VISIT TO ETON COLLEGE
Friday afternoon, 11 September 2009
Eton
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| Eton College |
Tim told us that Eton College had been established by Henry VI in 1440, which then included a community of secular priests, a pilgrimage church, an almshouse, and provision for 70 scholars to receive free education. He gave quite a lot of land to the college which still generates a substantial income. in 1448 Henry VI was responsible for starting to build the impressive College Chapel, although it was not completed until around 1482 by Bishop Waynflete.
From the 70 scholars provided for by Henry VI the school has expanded to around 1300 boys. The scholars are admitted by competitive examination.
Around the mid-sixteenth century the boys "enjoyed" a Spartan existence - they were awakened at 5am, chanted prayers while dressing, and were at work by 6am. All teaching was in Latin - the language of the church, the law, and business - and was virtually the only subject taught. The boys marched in double file to the college Hall for two meals each day, with no food at all on Fridays - a day of fasting. They had two holidays a year - 3 weeks in the summer when they could go home, and 3 weeks at Christmas when they had to stay at the college.
The most famous Old Etonian was the Duke of Wellington. It is well-known that twenty Old Etonians have been Prime Ministers. Equally impressive are the Old Etonian writers - Gray, Shelley, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Ian Fleming, and there are many more - in fact Old Etonians are found in most fields.
Our visit included the Museum of Eton Life - where there are more than 400 unusual and interesting exhibits, from the re-creation of a boy's room from 1900, to a video of current college life.
Our guide also told us about the colourful fourth of June celebration - a procession of boats, each sponsored by a Royal Navy ship, puts the unsteadiness of the skull and oar to the test on the Thames, when ceremony demands that the crew stand up in the boat with oars raised vertically, and then shake the flowers decorating their boaters into the water... It's not all so demanding though - the day concludes with the boys and their families enjoying a picnic on the river bank.
After about two hours, we left Eton College - by then were desperate for a cup of tea, so found our way along the High Street to a coaching inn from 1711, where fortunately a big afternoon tea was waiting for us... We all agreed that the afternoon had been something special to remember.
Jilly Frisch
