Despite being a relatively young school, Millfield has a rich history. To celebrate reaching 25 thousand followers Instagram, we’ve gathered 25 fun and surprising facts about Millfield that you may not know. From Olympic records to secret tunnels (yes, really!), read on to discover some interesting facts from Millfield's 90 years.

1. Climbing the medal table in Paris.
14 Millfield athletes and coaches took part in the 2024 Paris Olympics, bringing home seven Olympic medals. This would have seen Millfield place 18th in the medal table if they were a country, just below Kenya, if the athletes competed in separate events.

2. Where it all began.
The school was originally based in Millfield House, which is now a Year 9 boarding house. The house was originally rented from the Clark family, of Clarks shoes fame, who owned most of Street!

3. Our first students were Indian Princes!
Millfield School’s original students were seven Indian boys, six of whom were princes. The princes weren’t accepted into other schools in England due to having ‘word blindess’, now known as Dyslexia. As a result, Boss Meyer decided to form Millfield School, with the school gaining fame as the first in the country to deal successfully with dyslexic students.

4. From swimming pool to pond!
The pond situated at the foot of the pitch and putt golf course in the centre of campus was once the school swimming pool! See the pictures below from 1937, 1939 and today!

5. Independent School leaders in social media!
We are the most followed school in the UK on Instagram and TikTok, with now over 25,000 Instagram followers and 18,700 TikTok followers to our name. Keep up with our latest posts on Instagram by clicking here, and on TikTok by clicking here.

6. 'Molire Molendo'.
The school motto, ‘Molire Molendo’, which can be found on the crest, loosely translates to ‘success by grinding’.

7. Why are we called 'Millfield'?
The windmill on our logo originates from a windmill that was located onsite - hence the name ‘Millfield’.

8. How we got our iconic colours.
The Millfield colours of red, green and blue were brought back from India when Boss Meyer returned to the UK before founding Millfield in 1935. The colours were inspired by the Palace School Dhranghadra.

9. The original Millfieldians.
Millfield has a proud history of alumni, known as Old Millfieldians (OMs), but our oldest Millfieldians are the trees! Our senior campus could be described a mini arboretum, boasting species such as Giant Sequoias, Copper Beeches and Californian Redwoods amongst many more.

10. 50 Wembley Stadiums worth of beautiful Somerset campuses.
Our senior and prep campuses combined stretch over 550 acres, which is the equivalent to the size of 50 Wembley Stadiums! Get a better look at our campus in our campus tour video here.

11. The best sports school in the UK.
We have been named the top sports school in the UK for 11 out the last 12 years. The rankings, published annually by School Sports Magazine, are in recognition of both Millfield and Millfield Prep School’s continued success across a variety of sports.

12. An ever-present at the summer Olympic Games.
Old Millfieldians have been at every Olympic games since 1956, with more than one OM competing in every Olympic Games since 1960! Millfield’s Olympians have won 28 medals, including 12 golds, eight silvers and eight bronzes.

13. A truly international student-body.
Did you know at at Millfield we have 250 international students from 70 different countries at any one time? We are extremely proud of our international character. We embrace students from all countries and believe that the rich cultural diversity provided is a truly wonderful opportunity for students and staff alike to learn about cultural differences and promote tolerance, respect and understanding - all very important values in our modern-day global culture!

14. A boarding house that was once a local restaurant!
One of our boys boarding houses, Joan’s Kitchen, started as a café in the centre of the town, run by Joan Cox. In the 1950s, as Millfield expanded into boarding houses away from the main school site, Joan provided lunches at JK and later began to house some of the boys along with a member of staff. When Joan wanted to sell in 1959, the school purchased the property and it became a fully-fledged boarding house! 

15. More sports available than any other school.
We offer students the opportunity to play over 30 different sports, more than any other school in the UK. Our list of sports on offer include rowing, ski racing, badminton and sailing, and are delivered by 200 members of staff, including 14 full-time heads of sport! Learn more about Millfield Sport here.

16. Our very own school Beehive.
How many school's have their own beehive? Ours can be found at the bottom of Butleigh Fields, and date back decades. Every year we produce our own Millfield Honey! 

