Harrow School
schoolPrivate school,Boarding school
| Harrow School link () Spartacus Website | |
|---|---|
| File:Harrow Crest.png | |
| Formation | 1572 |
| Founder | John Lyon of Preston |
| Type | Private school,Boarding school |
| Staff | (full-time) |
| One of the four boy's schools where the old British elite is raised. | |
Harrow School is an independent school for boys in Harrow, London, England. The school has an enrolment of 829 boys, all of whom board full-time, in twelve boarding houses.[1] It remains one of four all-boys, full-boarding schools in Britain, the others being Eton, Radley and Winchester[2].
It is one of the key institutions for the propagation of British establishment culture and cohesion, and the full list of notable Old Harrovians on Wikipedia is impressive.
History
The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon under a Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I. Harrow is the fifth most expensive boarding school in the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.[3] Harrow's history, wealth and influence have made it one of the most prestigious schools in the world.[4][5][6][7]
Harrow's uniform includes morning suits, straw boater hats, top hats and walking sticks. Its alumni include eight former British or Indian Prime Ministers (including Peel, [[Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|Palmerston]], Baldwin, Churchill and Nehru), foreign politicians, former and current members of both houses of the UK Parliament, five kings and several other members of various royal families, three Nobel Prize winners, twenty Victoria Cross and one George Cross holders, Academy-Award and BAFTA winners and many prominent figures in the arts and sciences.
Fagging
The system of fagging had long been a part of Harrow School life, and remained embedded in its culture up until the 1990s. In his detailed history of the school, Tyerman recorded that in 1796 fagging was compulsory for boys up to the fourth form, and that 50 out of 139 boys were then fags.[8] He observed that in some situations fagging could either encourage or conceal sexual activity between boys, and that fagging began to decline at around the same time as homosexuality was eradicated as an acceptable part of the school environment.[8] In 1928, Harrow master, C.H.P.Mayo, said of fagging: "Those who hope to rule must first learn to obey...to learn to obey as a fag is part of the routine that is the essence of the English Public School system...the wonder of other countries".[8] The actor, Simon Williams described how, as a new pupil in 1959, he was required to fag for prefects who were four years his senior, involving such duties as spit and polishing his shoes, making his bed, serving tea, and even pre-warming the toilet seat for him.[9]
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100213101912/http://www.harrowschool.org.uk/default.aspx?id=67
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/oct/31/schools.alevels
- ↑ http://www.privateschoolfees.co.uk/uploads/1/1/2/4/11247026/boarding_fees_2015_2016.pdf
- ↑ https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/careersandeducation/the-worlds-most-elite-boarding-schools/ss-BBozy2a?li=BBoPMmp#image=26
- ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education-and-careers/0/worlds-exclusive-boarding-schools/
- ↑ https://world-schools.com/the-best-boarding-schools-in-the-world/
- ↑ https://hk.asiatatler.com/life/10-outstanding-british-public-schools
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Tyerman, Christopher (2000). A History of Harrow School. Oxford University Press
- ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/archers-simon-williams-public-school-fagging/