Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys, of whom 120 are boarders. This makes it one of the largest (in terms of numbers of pupils) independent schools in the United Kingdom. The school owns a boathouse on the River Thames, the base for Dulwich College Boat Club as well as large grounds around Dulwich. Admission by examination is mainly into years 3, 7, 9, and 12 (i.e. ages 7, 11, 13, and 16 years old) to the Junior, Lower, Middle and Upper Schools into which the college is divided. It is a member of both the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group of schools. Founder's Day at Dulwich College is celebrated at the end of the Summer Term to commemorate the signing of the letters patent by James I on 21 June 1619 authorizing Edward Alleyn to establish a college in Dulwich to be called 'the College of God's Gift, in Dulwich in Surrey'.