Place Name
Dr Benjamin Heath (September 27, 1739 – May 1817) was headmaster of Harrow School between 1771 and 1785. It has been said that “common sense and decision” were his chief characteristics. One of his main battles was with the pupils – whose self-entitlement proved to be at odds with the running of the school. Things came to a head when he discovered that boys were taking time off lessons to practice archery ahead of the school’s annual competition. When he suggested a compromise, the boys simply didn’t bother turning up for the event – so he scrapped it. Although there were other reasons for this 16thCentury practise – the school’s oldest tradition – to be abolished. The village barber who was walking nearby lost an eye when one of the boys’ missed the target. However he also introduced public speaking into the school curriculum, something that Sir Winston Churchill who attended the school a century no doubt appreciated. This is one of a cluster of streets named after teachers and headmasters of Harrow school.
