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bluehuw
nick_h.
The school (edit: Tonbridge School) was founded by the Skinners livery company, which bought chunks of land in Bloomsbury and St. Pancras in the 16th century when it was all fields. They still own some of it. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bloomsbury-project/streets/thanet_street.htm https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol24/pt4/pp83-93 The Skinners' money was made in the fur trade, much of which was for top hats. Ten beavers to make one. (Probably duff information. I think his money mostly came from Russian sables, which were the most valuable furs and not used for top hats.)
Somerhill's money comes from selling land in Tonbridge to property developers. The school occupied a site there until 1990 when it was called Yardley Court (and the headmaster narrowly escaped paedo convictions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Yardley_Court) The ponies are used for jumping but I'm not sure about polo. https://www.somerhill.org/somerhill-equestrians/