Ladies' College - History

History

The Ladies' College was founded in 1872 to provide an academic education based on Christian principles for girls in Guernsey. An early example of the pioneering movement in women’s education, it drew much of its inspiration from Cheltenham Ladies' College. The College values its links with the past and previous traditions such as that of wearing red carnations on Speech Day - a custom that dates from 1904.

The College rapidly outgrew its first home and, for 85 years, occupied buildings in the Grange, St Peter Port, which now house the Island's Education Department offices. From 1907 onwards a number of places have been reserved each year for state-funded pupils and demand for places at the College has continued to rise.

In 1949, the Island's Government, The States of Deliberation made Melrose House available for the Infant and Junior classes in order to create more space at the College for senior pupils. In 1962, the Ladies' College was re-constituted as a grant-aided school. The old school buildings were handed over to the Education Council and the States built a new school for the Senior College in the grounds of Melrose House and took responsibility for the future capital development of the Ladies' College. Since 1962, the College has operated as an autonomous grant-aided school under the supervision of its own Board of Governors and the Education Council. The Ladies College provides an education, every year it gets into the top 100 A-level chart. The attached primary school is called Melrose (head, Mrs J Spurier). It always does very well in the Guernsey Eistedford, musically and dramatically, individually and in groups.