abroad perfecting her accent. She was assisted by Mlle Vallette of Paris and the use of foreign members of staff was a hallmark. Each year there was an exhibition of the children’s work and prize-giving. Whilst the science facilities were a little limited, this was made up for by taking outdoor classes in natural history. For history lessons the Roman Wall was naturally included, being just at the end of the garden. Whilst book-learning was taken seriously, physical education was not neglected and a room was converted into a gymnasium. In 1907 the Selma House Lawn Tennis Club was opened in the grounds.
Frequent minor changes occurred in the staffing and curriculum of the school. In 1910 the kindergarten department started to accept boys under eight years of age. Some of the Hunter sisters moved on to universities and other tasks. Then, in 1913 Miss J F Hunter emigrated to Canada where she got a teaching post and Miss Wardlaw Menzies MA (Edinburgh University) took over. Including her, there was a teaching staff of five of whom three had university qualifications. Miss Menzies continued the high standards and made links with the wider community. The pupils now performed plays and concerts at various public venues to raise money for war charities. This outreach continued after the war. The last mention of the school was in 1935 when, it appears, Miss Menzies retired. Thereafter Selma House became the residence of John M Hunter, presumably a relative of the Hunter family of Laurieston.
National Grid Reference
| 16 Arnothill Gardens | NS 8843 7989 |
Falkirk Local History Society 