Jimmy Adams

Jimmy Adams

Cricketer

Attended Sherborne School (The Green) 1994-1999. Hampshire County cricketer.

Hugh Bonneville

Hugh Bonneville

Actor

Attended Sherborne School (Harper) 1977-1981. Actor, best known for playing the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey.

Tom Bradby

Tom Bradby

Journalist

Attended Sherborne School (Abbey) 1980-1985. Journalist and author, presenter of ITV News at Ten.

Herbert Buckmaster (1881-1966)

Herbert Buckmaster (1881-1966)

Founder

Attended Sherborne School (Abbeylands) 1896-1900. Founder of Buck's Club and creator of the Buck's Fizz cocktail.

Hubert Burton

Hubert Burton

Actor

Attended Sherborne School (Lyon) 2004-2009. Actor.

Duncan Carse (1913-2004)

Duncan Carse (1913-2004)

Actor, Explorer

Attended Sherborne School (Westcott) 1927-1930. Polar explorer and the voice of Dick Barton, Special Agent.

Christopher Chataway (1931-2014)

Christopher Chataway (1931-2014)

Politician

Rt Hon Sir Christopher Chataway attended Sherborne School (Harper) 1944-1949. Politician, broadcaster, represented GB at the 1952 and 1956 Olympic Games.

Charles Collingwood

Charles Collingwood

Actor

Attended Sherborne School (Westcott) 1957-1960. Actor, best known for playing Brian Aldridge in The Archers.

Patrick Cordingley

Patrick Cordingley

Author

Major General Patrick Cordingley attended Sherborne School (The Green) 1958-1963. British Army Officer, author, and former School Governor.

David Cornwell (John Le Carré)

David Cornwell (John Le Carré)

Actor

Attended Sherborne School (Westcott) 1945-1948. Author who, under his pen name John le Carré, has published over 18 titles.

Arnold Cortesi (1897-1966)

Arnold Cortesi (1897-1966)

Journalist

Attended Sherborne School (Abbeylands) 1911-1915. Journalist, New York Times foreign correspondent, Pulitzer Prize winner.

Charlie Cox

Charlie Cox

Actor

Attended Sherborne School (The Green) 1996-2001. Actor, who has appeared in Daredevil, Spider-Man, Stardust and The Theory of Everything.

Timothy Cumberbatch

Timothy Cumberbatch

Actor

Attended Sherborne School (Lyon) 1953-1958. Actor, with a career in both the theatre and television, appearing in a number of BBC television series.

James Daunt

James Daunt

Business Founder

Attended Sherborne School (Harper) 1977-1981. Founder of Daunt Books and managing director of Waterstones.

Cecil Day-Lewis (1904-1972)

Cecil Day-Lewis (1904-1972)

Author

Attended Sherborne School (Harper) 1917-1923. Author and poet, Poet Laureate 1968-1972.

Nigel Dempster (1941-2007)

Nigel Dempster (1941-2007)

Journalist

Attended Sherborne School (School House) 1955-1958. Journalist, author, broadcaster, and columnist.

Richard Eyre

Richard Eyre

Film Director

Sir Richard Eyre attended Sherborne School (Westcott) 1956-1961. Director and producer, winner of five Olivier awards and a BAFTA.

Nick Greenstock

Nick Greenstock

Athlete

Attended Sherborne School (The Green) 1987-1992 England Rugby International and Harlequins RFC.

Phil Harvey

Phil Harvey

Musician

Attended Sherborne School (Lyon) 1990-1995. Creative director and fifth member of the band Coldplay.

Michael Hopkins

Michael Hopkins

Architect

Sir Michael Hopkins attended Sherborne School (Westcott) 1949-1952. Architect whose works include the Mound Stand at Lord's Cricket Ground and many others.

Jeremy Irons

Jeremy Irons

Actor

Attended Sherborne School (Abbey) 1962-1966. Actor, who has appeared in The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Brideshead Revisited, The Mission, The Lion King.

Stanley Johnson

Stanley Johnson

Author, Politician

Attended Sherborne School (Lyon) 1954-1958. Author, politician, TV celebrity.

Anthony Lane

Anthony Lane

Journalist

Attended Sherborne School (The Green) 1976-1978. Journalist and film critic for The New Yorker magazine.

John Le Mesurier (1912-1983)

John Le Mesurier (1912-1983)

Actor

Attended Sherborne School (Lyon) 1926-1930. Actor, best known for playing Sergeant Wilson in Dad’s Army.

