Harrow School was founded by royal charter in 1572, making it one of England's oldest boarding schools. Its alumni list reads like a survey of British (and occasionally global) public life: Byron, Sheridan, Trollope, Churchill, Nehru, and seven other British prime ministers all passed through. The school's buildings are scattered across the hilltop village, ranging from the Old Schools (the original 1615 building) to Victorian Gothic boarding houses and the Speech Room, an auditorium that hosts major events.
Casual visitors cannot simply walk through the campus, but the school does open during heritage events and occasional open days. The Speech Room is occasionally accessible, and the churchyard of St Mary's — technically separate from the school — is always open and offers the best vantage point for understanding the geography of the place. The school's small museum in the Old Schools building traces the institution's history and can be visited by arrangement. For most visitors, the pleasure is simply in walking the lanes between the school buildings and absorbing the unchanged character of the hilltop.