Since the earliest days of the College, sport has been a central part of a boy’s time at Eton and today there are nearly 90 different authorised school colours for the different teams a boy can be part of. The annual cricket match against Harrow at Lord’s Cricket Ground is one of the longest-running sporting fixtures in the world, having been played since 1805. A team of Old Etonians won the FA Cup twice. The Eight first rowed in the Henley Regatta in 1861.
Join us to find out which former Prime Minister the Captain of College Wall described as ‘though rather young and weak for his position played an excellent if inconspicuous game’ and discover which sport one boy described as providing ‘equal opportunities for the snappy dribbler and seventy-ton tank’.
In this Olympic year, the exhibition, drawing on objects from the College Collections, will look at the contribution Etonians have made on the international sporting stage, including the use of the College’s rowing facilities in the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the history of sport at Eton College from the 15th Century to the present day.
24 April 2024 – December 2024
Open Saturdays and Sundays 2.30pm to 5pm, or by appointment
Free entry