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The New George Watson's College Tartan

The Story of our School Tartan
  • Junior School
  • Senior School

It is our very great pleasure to introduce the new George Watson’s College Tartan launched today in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the merger between the George Watson’s Ladies’ College and George Watson’s Boys’ College on Colinton Road.

This exciting project has been made possible through the generosity of Edinburgh’s renowned Highland dress specialists, Kinloch Anderson who have gifted the school this design. The company’s connection to Watson’s runs deep, making them the perfect partner for this special project. When we spoke with Chief Executive Officer, John Kinloch Anderson, he said: “The creation of the new Watson’s tartan is a meaningful gift for future generations to cherish and a fitting tribute to the unique school community.”

Inspired by the tartan of the Buchanan clan, of which the Watsons were a sept, the design weaves the story of our school through every thread. The colours draw inspiration from elements of school life and also includes a red overcheck symbolising our motto ‘Love from the heart’. The thread count also contains important symbolism including 41 to represent the year 1741, when George Watson’s Hospital was founded, 50 to commemorate the 50th anniversary and 8 which honours the 810 Watsonians who died in the wars of the 20th Century.

We know many families will fondly regard the Lindsay tartan which was introduced to our uniform in the 1990s and which has been part of the uniform since then. However, since this design is not unique to us and is worn by several other schools, we hope you agree that our new tartan, which has been so generously gifted to us, is something we can be proud of and cherish for generations to come. The tartan worn by our pipes and drums will continue and, we are thrilled to announce, has been renamed the George Watson’s College Pipes and Drums tartan. 

To bring the story of our new tartan to life, we have created a short video that takes you behind the scenes of the design process, highlighting the thought and purpose behind every colour and thread. It also offers you a first look at the new George Watson’s College Tartan.

We are excited about the opportunity to weave it into life at Watson’s in the coming years and are deeply grateful to Kinloch Anderson for this historic opportunity. We hope you love the new tartan as much as we do.

Introducing The New George Watson's College Tartan