Eton College Travel

Begun in 1441 by order of Henry VI, a masterpiece of Perpendicular Gothic architecture. The 15th-century Flemish School wall paintings (painted 1479-1487) on the chapel walls are the largest surviving collection of their kind in Northern Europe — the north wall depicts the Miracles of the Virgin, the south wall tells the story of a medieval empress. Covered with whitewash by Protestant authorities in 1560, accidentally rediscovered in 1847, and restored under the supervision of Eton Provost M.R. James in 1923. The east window installed in 1952 by Irish artist Evie Hone is considered a masterpiece of modern stained glass; the eight side windows were designed by John Piper and made by Patrick Reyntiens. The fan-vaulted ceiling was completed in 1959, fulfilling Henry VI's original vision of a stone vault. Photography is not permitted inside the chapel.

School Yard is the heart of Eton College, with the bronze statue of founder Henry VI at its centre — he wears medieval royal robes, holding the charter, his gaze fixed upon the college he founded in 1440, "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor." Behind the statue stands College House — the exclusive residence for King's Scholars, its red brick walls covered in ivy, the most iconic scene on campus. The square is surrounded by Upper School, Lower School and the domed library building. It is also the venue for the annual leaving ceremony in summer, where countless Old Etonians have bid farewell to their youth for 600 years. The statue's base bears the school motto "Floreat Etona" (May Eton Flourish), an essential photo spot for every visitor.

Eton College has three museums open to the public free of charge. The Natural History Museum, founded in 1875, holds over 17,000 specimens — from Cambrian fossils to the critically endangered New Zealand kākāpō, and over 1,400 bird eggs collected in the late 19th century — one of the most underrated natural history collections in Britain. The Antiquities Museum displays artefacts from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, including mummy fragments, amphorae and Roman coins. The Eton Life Museum is housed in Brewhouse Yard — originally the beer store for King's Scholars — with exhibits spanning 600 years of school history: commemorative medals, vintage uniforms, traditional sports equipment (wall game, field game) and precious relics of former Prime Minister alumni. Each museum offers family-friendly interactive activities — children can touch fossils and decipher hieroglyphs.

Eton High Street is the soul of this academic town — 18th-century red-brick buildings and old timber-framed designs line the street, interspersed with bookshops, English tea rooms, traditional stationers and Eton uniform suppliers. Eton boys in black tailcoats and white bow ties walk among them, as if stepping back to the Victorian era. At the end of High Street lies the Thames riverside, where the Burne-Jones decorated "Burning Bush" sculpture stands at the entrance to the churchyard, symbolising faith and tradition. Benches along the river offer views across to Windsor Castle's Round Tower and the Long Walk tree line — a perfect spot for photographers to capture the classic "two towns, one river" composition. The Watermans Arms at the end of High Street is a traditional riverside pub, ideal for a rest.