Eton College, British boarding school in Eton, England
Eton College is a boys' boarding school in Eton, Berkshire, founded in 1440 by Henry VI. Its red brick ranges with pale stone trim cluster around School Yard, where Roger Lupton's gatehouse, flanked by two octagonal towers with grey roofs and finials, carries a black-faced clock with gold numerals and a small red and gold shield above it. A low brick wall with a stone cap runs along the front, and to the right a pale stone range with tall arched windows and pinnacles stands beside the lawns.
King Henry VI founded the school in 1440 to prepare boys for Cambridge. After the Reformation, it survived and grew into one of the most influential schools in England over the following centuries.
The school's own sports include the Eton wall game and the Eton field game, played on its grounds. Since 1805 an annual cricket match between Eton and Harrow has been held at Lord's, the oldest regular fixture played there. Latin and Ancient Greek are still taught.
Visitors enter through the Lupton Gatehouse on School Yard, where the clock and shield face the lawn. The cobbled yard and stone thresholds are uneven in places, so sturdy shoes help. The chapel and cloisters lie beyond the gatehouse, with the College Library in the south range.
The campus houses a natural history museum with over 16,000 specimens, including insects, birds, and fossils collected by students and staff. Some of these collections are open to the public on certain days of the year.
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