The Burning Bush

The Burning Bush is a listed Victorian lamp post outside the Memorial Buildings (School Hall and School Library). It was designed by Henry Woodyer, an Old Etonian and specialist church architect, with elaborate wrought iron flower heads, depicting fleurs-de-lys and lilies, which are integral parts of Eton’s coat of arms. Originally it was designed to stand in New Schools Yard on the opposite side of Common Lane. It was displaced by the Russian cannon (captured at Sebastopol in 1855, given to the college in 1867). New Schools were also designed by Woodyer. Instead the Burning Bush stood in the Slough Road from 1864 for nearly a hundred years. In 1963, an island was created to help boys cross in safety and the lamp was moved to its present position. It is a significant Eton landmark and meeting place.

Until quite recently Masters used to gather in School Hall every mid-morning school day for ‘Chambers’ and boys who wish to see a Master would wait by the Burning Bush to have a word with him. Chambers now takes place in Upper School. School Hall and School Library were built in English Renaissance style as a memorial to Etonians killed in the Boer War and were opened by King Edward VII on 18 November 1908.
School Hall replaced two small boys’ houses and is used to host concerts, plays, films, examinations and other large gatherings. School Library was built with a dome and cupola, affording maximum floor space and minimum shelf space, and serves as a first-rate reading and reference library, available to all members of the Eton community