Influential Figures
Ben Key
A vice-admiral decorated with the Order of the British Empire. He heads the Permanent Joint Headquarters, the body that controls and coordinates the country’s military operations abroad.
Michael Heseltine
Among the school’s most prominent alumni stands a politician and businessman who became a millionaire in the 1960s. Today he ranks in the UK’s top 200 wealthiest individuals through his leadership of Haymarket Media Group. His political career brought him a reputation as one of Britain’s most charismatic and decisive figures. He served as Defence Secretary, later becoming press secretary to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher—one of the few who could challenge her directly. In 1990, after numerous disagreements, he contested the Iron Lady’s leadership of the Conservative Party, ultimately displacing her though losing to John Major.
Business
Digby Jones
A politician and businessman who chairs several companies as non-executive director: X-Force, DRP Holdings Ltd, Thatcher’s Cider Ltd, On Logistics Ltd, Triumph Motorcycles Ltd, Argentex Group plc, and Metalfloor UK Ltd. His entrepreneurial success opened doors to politics—from 2007 to 2008 he served as Minister for Trade and Investment, then as the UK’s ambassador in the same capacity. Until 2020, he sat in the House of Lords.
Actors
Trevor Eve
Perhaps the school’s brightest creative talent. This acclaimed stage, film, and television actor launched his career in the 1970s. He’s won the London Critics Awards, Olivier Awards, Evening Standard, and British Regional Theatre prizes, while participating in Emmy and BAFTA-winning projects. After graduating, he performed at the Royal National Theatre before appearing in BBC and ITV series. Later he produced several successful projects.
Arthur Darvill
Did you know Doctor Who featured someone who studied here? This theatre and film actor gained recognition playing Mephistopheles in Shakespeare’s Globe production of Faust, along with Rory Williams in the legendary Doctor Who series. He also appeared in Treasure Island at the Royal National Theatre.
Science
Alfred Edward Housman
One of his era’s most influential classicists. He was a renowned Latin scholar and poet whose works continue to be set to music. His name remains embedded in many aspects of the school. He became an academic through independent study, eventually gaining recognition by working at prestigious establishments like UCL and Cambridge, where he served as Professor of Latin. He published widely acknowledged and still-relevant works on Roman poets Lucan, Manilius, and Juvenal.
