History

In 1567, a Tudor merchant, benefactor, and grocer to Queen Elizabeth I, Lawrence Sheriff, stipulated in his will that a sum of money was to be used "to serve chiefly for the children of Rugby and Brownsover”. The amount of money was greatly reduced and as a counter he bequest his eight-acre pasture in Conduit Close. Once a field sitting half a mile outside of the London city walls in Middlesex, it was not allowed to be built on. Over time, as rules changed, Trustees of Rugby School received permission to construct and thus the residential development of the site began, as the city spread north and west to reach it. 200 years later, Rugby Estate is a rarity, snuggly nestled in the concrete metropolis of London.

The income from the School’s founder’s shrewd investment in this individual part of central London funds bursaries and scholarships that, over the years, have allowed many hundreds of children to attend the school who might otherwise not have been able to. In some cases, 100% of their fees have been waived. Today, some 30% of students at the School benefit from this, and they are enormously grateful to our tenants for helping to give them this opportunity of a Rugby School education. This was the ethos on which the School was found in 1567.