Founded in 1953 by the late Jocelyn Trappes-Lomax as a Catholic boys prep school, the school was first based at Farleigh House, the home of the Earl of Portsmouth, near Basingstoke. There were 35 boys on the opening day and more joined during the term.

The emblematic 'Farleigh Tree'

Famous Old Boys include Lord Stafford, the Marquess of Bute, columnist and satirist Craig Brown, the actor Rupert Everett, rugby international Hugh Vyvyan, BBC presenter and producer of Planet Earth, Huw Cordey, the climber and explorer, Tarka l'Herpiniere. Robert and James Bruce appeared in 1997 Wisden having bowled in tandem after lunch - Eton v Harrow at Lords.

Farleigh moved to Red Rice just south of Andover in 1982 and is situated in a Georgian country house, which was built in the early 19^th century by General Webb. The house stands in 60 acres of magnificent parkland and landscaped woodland and the trees in the arboretum have been planted in the troop formation of the Battle of Malplaquet of 1709.