Highgate School

Highgate School stands on an island site in Highgate Village, London. Founded in 1565 by Sir Roger Cholmeley, it began as a free grammar school for local boys. The original buildings included a chapel and a gatehouse near the Gatehouse Inn. Over centuries the school expanded, adding boarding houses and sports fields in Bishopswood Road. Reginald Blomfield designed the current chapel and main buildings in the 19th century. The senior school still occupies the original island site in the village. The school has shaped education in London through partnerships and sponsorships. It helped launch the London Academy of Excellence in 2010 and sponsors a Tottenham academy opened in 2017. The Chrysalis Partnership supports 26 state schools across six boroughs. Its academic reputation grew under headmasters like John Bradley Dyne in the 19th century and J. A. H. Johnston in the early 20th. Johnston introduced science and aeronautics, even acquiring biplanes for lessons. The school has educated poets such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, originally buried in its chapel. Visitors can see the island site with its chapel and main buildings designed by Blomfield. A fragment of the old school entrance remains near the porter’s lodge. The Sir Martin Gilbert Library and the Charter Building provide modern facilities. The school museum opens to the public on Saturday mornings during term time. Sports fields and former boarding houses stretch along Bishopswood Road. The house system divides pupils into groups, continuing a tradition from the 19th century.