The Guild of Freemen of the City of London

[View larger image]

[View larger image]

Visit to Harrow School and Lunch

4 July 2009

Coffee was served in the elegant Shepherd Churchill Dining Room with its breathtaking panoramic scenes of London from 10am as Guild Members and their guests arrived.

The Master, Sir Gavyn Arthur, himself and old Harrovian gave a quick introduction about the school, before taking everyone over to the ancient Church, St Mary's with its Saxon Tower and Byron's Peachey Stone, a flat tombstone under an elm tree where Byron as a boy composed verses whilst at Harrow.

From there everyone ambled back in the warm sunshine for a pre-lunch drink on the terrace, where Mr Peter Hunter, a Master at Harrow and also a Housemaster of The Park (Lord Palmerston's House) joined the Master and the Guild for a delicious three course lunch.

After lunch at 2.30pm the Harrow guides came and gave the Guild Members a guided tour of the historic school building, including the Jacobean Fourth Floor Room (featured in the Harry Potter films), the Speech Room and the Chapel. A fascinating and interesting tour was brought to a conclusion at 4pm when everyone came back for afternoon tea, before departing for their homeward journeys after an extremely agreeable day with an insight into the life of a boy at Harrow.