The Statistical Account of Lanarkshire of 1835 notes of this school building that it "is a venerable pile, near the centre of the town, containing a long wainscotted hall, emblazoned with the names of former scholars, cut out in the wood, as at Harrow.

Robert Gibson MP recalled during a House of Commons debate (November 1939) that during his time at Hamilton Academy (1890s), the junior department had had to be evacuated due to rapid subsidence of that part of the Hope Street building.

[2] At a cost of around £40,000 (£53,000 including equipment), construction of the new building began in 1910 (completed 1913) to competition-winning designs by Cullen, Lochhead and Brown (the former's son, Alexander Cullen Jnr., also an architect, attending Hamilton Academy[12] and the latter, William Brown, attending Hamilton Academy 1889–1894[13]) the competition entries being assessed by George Bell, president of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Institute of Architects.

A feature of the wood-panelled Central Hall, rising two storeys with gallery to an arched ceiling, was the six large stained glass windows with figures representing Literature, Science, Art, Music, Technology and Gymnastics.

"[6] The 1871 Census and the school's registers 1848–1900 list, among others, pupils from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paisley, Bridge of Weir, Stewarton, England and Australia.

Due to its unique academic position in Scotland as the 'County School' of the country's most populous and wealthiest county and the size of its student roll, the Bulletin newspaper reported in its issue of 23 November 1959 that "... there was only one school in Scotland – Hamilton Academy – that had sufficient pupils to qualify its headmaster for such a (special) responsibility salary,"[36] and this was noted again in a House of Commons debate on teachers' salaries, 24 February 1960, when Margaret Herbison MP advised that "in the whole of Scotland only the rector of Hamilton Academy (had) qualified for the top grade of teachers' salary.

[2] The county-wide selective intake and the academic bias of the teaching meant that Hamilton Academy achieved excellent results in competitions.

"[41] Topping the Glasgow University Bursary List in 1964 and again in 1965, the Evening Times wrote that Hamilton Academy's "reputation is among the highest in the country.

"[42] In 1966 the same newspaper reported that "for the third year in succession Hamilton Academy has gained the highest number of places in the Glasgow University Bursary Competition.

[48][49] On his return from Africa in 1864, the celebrated missionary and explorer David Livingstone presented the awards at the school's prize-giving ceremony of that year.

His speech was to inspire Hamilton Academy pupil Frederick Stanley Arnot who was later to follow on Livingstone's missionary work in central Africa.

[50][51] The inter-house annual sports day was held at the academy's dedicated sports grounds, Laigh Bent Playing Fields, within walking distance of the main school building, in the 1950s and 60s Lady Keith, wife of former Hamilton Academy pupil, Lord Keith of Avonholm, often presenting the annual prizes.

The pavilion was officially opened by the Marquis of Douglas and Clydesdale (who became in 1940 the 14th Duke of Hamilton, and played a part in the Rudolf Hess incident of 1941).

The grounds found to be too uneven, a scheme was devised (1936) for their levelling which began in March 1939 but due to World War II was not completed until 1947, following also the acquisition of a further six acres of adjoining fields, providing space for an additional three pitches.

Aligned to the curriculum or extracurricular, many clubs and associations operated in or from or in conjunction with the school, including cadets, scouts, guides, cubs and brownies; the Hamilton Academy Air Training Corps,[60] the Hamilton Academy FP (former pupil) Society, the dramatics, photographic, scientific, music, film and literature clubs and societies.

"[61] The activities of the French, modelling, chess, golf, badminton, swimming, riding, tennis, hockey and stamp clubs were also listed in the in-school periodical, 'Acta'.

[63] From 30 June to 5 July 1947 the Hamilton Academy Choir performed in the Wilson Barrett Repertory Company's production of Uncle Tom's Cabin at the Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow.

[2] In 1967 the Glasgow Herald noted that Hamilton Academy's annual operatic performances were "strengthened by musicians from the BBC Scottish Orchestra.

[67] In 1963 the school's junior, mixed voice, ensemble and senior girls choirs all took first places in their categories and shared the highest marks in the Glasgow Music Festival of that year.

[56] The Hamilton Academy (mixed) Choir made recordings, appeared on British radio and television programmes and performed internationally.

Plans were made for Hamilton Academy's choir to perform at Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Washington D.C., Williamsburg, Arlington and New York.

[71] Dubbed "the ambassadors of song" the choir and Mr. Mooney appeared on American television and were granted honorary citizenship by Washington State.

Arriving at Glasgow Central Station from London at the commencement of their tour of the UK and Ireland, the 110 members of the Bel Canto Choir were met by bag-pipes and a 200-strong welcoming party from Hamilton Academy.

[74] Designed to catch the best light, the school's art classes and large main studio were located on the top floor; the school's art department educating, among others, the artists Louise Gibson Annand MBE, Mary Nicol Neill Armour, Peter Charles Browne, John McKinnon Crawford, David (A.)

[84] Donald McLeod (who was later to become the first director of studies at the Jordanhill Teacher Training College) followed as Rector (1897–1908); succeeded in the Rectorship (1908–1924) by David M. Andrew (an Exhibitioner of Christ Church, Oxford) who planned the organisation, equipping and the move to the 'new' Academy building of 1913 and steered the school through World War I, and who was subsequently appointed Rector of Aberdeen Grammar School.

[87] MacNaughton was also co-author (with James Paterson) of the classic textbook series 'The Approach to Latin',[88] which was used across Britain and the Commonwealth, and also in the United States.

Dubber (appointed 3 April 1968), the school's principal teacher of English since 1956, and acting rector since retirement of Edwin Macnaughton in September 1967.

[100] Those educated at the former Hamilton Academy have made and still make contributions to many spheres of endeavour in the public, business, and cultural life in Scotland and beyond.

[101][102][103] A contender for the oldest surviving former pupil of Hamilton Academy is Mrs. Elsie McBroom (née MacPhail), a graduate of Glasgow University and formerly a teacher of mathematics, in Ayr, in Scotland; aged 100 in 2010.

Another former pupil of the school was John Cairncross, (1913–1995), a former Dux medallist at Hamilton Academy who went on to study at the University of Glasgow; the Sorbonne and Trinity College, Cambridge.