Some of the UK’s schools are older than most countries. Their stories are part of the country’s history, and several are in towns well worth a visit in their own right. Schools are working places, so check before visiting: some open their grounds or museums on set days.
The schools below are all independent schools, with long histories and famous former pupils. They have shaped the language, the sports and the politics of the country in ways that reach far beyond their gates. Each is in a place with plenty more to see.
1. The King’s School, Canterbury
Traces its origins to 597, when St Augustine arrived in Kent, which would make it one of the oldest schools in the world. Canterbury’s cathedral is next door. The school grew up in the shadow of the cathedral, and its buildings are still in the cathedral precincts.
St Augustine was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to convert the English to Christianity. He became the first Archbishop of Canterbury, and he is thought to have set up a school to teach the young men who would serve in the church. The King’s School claims that school as its beginning.
The school’s famous former pupils include the playwright Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of Shakespeare, and the novelist W. Somerset Maugham. It took its present name after it was refounded by Henry VIII in the sixteenth century. Its old buildings are some of the most beautiful of any school in the country.
Canterbury Cathedral, a World Heritage Site, is one of the most important churches in England, and it is the mother church of the Anglican Communion. The medieval city around it is full of history, with old city walls and narrow streets. See our Canterbury guide.
2. Winchester College
Founded in 1382 by William of Wykeham, and one of the oldest schools in continuous operation in the country. William of Wykeham was Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England, and he also founded New College, Oxford. The two were designed to work together, with boys from Winchester going on to New College.
Former pupils of the school are known as Wykehamists, after its founder. The school’s motto, Manners makyth man, is one of the most famous in the country. Its medieval buildings, including a chapel and cloisters, are still in use.
For most of its history, Winchester was a boys’ school, but it began admitting girls to its sixth form in 2022. It is known for its academic standards. The school offers guided tours on some days, so check before you go.
Winchester was once the capital of England, and its cathedral is one of the longest medieval cathedrals in Europe. Jane Austen is buried in the cathedral. See our Winchester guide.
3. Eton College, Berkshire
Founded by Henry VI in 1440, across the river from Windsor Castle, and the school of twenty British prime ministers. Henry VI founded it as a charity school for poor boys, who would go on to King’s College, Cambridge, which he founded soon afterwards. Today it is one of the most famous schools in the world.
Eton’s former pupils include prime ministers, princes, writers and actors. Prince William and Prince Harry went to Eton. A line often attributed to the Duke of Wellington, another former pupil, says that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, although he probably never said it.
Eton is known for its traditions, including its uniform of black tailcoats, and its own games, such as the Eton wall game. Its chapel, built in the fifteenth century, has remarkable medieval wall paintings. The school has a museum of Eton life and other collections.
The school offers guided tours on some days, so check before you go. Eton is a short walk across the bridge from Windsor, where the castle is one of the homes of the royal family. The town’s high street leads from the bridge to the college.
4. Harrow School, London
Granted a royal charter by Elizabeth I in 1572, on a hill in north west London with views over the city. The school was founded by John Lyon, a local farmer, to educate local boys. It has grown into one of the most famous schools in the country.
Harrow’s former pupils include Winston Churchill, the poet Lord Byron and Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India. Seven British prime ministers were educated there. Churchill kept returning to the school throughout his life, to sing the school songs.
Harrow’s pupils wear straw boater hats, one of the most famous school uniforms in the country. The school has its own form of football, played with a large ball. Its Old Speech Room Gallery has collections of art and antiquities.
Harrow on the Hill, the old village around the school, is one of the prettiest corners of London. From the churchyard at the top of the hill, there are views across London. It is a peaceful place to walk.
5. Rugby School, Warwickshire
Where, the story goes, a pupil called William Webb Ellis picked up the ball in 1823 and ran with it, and the game took the town’s name. There is a statue of him outside the school. The Rugby World Cup trophy is named the Webb Ellis Cup in his honour.
Historians doubt the story, which was first told many years after the event. But the game of rugby football did grow up at Rugby School, and the school’s pupils wrote down some of its first rules. From Rugby, it spread around the world.
Rugby School was founded in 1567 by Lawrence Sheriff, a grocer who supplied spices to Elizabeth I. In the nineteenth century, under its famous headmaster Thomas Arnold, it became a model for schools across the country. The novel Tom Brown’s School Days, by Thomas Hughes, is set there.
Visitors come from around the world to see the Close, the playing field where the game is said to have begun. The poet Rupert Brooke was born in Rugby and went to the school. The school is a working place, so check what is open to visitors before you go.
Visiting a school for an open day or an interview? A car to the door means arriving on time and unflustered. For daily journeys, see how school runs work.
Ride with ZeroLanes. A car booked ahead, at a price fixed before you confirm, with the driver and the car on your journey page before pickup. Book a school run.