King James VI
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
provided funds to found the King's School of Irvine at Kirkgatehead. A new building was erected in 1816 and a Royal Charter granted in 1818 for the directorship of Irvine Royal Academy, which included the
Earl of Eglinton
Earl of Eglinton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created by James IV of Scotland in 1507 for Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Lord Montgomerie.
In 1859, the thirteenth Earl of Eglinton, Archibald Montgomerie, was also created Earl of Winto ...
, 11 councillors and all who subscribed £50 or more.
The school was taken over by a school board in 1872 as a result of the Education Act and a new building was erected. It opened on 27 December 1901. After fees for secondary pupils were abolished in 1927, the school roll rose and it became necessary to build an annexe on Kilwinning Road, on the academy's sports field, in 1932. The school's primary department was closed in 1952.
A replacement building, which became Ravenspark Academy, opened in August 1969. The old buildings remained open to serve pupils from Dreghorn and Kilwinning. In August 1992, the two academies were amalgamated into Irvine Royal Academy and in June 1993 the old school and its annexe were closed. The new Irvine Royal Academy was officially opened by Councillor Elliot Gray JP on 22 March 1994.
Modern Day
In recent years Irvine Royal has been known for being a partner school of the Glasgow University.
Notable former pupils
* Sir
Hilary Rudolph Robert Blood
Sir Hilary Rudolph Robert Blood (28 May 1893 – 20 June 1967) was a British colonial administrator and governor. He served as the Governor of the Gambia from 1942 to 1947, the Governor of Barbados from 1947 to 1949, and the Governor of Mauri ...
CMG, Governor of Mauritius from 1949–54
* Brian Donohoe, Labour MP since 2005 for South Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency), South Ayrshire
* Alan Gemmell, Alan Gemmell OBE, director of the British Council in India
* Julie Graham, actress
* Sir Alexander MacAra, Sandy MacAra, epidemiologist and former chairman of the BMA
* Alastair McHarg, former Scotland Rugby Union internationalist (1968–79) 44 caps
* Sir Tom McKillop, Thomas McKillop, former chairman of RBS, and chief executive from 1999-2006 of AstraZeneca
* Eric Potts
* Brigadier (United Kingdom), Brigadier James Wilson CBE, chief executive from 1977-87 of the Livingston Development Corporation
*James Wilson (footballer, born 1895), James Wilson (1895–1917), accountant and footballer
See also
* Irvine RFC
References
External links
*
Irvine Royal Academy's page on Scottish Schools Online
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Schools in North Ayrshire
Secondary schools in North Ayrshire
Educational institutions established in the 1570s
1572 establishments in Scotland
Irvine, North Ayrshire