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Eton, Buckinghamshire A guide to Eton, Buckinghamshire, England, highlighting history and visitor information. |
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EtonEton is often the forgotten sibling of Windsor, just a short walk away across the Thames on the Berkshire bank. But the visitors who take the time to cross the river to Eton find an attractive town dotted with fine historic buildings. The chief attraction is, of course, the famous public school, founded in 1440 by Henry VI. The original name of the school was "The King’s College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor", and it was meant to provide scholars for King's College, Cambridge, which Henry established in the following year. The original student body was made up of 70 poor students who lived at the school, and were educated for free, and several paying students who lived in the town itself. To fund the school Henry gave it several holy relics and, perhaps more practically, large grants of land. The extensive building that Henry envisaged for Eton chapel would have made it one of the largest and finest in the country, but when Henry was ousted by Edward IV Eton suffered the loss of much of its property, and building on the church ceased. Bishop Waynflete came to the rescue, however, and provided funds to finish the choir and add the antechapel. The finished structure is a wonderful example of the Perpendicular Gothic style. The remainder of the school buildings were added over the course of the next several centuries, notably Lupton’s Chapel, finished in 1515. Today Eton is home to over 1300 students. The school buildings can be visited, though groups larger than 8 persons need to book ahead (telephone 01753-671177 ). Regular tours depart at 1415 and 1515 from the main entrance, and include School Yard, Lower School, College Chapel, The Cloisters, and the Museum of Eton Life.
NEARBY: FEATURE
Text © David Ross and Britain Express 2001 |
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