In 1887, the Right Reverend Bishop Canilla, Vicar Apostolic, opened a school at Lower Castle Road. Funds had been made available for this school by Mr. William Eschauzier, a Gibraltarian. The Bishop named the school in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes, in thanksgiving for the miraculous recovery of his brother Sebastian after a visit to the Grotto at Lourdes. This school was opened specifically for "poor boys". The Christian Brothers were in charge of Education in Gibraltar at the time, and took over Lourdes School together with five other schools they were managing. It continued to be a Boys' School until 1940, when the citizens of Gibraltar were evacuated during World War 2. At the end ofthe war, the evacuated citizens of Gibraltar were repatriated and the school building was used as a transit centre until families were re-housed. After the war, the Department of Education took over the school for boys aged 11 to 15.
In 1967 a new boys' school was opened at Bayside. It became Lourdes School, and the building in Castle Road became a Commercial School for girls.
In 1972, secondary schools in Gibraltar became Comprehensive, and the Girls' Commercial School was moved to John Mackintosh Hall. When the building at Castle Road was vacated, St. Bernard's First School moved in. The school shared the building with the Plater Youth Club which occupied the ground floor.
When the Plater Youth Club were given other premises, the building was left for the sole use of St. Bernard's First School.
Although maintenance and repair programmes have taken place throughout the years, the main strudure of the building is much as it was 100 years ago.
