Notable Alumni

Clement Attlee, the Prime Minister whose period in office shaped much of post-war British history and established the NHS and the welfare state, is perhaps Haileybury’s most famous son. Responsible for transforming British society at a time of great national austerity, and for placing a fairer society at the centre of political thinking, his legacy is still felt across the…

One of Britain’s most popular – and prolific – playwrights, and a talented director, Sir Alan Ayckbourn has, over the last 50 years gained an enviable reputation for his prodigious output and his wry observations of the British middle class. Today, he remains a popular figure both in the UK and abroad; at Haileybury, the Ayckbourn Theatre is…

Sir Jonathon Band has enjoyed a distinguished naval career, serving on a variety of Royal Navy vessels including minesweepers, frigates and aircraft carriers. A fervent believer in British sea power, he has in recent years been a firm advocate for the modernisation of the Navy including new frigates, destroyers and its two new aircraft carriers. He was promoted to First…

Nevill Coghill is one of Haileybury’s 16 former pupils who were awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest award for gallantry. In the Zulu war of 1879 he was present at the battle of Isandhlwana where, at the end, he went to the aid of his fellow officer, Lieutenant Teignmouth Melvill who himself was attempting to save the Regimental colours. Both…

Stephen Mangan is one of Britain’s most popular modern actors, appearing on stage, television and in film. Among his most memorable roles are those of Dr Guy Secretan in Green Wing, Adrian Mole in Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years and recently as Bertie Wooster in the highly-acclaimed Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London. A popular modern British…

Christopher Nolan has been fascinated by filmmaking since childhood. He has proved to be one of the most exciting, innovative and successful filmmakers in the world with films such as Dunkirk, Insomnia, Interstellar and, of course, the famous Batman trilogy. Described as an auteur and postmodernist, his films have taken well over $4bn at the box office. An innovative and creative filmmaker Christopher Nolan was born…

Antoinette Sandbach MP arrived at Haileybury only 12 years after the College first began to admit girls in 1973. She went on to forge a successful career as a criminal barrister in London before moving home to Wales in 2005. In 2010 she became a member of the Welsh Assembly and, in 2015, contested the Cheshire seat of Eddisbury where…

Alison Stephens excelled in playing the Mandolin, enjoying huge success with the instrument and being credited with establishing it as a serious classical instrument in its own right. She played all over the world and her work also featured in a number of film scores – most notably Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. She died tragically young, succumbing to cancer at the age…

Writer, poet and children’s author Rudyard Kipling’s association with Haileybury lies with the College’s connection to the United Services College (the USC) and the Imperial Service College (the ISC). In 1906 the USC became the ISC which itself formally joined with Haileybury in 1942. An additional, fundamental link, is that Kipling was taught – and considerably influenced – by the…