Lieutenant General David Leakey CMG, CVO, CBE

Lieutenant General David Leakey CMG, CVO, CBE

Governor, Joint Chair

A Cambridge law graduate. After retiring as a Lieutenant General from an Army career of command and operational, MOD, NATO, EU and UN appointments, David served as Black Rod in the Houses of Parliament for seven years. Since 2017 he has held senior executive and advisory positions in a variety of commercial enterprises in the Industrial Chemicals and Gas industry, the Business Systems Software sector and a Phone App developer. He has been chairman of the National Childrens Orchestras of Great Britain and is a trustee or chairman of a number of charitable, sporting and military organisations. David has strong links to Sherborne. From 1965 to 1970 he was a member of Abbey House, becoming Head of School and a member of the First XI. His two sons are also Old Shirburnians. In 2017, David was elected to Sherborne School’s Board of Governors and is Joint Chair with Louise Hall and a member of the Governance and Nominations Committee.

read more
Jason Lewis

Jason Lewis

Author

Attended Sherborne School (School House) 1980-1985. Adventurer and author.

Iain Mackay-Dick

Iain Mackay-Dick

British Army Officer

Major General Sir Iain Mackay-Dick KCVO MBE attended Sherborne School (Westcott) 1959-1963. Major General commanding Household Division and General Officer (London).

Chris Martin

Chris Martin

Musician

Attended Sherborne School (The Digby) 1990-1995. Songwriter, musician, record producer, lead singer and co-founder of the band Coldplay.

Simon McCoy

Simon McCoy

Journalist

Attended Sherborne School (School House) 1975-1979. Journalist and presenter on BBC TV News at One.

Peter Oborne

Peter Oborne

Author

Attended Sherborne School (Harper) 1970-1974. Author, journalist and broadcaster.

Lance Percival (1933-2015)

Lance Percival (1933-2015)

Actor, Musician

Attended Sherborne School (School House) 1947-1951. Actor, comedian and singer.

Jon Pertwee (1919-1996)

Jon Pertwee (1919-1996)

Actor

Attended Sherborne School (Abbeylands) 1933-1934. Actor, best known for The Navy Lark, Dr Who and Worzel Gummidge.

Alistair Pilkington

Alistair Pilkington

Inventor

Sir Alistair Pilkington attended Sherborne School (Lyon) 1933-1938. Glass technologist who invented the ‘float-glass’ process

John Cowper Powys (1872-1963)

John Cowper Powys (1872-1963)

Philosopher

Attended Sherborne School (Wildman’s) 1886-1891. Novelist, poet, lecturer and philosopher.

James Purefoy

James Purefoy

Actor

Attended Sherborne School (Harper) 1977-1980. Actor, who has appeared in Rome, A Knight’s Tale and Fisherman’s Friends.

Tim Spicer

Tim Spicer

Army Officer

Attended Sherborne School (School House) 1966-1969. British Army Officer and Chief Executive of Sandline International.

Hyla Stallard (1901-1973)

Hyla Stallard (1901-1973)

Surgeon

Attended Sherborne School (Lyon) 1914-1919. A distinguished eye surgeon. Immortalised by Daniel Gerroll in the 1981 film The Chariots of Fire.

Antony Thomas

Antony Thomas

Filmmaker

Award winning documentary filmmaker and author.

Julian Thompson

Julian Thompson

Author

Major General Julian Thompson attended Sherborne School (School House) 1948-1952. British Army Officer and author.

Alan Turing (1912-1954)

Alan Turing (1912-1954)

Scientist

Attended Sherborne School (Westcott) 1926-1931. Mathematician, computer scientist, and Second World War codebreaker.

Peter Twiss (1921-2011)

Peter Twiss (1921-2011)

Test Pilot

Attended Sherborne School (Abbey) 1935-1940. A test pilot. The first person to break the 1000 mph speed barrier.

Chris Vacher

Chris Vacher

Television Presenter

Attended Sherborne School (The Green) 1965-1969. Former presenter and reporter on BBC TV Points West.

Sir John Weston

Sir John Weston

Ambassador

Attended Sherborne School (Westcott) 1951-1956. Diplomat, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to NATO and the UN, poet, and former School Governor.

Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)

Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)

Philosopher

Attended Sherborne School (School House) 1875-1880. Mathematician and philosopher, co-author with Bertrand Russell.