Queen Mary’s House was bought by St Leonards in 1926 and officially opened as Queen Mary’s Library by her Royal Highness the Duchess of York in 1927. Today it is home to a wide range of research and learning resources for our pupils. The building is one of the most historic in St Andrews, let alone the school campus.


Queen mary's library in the 21st century

Today, Queen Mary’s Library (known as QML) features an extensive print collection and a growing bank of electronic resources to support the School’s pupils and teachers in all subject areas.

St Leonards pupils also have access, through the school intranet or remotely, to an enhanced QML website featuring a range of resources – like citation guidance, reading lists, online exhibitions and research tips - and more detailed information about the Library catalogue. 

A Special Collections department operates to manage the School’s museum holdings and archives.

Sixth Form pupils also have access to St Andrews University Library, which is just a few minutes' walk from the school campus.

Queen Mary’s Bedroom

Mary Queen of Scots is said to have visited St Andrews three times between 1560 and 1565. The English ambassador to the court of Elizabeth I, Randolph, wrote that he had been invited to ‘sup’ with the Queen in a merchant’s house in St Andrews and to watch her ‘shoot at the butts’ (archery) with the Duke of Moray in a private garden. This house is the only house at that time to fit the description given.

The room in which the famous monarch stayed remains on display. With many original features preserved, stepping into 'Queen Mary's Bedroom' offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of Scotland's most famous characters.

Read more about the history of St Leonards.

Visit St Leonards

To arrange a visit to St Leonards, please contact our Admissions Team at registrar@stleonards-fife.org More

Day Bus Service

St Leonards is pleased to offer a home to school day bus service for our families, with routes covering Fife, Tayside and Perthshire. More

Summer Schools

St Leonards offers Summer School Programmes specialising in English language tuition and multi-activities. Booking is now open for Summer 2023. More

Golf at St Leonards

St Leonards offers a leading six-tier Golf Programme, giving pupils every opportunity to grow their game in the home of golf, using top-of-the-range facilities and technology. More

Location

Situated in the heart of St Andrews, St Leonards offers outstanding boarding education for 5-18 year old boys and girls, combining exceptional academic achievement with a friendly atmosphere. St Leonards students have the chance to learn, work and play in a unique seaside setting and to feed off the inspirational buzz that comes from being right in the heart of a renowned and cosmopolitan university town.

The School is a private company limited by guarantee and is registered in Edinburgh with registration number SC016693. The company's registered office address is St Leonards School, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9QJ. The School is also registered as a charity with OSCR. The charity registration number is SC010904.

The IB Diploma is widely recognised as being an ideal pre-university qualification. Find out more

Sign-up

Join our mailing list to get the latest news from the school and be the first to hear about up-coming events.

Please enter the code in the box above. Click the code to request a new one.