Although the opening of Cranleigh Abu Dhabi in 2014 was hailed as a new venture for the School, it was not the first overseas version of Cranleigh School.

Until the 1950s a significant number of Cranleighans headed abroad after leaving , and several set up their own Cranleigh Schools around the world, as was the case with former pupils of many public schools. The peak period for them opening was between the wars and at one time there were Cranleighs in the USA, Canada and Australia.

Most were short-lived ventures, although Charles V Milton’s Cranleigh House in British Colombia survived almost two decades.  The initial prospectus includes a number of facets clearly carried over from his time at Cranleigh.