Top public schools in UK

A new film taking a look at the very private world of British public schools is causing a stir in certain circles. But while The Riot Club, starring Douglas Booth and Sam Claflin, depicts a dark side to life as a privileged student a charming photography book has also been released documenting a more innocent time at some of the nation's finest learning establishments.

In the late 1980s photographer Mark Draisey was given access to document the British public school system.

Gaining an inside view of this usually closed and private world allowed him to produce a stunning record of life inside institutions that were, as a rule, out of bounds to the majority of the population.

First look: A new book called Thirty Years On: A Private View of Public Schools has documented life behind closed doors at some of the nation's finest learning establishments. This snap shows the 1st XI cricketers and 1st VIII oarsmen at Radley sporting discrete plain white blazers with only an embroidered magenta badge linking them to their sport

His work saw him cover the whole of the United Kingdom, resulting in the 25 schools photographed over a five year period from 1985. The archive forms the world's largest collection taken by an individual on this subject and are now of historic interest.

The evocative collection - bought together for upcoming book Thirty Years On! A private view of public schools - is a unique insight into the life within twenty-five of Britain's leading boy's public schools just before they changed forever.

Rituals: Here, at Fettes boys can be seen performing a 'bar'. Once a common ritual before bed, but also traditionally used to celebrate a match victory against Loretto School. It involves rolling over the horizontal bars that framed the doorway into each dormitory cubicle where the boys slept

Tradition: In the late 1980s, photographer Mark Draisey was given privileged access to document the British public school system that was, as a rule, out of bounds to the majority of the population. His work saw him cover the whole of the United Kingdom, resulting in the 25 schools photographed over a five year period from 1985. Here, boys at Marlborough, where the Duchess of Cambridge attended, walk their hounds

Interesting facts:

The Portsmouth Grammar School is a co-educational public school in Portsmouth and is located in the historic part of the city. Founded in 1732 as a boys' school, it has become one of the top public schools in the UK consistently ranking highly in national reviews of...