The Natural History Museum was originally financed by subscription from Eton’s science masters in 1875.
It then became part of the science department opened by Queen Victoria in 1891 and commemorated by the magnificent archway which forms the entrance to what is known as Queen’s Schools which still contain the Curator’s Office. However, most of the museum you can see today is an Edwardian annexe which was added in memory of a boy, Lionel Lawson, who died in a boarding house fire in 1903.
Lawson was an avid birdwatcher, and his parents gave the College £5,000 in order to house the magnificent collection of British birds bequeathed to the College by George Thackeray (1777-1850).
Thackeray was a schoolboy at Eton, then became an assistant master at Eton, and finally was Provost of King’s College Cambridge.
The Museum currently contains over 16,000 specimens including several curiosities such as a two-faced cat, a four-footed duck, and a Kakapo (which is a flightless parrot from New Zealand). It is open to the general public on Sunday afternoons.
Many local schools visit the Museum as part of its active outreach programme.
Opposite the Museum are the Montague James Schools, built in 1938 and named after M.R. James (1862-1936), Provost of Eton, and celebrated writer of ghoststories.
Adjacent to the Museum is Lower Chapel, consecrated in 1891, where junior boys worship.
Opposite the Chapel are the Music Schools (opened in 1886 and extensively enlarged in the 1990s).
Look for the holes in the bricks where students have twisted coins and sharpened their pencils in advance of writing their scores.
Further down the lane on the righthand side are schoolrooms named after two previous headmasters (Edward Lyttelton, headmaster from 1905 to 1916 and Claude Elliott, headmaster from 1933 to 1949).
Continue along South Meadow Lane for a further 130m to where the Jafar Gallery can be found as the last building on the right hand side.
