Eton College

Eton College Review

The splendid Tudor-style buildings of Eton College, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI, border the north end of High Street; signs warn drivers of "Boys Crossing." During the college semesters, the schoolboys dress in their distinctive pin-striped trousers, swallow-tailed coats, and stiff collars (top hats have not been worn by the boys since the 1940s) to walk to class, and it's all terrifically photogenic. The Gothic Chapel rivals St. George's at Windsor in size and magnificence, and is both impressively austere and intimate. Beyond the cloisters are the school's playing fields where, according to the duke of Wellington, the Battle of Waterloo was really won, since so many of his officers had learned discipline and strategy during their school days there. The Museum of Eton Life has displays on the school's history.