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Top 10 Fascinating Facts About Eton College in England

1. The buildings are hundreds of years old

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There are many buildings at Eton which date nearly as far back as the school鈥檚 original founding in 1441. It鈥檚 true that many of them look imposing, as that鈥檚 exactly how they were designed – to look formidable! The current chapel and cloisters were all completed around the late 15th century, and the school was originally home to many rare religious relics. The famous gatehouse was privately financed by wealthy benefactors, and most of the original building work was completed by 1670. The latest important addition to the main college buildings was the College Library, located in the south part of the cloisters. It houses a significant collection of rare and old books and manuscripts.

And it鈥檚 not just the buildings themselves which date back hundreds in years. In one of Eton鈥檚 oldest classrooms, even the class benches are said to be around 500 years old. If you sit in one of these, you are truly sitting on years of history.

2. It is located near one of the Queen鈥檚 residences.

Eton College is located near to the town of Windsor in Berkshire. The town of Windsor is home to Windsor Castle, which is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. It is also the regular weekend residence of the Queen, and is one of the official residences of the whole British Royal Family. It comes as little surprise then, that many male members of the British Royal Family have attended Eton College for years throughout history.

In 2018, the town was the location of the wedding of the Queen鈥檚 grandson, Prince Harry, to Meghan Markle, and was visited by thousands of people on the wedding day. The couple were married in St George鈥檚 Chapel, and chapel of Windsor Castle. It was also significant because Prince Harry used to attend Eton College, along with his brother Prince William.

3. Pupils live there seven days a week

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The school is known as a full boarding school, which means that every pupil who attends it boards there full time for the entire week during term time. This is in keeping with the traditional way of public schools.

This doesn鈥檛 mean that pupils are fully separated from their families however. The three terms, or halves as they are traditionally known, are punctuated by lengthy holidays, so that boys can go home to their families.

The accommodation is made up of 25 houses on campus, each with around 50 other boys or so. They will all be aged between 13 and 18. There鈥檚 no sharing at Eton, as each pupil will get their own private room. Each house is run by a professional housemaster, who supervises the pupils and makes sure everything is running smoothly. They are also helped by a dame, who supervises the other staff. This could include a private chef to cook meals for the students.

4. It is one of the world鈥檚 most expensive schools

Eton was originally founded as a charity school, to provide education to 70 poor boys in the area.

However, for many pupils today it can cost over 拢42,000 a year, breaking down to about 拢14,000 per term. This made it the sixth most expensive school in the UK. However, this doesn鈥檛 completely exclude all pupils except those from the wealthiest backgrounds. Eton College provides financial assistance for many students, with around 70 said to be attending completely free of charge.

Eton have said that they are planning to increase the amount of pupils receiving financial assistance significantly in the coming years, making the top class education offered by the school more accessible for those from less rich backgrounds.

You do get a lot for your money though. The school has a student to teacher ratio of 8 to 1, one of the best in the country and significantly better than most secondary schools. The small class sizes guarantees a high quality education for students of all abilities.

5. It has been attended by generations of leaders and royals

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When you think of Eton College alumni you likely think of the two most famous royals who have attended it recently – heir to the throne Prince William and his younger brother Prince Harry.

William was actually the first royal to attend the school in many years, and left at 18 with ABC a-level grades to attend the University St. Andrews. Harry did not attend university, but instead entered the military soon after leaving.

During his time at Eton William was a member of Pop, or Eton Society, the school鈥檚 most exclusive prefect group in which membership is reserved only for elite students. Former members of this group also include current British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while former Prime Minister David Cameron allegedly attempted to join, but was not elected.

Other famous alumni include actor Christopher Lee, explorer Bear Grylls, and authors Aldous Huxley and Ian Fleming. Many famous British men have walked through the hallowed halls of Eton.

6. However, Prince Charles did not go there

Despite the school鈥檚 outstanding education, it was not the education of choice for Prince Charles, the Queen鈥檚 eldest son. Until he was eight years old he had a private tutor instead, as was tradition back then for royals. When the decision came to send Charles to a real school, he attended a couple before enrolling at Gordonstoun in 1962. The boarding school in Scotland was notoriously tough, and had been attended by Charles鈥檚 father Prince Philip previously. The notoriously harsh regime was hard on Charles, although he later praised the school.

This difficult period in Charles鈥檚 life, and indeed for his parents, was illustrated in an episode of the Netflix series The Crown. While the exact details of Charles鈥檚 experience at school may not be public knowledge, the powerful episode goes some way to showing how difficult his time at that school was, and highlights the fact that, when it came time to send his own children to school, Charles of course chose Eton College.

7. It has a very distinctive uniform

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The Eton College uniform is famous and instantly recognisable as a marker of the school鈥檚 status.

Most important is the black tailcoat, or morning coat, which is worn over a black waistcoat and pinstriped trousers. There is also worn a distinctive white neck tie. Although very traditional, the uniform has been modernised over time with each new headmaster, but still remains in the accepted style. Black top hats are often seen on Eton pupils, but are only usually worn for special occasions.

The official uniform can be purchased from a few dedicated shops.

8. It has been the backdrop for many films

The historic buildings and cloisters of Eton College are unique and inspiring, and have served as a shooting location for many films over the years. Some of the most famous of these include 2010鈥檚 My Week With Marilyn, starring former student Eddie Redmayne, and Shakespeare in Love from 1998.

The wood paneled dining rooms are unique and well preserved at Eton, and are popular among filmmakers as filming locations for period pieces. The College鈥檚 cricket pavilion was also the filming location for a scene in the James Bond movie Casino Royale. This scene, however, had nothing to do with cricket, but was instead dressed up as an exotic location with palm trees and tropical flowers.

9. It has produced some major Hollywood stars

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Outside of British politics and the Royal Family, Eton College has also educated many of Britain鈥檚 most famous and popular actors. From Hollywood stars such as Tom Hiddleston, Damian Lewis and Eddie Redmayne to TV regular Hugh Laurie, some of the country鈥檚 most popular actors have been students at Eton at some point. Many other famous performers, such as Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch, have attended other elite private schools such as Harrow.

However, some actors have spoken up about the issues caused by too many privately educated actors in the industry. Actor James MacAvoy spoke about the risk that the wider population of Britain is not properly represented if over half of all its actors have been privately educated.

10. It was founded by King Henry VI

In 1441, King Henry VI founded Eton College in order to prepare boys from poorer backgrounds to attend the University of Cambridge by providing them with a superior education. It was then named as “Kynge’s College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore.鈥� The school was issued with significant grants and privileges to help fund it, however these were taken away when Henry was deposed 20 years later by King Edward IV.

The school was allegedly saved from ruin by the King鈥檚 mistress, Jane Shore, although its size was much reduced. From then on the funding of the school relied much on donations from wealthy benefactors, many of whom built the buildings that we still see to this day. Early life at the school was minimalist and highly regimented, with the day starting at 6am, and not many holidays.