He preserved the chapel so when in 1561 the bailiffs of Kingston petitioned Queen Elizabeth I for a royal grammar school, the building was still usable.

In 2005, she opened the new Queen Elizabeth II Building, where she unveiled a plaque, met with students of Music and Geography and watched an excerpt of the play "Smike" after which the new Recording Studio was named.

On 1 May 1965, the school opened its new playing fields at Thames Ditton, alongside which was built its boathouse, donated by R.C Sherriff.

[9] There are six houses, mostly named after Medieval and Elizabethan figures connected with the school and the city of London, with the exception of Stanley Shoveller, an Old Kingstonian who played international hockey in the early 20th century, and Sophie Hosking, an Old Kingstonian who rowed for Great Britain in the 2000s and early 2010s.

[12] The school has produced professional and international athletes, most commonly in hockey and rowing but also more recently in football and cricket.