IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
High Street, WINDSOR, SL4 6BT

The fourth and fifth columns has the following wording and illustrations: 12) Kakapo flightless parrot The Natural History Museum was originally financed by subscription from Eton's Science Masters in 1875. Most of the museum is actually an Edwardian annexe added in memory of a boy, Lionel Lawson, who died in a boarding house fire in 1903. He was an avid birdwatcher and his parents gave the College money to house a collection of British birds bequeathed by George Thackeray (1777-1850) an assistant master. The Museum contains over 16,000 specimens including several curiosities such as the Kakapo, a flightless parrot from New Zealand. 11) Dr John Keate Keate House was mainly built in 1788 and named after Dr John Keate (1773-1852), who was Headmaster of Eton from 1809 to 1834. He followed two weaker headmasters and was at first unpopular due to employment of stern methods. He wore a huge cocked hat long after it had been fashionable, and was said to look like an angry bulldog 'ever ready to explode into rage'. William Ewart Gladstone and Percy Bysshe Shelley were amongst his more famous pupils.

This photo shows the metal information at the south end of Eton High Street SL4 6AA which was erected by the Eton Community Association. It gives a description of the 2 mile Eton Walkway with explanations of places to see on the way. Among the illustrations on the board are Eton College, a rare Post Box and Eton scholars rowing on the River Thames.

This first column shows the coat of arms of Eton College and has the following wording: The Eton Walkway Eton has been a settlement since at least Saxon times, though Roman and Celtic urns suggest an earlier origin. Its name derives from Eyot-tun, meaning 'settlement on an island'. It was originally bounded by the Thames and several streams and thus relatively safe from attack. Traces of the Saxon settlement survive. There are large commons and areas of Lammas lands where householders were allowed to graze two beasts between August and October. At the time of Domesday (1086), 'Ettone' was listed as having two mills, a meadow, woodland and fisheries. The settlement first concentrated on the higher land and quickly spread along the present High Street during the Middle Ages in response to the growth of Windsor. In 1826 the decision was taken to reject a plan to enclose the parish land. This parish is one of the few still containing Lammas land, one reason why a rail connection to the town was delayed. However, the Windsor Branch rail viaduct was completed in 1849, running through the meadows and crossing the river on Brunel's bridge which is now the world's oldest wrought iron railway bridge still in regular service. The Thames has always been more of a link than a barrier. The stones used to build Eton College Chapel were conveyed here by barge. The first bridge was built in about 1170, while the present bridge opened in 1822. It was freed from tolls in 1898, and closed to motor vehicles in 1970. Eton High Street leads from the bridge through the town to the College. Henry VI founded Eton College in 1440. He was a shy and peace-loving man, then aged 18. He loved Windsor and so converted the parish church on the other side of the Thames into a Collegiate Church. Eton College was endowed with considerable estates spread across England. The Founder decreed that there were to be 70 King's Scholars, who were educated for free and housed in College. Outside College itself, so-called Oppidans were lodged in houses in the town and received the same education. Originally these houses were run by Dames, but more recently by House Masters. Today there are 24 boarding houses for Oppidans and over 1,300 boys in all.

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.

The sixth and seventh columns have the following illustration and wording: Map of the Eton Walkway This map shows the following eighteen locations: 1) The King's Stables 2) The Cockpit 3) Eton Pony School 4) Baldwin's Bridge 5) Eton College 6) The Burning Bush 7) The Wall Game 8) Skinner's Bridge 9) The Herschel Observatory 10) Sir Antony Gormley's Edge II Statue 11) Keate House 12) The Natural History Museum 13) Eton Museum of Antiquities 14) The Church of St John the Evangelist 15) The Christopher Inn 16) Jubilee Square 17) The Brocas 18) Eton Boat House Nos 2, 5, 10,11,12 and 18 are described on this information board https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6396908, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6396927 refer. Wording to the right of the Map The Eton Walkway celebrates the town's diverse community and rich heritage. The 2 mile walk connects many of the town's highlights and we hope it will inspire those who live and work in Eton as well as its many visitors. Bronze markers set in the footpath identify points of interest and use Eton's coat of arms, originally granted by the King in 1449. The Walkway is an Eton Community Association initiative, made possible by the generous support of local residents, businesses, The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Eton College, Eton Town Council, The Prince Philip Trust Fund, The Baldwin Bridge Trust, Royal Albert Institute Trust, Pavenet and the Grundon, Rivaz/Beaumont and Fussey families.

Viewed from Thames Side, Windsor looking across the River Thames towards Eton.

Upmarket restaurant looking onto the River Thames at Windsor Bridge. http://www.eton.co.uk/

Magnificent floral display - petunias - at the House on the Bridge, Eton. http://www.eton.co.uk/

Viewed from Thames Side, Windsor looking towards Eton. At about 50 metres across, the bridge spans the narrowest part of the river hereabouts.