Melbourne Girls Grammar has been committed to girls’ education for more than 100 years, commencing in 1893 under the leadership of two strong women, Emily Hensley and Alice Taylor. In 1903 it became the first Anglican school for girls in Victoria, known simply as the Church of England School. Throughout its long history, girls have always been encouraged to become confident, articulate young women, capable of independent thought and learning, ready to make their way in the world and to contribute to it.

MGGS has a strong academic tradition.  In the earlier years, graduates were pioneers at The University of Melbourne, with some studying as far abroad as Oxford and Cambridge. Now girls undertake a myriad of courses across Australia and overseas.  This intellectual strength has been nurtured over the years by many dedicated teachers who have followed the example set by the visionary women who have been their principals. Each of these eleven principals has been committed to advancing the education of young girls and encouraging them to take up the challenges of their era.

The physical heritage of MGGS began with the building in 1900 of Merton Hall, a name by which the School is still informally known. This building is in many ways the heart of the School, encompassing as it does the classrooms so familiar to many generations of students. Phelia Grimwade House, built in the 1880s, was acquired by the School in 1930 and has been home to hundreds of boarders. The Anderson Street badged gates, an iconic landmark through which many thousands of students have passed, were a gift to the School from the Old Grammarians in 1911. The School Hall, completed in 1917, was the setting for the first rendition of the School Anthem, Nisi Dominus, composed by Dr A E Floyd.

Melbourne Girls Grammar can look back with pride to its achievements in the last century and move forward with confidence and purpose in the new millenium.

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