Part of the Information Board in Eton High Street (2)

Image: © David Hillas Taken: 13 Sep 2019

This second and third columns has the following wording and illustrations: 10) Sir Antony Gormley's Edge II Statue Sir Antony Gormley's Edge II Statue was fixed high on Common Lane House in 2002. Commissioned by the College, Gormley (b.1950) chose the location. The statue faces looking down onto the path, and now onto an Eton Walkway marker. Former Provost of Eton College, Eric Anderson pointed out: 'For a school keenly interested in rank, relative position and the long strive upwards, his presence above the street is a reminder of another way of looking at the world'. 2) Rare Post Box The Cockpit at 47-49 High Street, is on the edge of the old medieval market square, with a front dating from about 1440. For a time it was an inn called the Adam and Eve. It once served as an abattoir but in the 1930s it became a popular tea room, taking the name 'The Cockpit' from an antique shop that had previously occupied the site. Nearby is a rare pillar-box, of a Doric design, dating from 1856, just 15 years after the issue of the first postage stamps. It is only one of ten surviving and has been at this location since 1891. Earlier post boxes had been painted green, to blend in, but people kept walking into them. 5) Eton College The College was founded by Henry VI in 1440 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The main College buildings were built round two quadrangles. The larger of these is School Yard, surrounded by Upper School, College Chapel and the dormitory accommodation of College where the King's Scholars work and sleep. School Yard also contains the bronze statue of Henry VI designed by Francis Bird in 1719 visible through the main gates. 18) Eton Scholars rowing Eton Boat House, known as 'Rafts' is where the whiffs and elite boats were built and kept for many years. Rowing has been a feature of school life since the late 18th century, and there was a Procession of Boats on the Fourth of June (King George III's birthday) as early as the 1790s. The first race between Eton and Westminster took place in 1829. The College constructed a Rowing Centre at Dorney Lake, two miles west of Eton, and this was the site of the Olympic rowing and sprint canoeing events in 2012.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0