Repton School is one of Derbyshire’s top educational institutions where many students went on to become household names.
The 13–18 co-educational, private, boarding and day school was founded in 1557 and over the decades has come to be recognised as one the region’s top schools.
The school marked its 450th anniversary in 2007 with a royal visit from Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. Celebrations also included concerts featuring Michael Ball and Bryan Ferry.
Through the centuries many Reptonians have gone on to achieve notable success in diverse fields of arts, culture, sport and philanthropy.
Did you know Roald Dahl studied at Repton, and his inspiration behind Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a chance visit to Cadbury factory in Birmingham?
Here are a few of Repton School’s notable alumni.
1. Jeremy Clarkson, journalist and presenter
From a career as a local journalist in northern England, Clarkson rose to prominence as a presenter on Top Gear in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, he has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows for BBC and appearing as a guest on other shows. Most recently he has fronted a documentary following him learning to farm his own land in the Cotswolds. | Repton School
2. Tom Chambers, actor
Tom Chambers (New 1990) is an English actor best known for his roles in BBC series Casualty, Holby City and Waterloo Road. He also won the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing. | Repton School
3. Harold Abrahams CBE, Olympic gold medallist
The most famous of Reptonian Olympians is Harold Abrahams (Mitre 1914) whose pioneering achievements were the subject of the iconic film, Chariots of Fire. He competed in the 1920 Antwerp Games and the 1924 Paris Games, as well as captaining the British team in 1928. | Getty
4. Bunny Austin, tennis player
Henry Wilfred "Bunny" Austin (Orchard 1920) was an English tennis player who, for 74 years, was the last Briton to reach the final of the men's singles at Wimbledon, until Andy Murray in 2012. He was a finalist at the 1937 French Open and a championship winner at Queen's Club. He is also the first tennis player to wear shorts. | Repton School