Christopher Marlowe is regarded as one of the most influential playwrights of the Elizabethan era and a major figure in the development of English drama.
Born in Canterbury, he attended King’s as a scholar before progressing to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. At King’s, he encountered the classical literature and rhetoric that would later shape his writing and dramatic style.
Marlowe’s plays, including Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine, and The Jew of Malta, transformed English theatre through their ambition, poetic language, and psychological complexity. His work directly influenced the dramatic tradition that followed, including the plays of William Shakespeare.
W. Somerset Maugham became one of the most widely read authors of the twentieth century, known for works including Of Human Bondage and The Razor’s Edge.
A long-standing supporter of King’s Canterbury, he later endowed the school library, which today bears his name.
W. Somerset Maugham became one of the most widely read and commercially successful authors of the twentieth century.
During his years at King’s, Maugham developed the observational discipline and intellectual independence that would later define his writing. He went on to study medicine in London before turning fully to literature, drawing extensively on his experiences and travels throughout Europe and Asia.
His novels and plays including Of Human Bondage, The Razor’s Edge, and The Moon and Sixpence, were translated worldwide and remain widely studied today. Maugham retained a close connection with King’s throughout his life and later endowed the school library, which now bears his name.
Sir Michael Morpurgo is one of Britain’s most celebrated children’s authors, known for combining historical storytelling with emotional depth and humanity.
As a pupil at King’s, he was immersed in the distinctive atmosphere of Canterbury Cathedral, the Precincts, and the wider school community — experiences he has often reflected on in interviews and writing.
He went on to publish more than 130 books, including War Horse, which achieved international recognition through both the National Theatre production and Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation. From 2003 to 2005, he served as the UK Children’s Laureate and has remained an influential advocate for reading, storytelling, and children’s education.
William Harvey is recognised for one of the most important discoveries in medical history: the circulation of blood and the function of the heart as a pump.
After studying at King’s, Harvey attended Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, before continuing his medical training at the University of Padua, then one of Europe’s leading centres of scientific study. His education combined classical scholarship with rigorous observation and scientific inquiry.
In 1628, Harvey published De Motu Cordis, the work that fundamentally changed medical understanding of the human body. He later served as physician to both King James I and King Charles I, and his work continues to influence modern medicine today.
Michael Foale is a British-American astrophysicist and former NASA astronaut who flew six space missions and spent more than 370 days in space.
At King’s, Foale developed the scientific curiosity and academic foundations that later led him to study physics at the University of Cambridge before completing a doctorate in astrophysics at the University of Houston.
During his NASA career, he completed spacewalks, worked aboard both the Mir Space Station and the International Space Station, and became the first British-born astronaut to perform a spacewalk. He later commanded the International Space Station and remains one of the most accomplished British-born astronauts in history.
David Gower is widely regarded as one of England’s finest batsmen and one of the most elegant players of his generation.
During his time at King’s, he balanced academic life with a growing passion for cricket, going on to captain both Leicestershire and the England national team during an international career spanning more than a decade.
Known for his calm leadership and distinctive batting style, Gower played in 117 Test matches for England and later became one of cricket’s most respected broadcasters and commentators, remaining a prominent voice in the international game.
For more than 1,400 years, The King's School Canterbury has educated pupils who have gone on to make significant contributions across literature, science, medicine, public life, sport, and the arts.
Its alumni reflect the breadth of a King’s education: intellectually curious, ambitious, creative, and equipped to think independently. Across generations, former pupils have shaped fields as varied as medicine, theatre, space exploration, and international sport.
What connects them is not a single profession or pathway, but a shared foundation of curiosity, confidence, and academic depth.
King's Canterbury, 1579
Playwright
King's Canterbury, 1885
Novelist and Playwright
King's Canterbury, 1957
Author · Children's Laureate
King's Canterbury, 1588
Physician
King's Canterbury, 1975
NASA Astronaut · Astrophysicist
King’s Canterbury
Former England Cricket Captain
The achievements of King’s Canterbury alumni span literature, medicine, science, public life, and sport. While their paths have been very different, they reflect qualities that have remained central to a King’s education across generations: intellectual curiosity, independence of thought, creativity, resilience, and ambition.
That same educational philosophy now shapes the beginning of The King's School Canterbury, Bengaluru.
A place of kindness and positivity, where each child is gently encouraged to discover their strengths and interests.
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Our Senior School is commonly acknowledged as the oldest school in existence in the world.
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