Beacon Hill was supposed to be a new kind of school. Founded by the philosopher Bertrand Russell and his wife Dora in 1927, the couple saw it as the epitome of their humanitarian values: there were to be no titles, no compulsory lessons and no discipline. Praised by artistic parents as a haven for liberalism, and vilified in the press as a communist fantasy, by 1943 Beacon Hill had closed - leaving behind a string of scandals and rumours of bizarre teachers, unwashed children and an attempted pet sacrifice. What had gone wrong?

John O'Connell reveals the salacious history of Beacon Hill, and the tumultuous breakdown of the Russells' marriage, illuminating one of the most curious stories of interwar Britain - one filled with gossip, scandal, open marriages and ramshackle ideals.