“Harrow – a very British school”
During his stay at OZ Comic Con in Adelaide, Australia, Benedict Cumberbatch stated quite clearly how important it is to believe in education and which impacts education can have on a society. But what influences had education on the 37-year-old, who is often admired for his intellect, himself? The London born actor started boarding at the age of eight and later famously known attended Harrow School, not far from his family home. Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch at Harrow School: Being an arts scholar he lived with 70 other boys at “The Park”, one of Harrow’s twelve Houses. He played rugby on the school’s muddy fields and was concerned about becoming a barrister before his interest in acting turned into a thing for life. At 12 he played Titania, Queen of the Faries, and at 17 he declined the offer of playing Hamlet at Harrow’s own Ryan Theatre. Passing the A levels outweighed the Prince of Denmark at that time. Luckily he’s got a second chance now, twenty years later. It also was thanks to Harrow that Cumberbatch met his life-long friends pianist James Rhodes, his “Parade’s End” co-star Rebecca Hall and others.
I, for one, think it is only fair to say the actor’s attendance at Harrow School has never done him anything bad – except for the posh headlines in the papers but even these times have passed by now. Being a Harrovian is a true priviledge indeed and the Londoner has often stated his gratefulness towards his parents who did their very best to afford their only son the best education possible.
Harrow is a place with history and somewhat you can call an embarrassment of riches. It’s been home to some of the UK’s kings, politicians and other well-known people. Cumberbatch and Blunt both on the red sofa at “The Graham Norton Show”? It all comes back to Harrow with its old-age traditions, buildings which have been on that hill for centuries, its remarkable range of activities outside the classroom and the people who take care of the boys until they grow into young, well-mannered men.
Take a look at “Harrow – a very British school”, an eight part documentary available on Youtube, and be in awe of the English education that influenced Benedict Cumberbatch become the man he is today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80XIao_l9TE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBGCbwU2XaE
For more information on the boarding school, visit Harrow School’s official website.
2 comments to ““Harrow – a very British school””
Write a comment
You need to be logged in to leave a comment.
Small correction: Rebecca didn’t go to Harrow as she’s not a boy. 😉 She met him cause her best friend’s older brother was the same year as Benedict (as says this Telegraph article: “It was while he was performing in a school production that Cumberbatch first met Rebecca Hall, his friend and co-star in Parade’s End and, before that, Starter for 10. She was eight years old and he was in the same class as the older brother of her best friend, with whom she went to see the performance.” – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9459441/Benedict-Cumberbatch-returns-in-Parades-End.html)
Yes, thank you, that’s right. I guess, I expressed myself wrongly but it’s now corrected.