17. England's greatest ever male tennis player was part of the Millfield Coaching staff!
Legendary tennis player Fred Perry was part of the Millfield Tennis coaching team from the summer of 1950 until 1953. Perry is the last Englishman to win the Men’s singles at Wimbledon, with the third of his three Wimbledon titles coming in 1936.

17. A 28-piece Sculpture Trail on campus!
Millfield has its very own Sculpture Trail, featuring 28 large-scale permanent works from artists such as Marcus Vergette, Glynn Williams and Peter Randall-Page. The Annual Millfield Sculpture Commission ran between 1989-2008, and was an open competition for artists from across the UK and Europe to work as Sculptor in Residence for six to eight weeks. The finished commission would then form part of the Millfield sculpture collection. Have a look around our Sculpture Trail by clicking here.

18. The world's first ever disabled astronaut is an Old Millfieldian.
Amongst a plethora of notable alumni is the world’s first ever disabled astronaut. In 2022, the European Space Agency (ESA) selected Old Millfieldian John McFall to the first ever ‘para-astronaut’. In February 2025, John was cleared to head on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Incredibly, John’s achievements don’t stop there – he even has a Paralympic medal! Learn more about John by clicking here. 

19. 'Mill Field' House as a hub for social reform.
Our iconic house was built by Helen and William Stephens Clark in 1889, known then as 'Mill Field House'. It became a hub for social change, and welcomed social reformers such as Frederick Douglas, Booker T Washington and Ida B Wells in the late 1800s.

20. A tunnel connecting the school to Glastonbury Tor!
Ok, we may be stretching the definition of a fun 'fact' here, but according to Matron Legend, there is a tunnel that can take you all the way from Millfield House to Glastonbury Tor; we are yet to find it!

21. The youngest British driver to start at Formula 1 race is an Old Millfieldian.
Formula 1 driver Lando Norris is one of our most notable Old Millfieldians. In September 2018, it was announced that he would drive for McLaren in the 2019 Formula One World Championship, making him the youngest British driver in the history of Formula One when he made his F1 race debut in Australia in March 2019, at the age of 19. Lando was brought up in Glastonbury and attended Millfield for nine years, joining Millfield Prep School in Year 2 before departing Millfield in Year 10. He started kart racing as a pupil at Millfield Prep School, aged seven.

22. We have a nationally recognised art gallery on campus.
Our exceptional facilities stretch beyond just sport! Established in 1992, our Atkinson Gallery is nationally recognised and holds major contemporary art exhibitions, which are open to the general public. It aims to support young, aspiring artists and bring high-calibre, international art to the South West region. Previous exhibitors include Andy Warhol, Albert Irvin OBE, Sir Anthony Caro, Lynn Chadwick CBE and Gillian Ayres.

23. A Millfield boarding house housed evacuees during World War II.
Kingweston House which was purchased for a nominal sum, has been a Millfield boarding house since January 1946. Prior to that date, the house had always been the home of the Dickinson family. During World War II the house was also used to accommodate evacuees. The House and grounds were officially given to the school in 2006 by Mrs Joy Burden, the last descendent of the Dickinson family.

24. Millfield founder Jack 'Boss' Meyer was also a professional cricketer! 
Founder of Millfield Boss Meyer was also an all-round sportsman who played cricket at first-class level. Boss represented and captained Somerset, and even managed one appearance for the iconic India national team! His sporting expertise didn't stop there as he was also a very capable golfer and tennis player, qualifying for the English Amateur Golf Championship in 1936.

25. Historical Tales of Edgarley Hall and Glastonbury Abbey

The Porch family, who owned Glastonbury Abbey, made money through wool in Wells. Edgarley Hall came into their possession through marriage. Glastonbury Abbey stone was transported from the Abbey to build the Hermitage on the campus, also known as White Lady’s Cottage/The Summer House. It is a replica of the Abbots Kitchen at Glastonbury Abbey.

Later, Edgarley Hall became a bed and breakfast and the Thomas-Farrands spoke about ghostly apparitions. If you saw the white lady floating on the water then you must run quickly around the hermitage and touch the eagle, otherwise you were in trouble.  Abbot Whiting was the last Abbot of Glastonbury and was executed by King Henry VIII’s men. A story exists that his head rolled down the tor and stopped at the Hermitage.