Bootham School

Bootham School is distinguished by the massive, red-brick Georgian facade facing the street, accented by tall sash windows and a central clock tower. Founded in eighteen twenty-three, it began as a private academy for boys within the Religious Society of Friends. The school gained early scientific renown when its headmaster, John Ford, installed an observatory and insisted that students study natural history. One student, Silvanus Thompson, later rose to international fame for his pioneering electrical research, often crediting those early rooftop telescope sessions.