(Strong and faithful) , established = 1880 , closed = , type =

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

day and boarding , religious_affiliation =

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Michael Sloan , r_head_label = , r_head = , chair_label = , chair = , founder = Canon Nathaniel Woodard , specialist = , address = South Road , city =

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

, county =

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, country = United Kingdom , postcode = TA1 3LA , local_authority = , ofsted = , urn = 123912 , staff = , enrolment = 470 , gender = Co-educational , houses = 7 , lower_age = 13 , upper_age = 18 , colours =

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

, dark blue,

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

, publication = Aluredian , free_label_1 = Former pupils , free_1 = Old Aluredians (OAs) , free_label_2 = Affiliation , free_2 =

Woodard Corporation Woodard Schools is a group of Anglican schools (both primary and secondary) affiliated to the Woodard Corporation (formerly the Society of St Nicolas) which has its origin in the work of Nathaniel Woodard, a Church of England priest in the Anglo-C ...

, free_label_3 = , free_3 = , website = http://www.kings-taunton.co.uk/ King's College is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

secondary day and

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

, England. A member school of the

, it has approximately 450 pupils aged 13 to 18, including about 300 boarders. Its affiliated prep school is King's Hall School. The head of the school is currently Michael Sloan, who started his first academic year in the winter of 2022.

History

King's College, Taunton, or King Alfred's College as it was originally named, was founded in 1880 by Canon

Nathaniel Woodard Nathaniel Woodard (; 21 March 1811 – 25 April 1891) was a priest in the Church of England. He founded 11 schools for the middle classes in England whose aim was to provide education based on "sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly groun ...

. King's College was the fifth of the Woodard schools to be opened. Woodard purchased the recently built buildings of

Taunton Grammar School The Municipal Buildings are historic buildings in Corporation Street, Taunton, Somerset, England. The buildings, which were the home of Taunton Grammar School before becoming the headquarters of Taunton Borough Council, are Grade II* listed. Hi ...

in South Road when financial difficulties forced the Grammar School to move back to their original site. The buildings had been designed by

Charles Edmund Giles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

under the instructions of the Grammar School's Headmaster

William Tuckwell William Tuckwell (1829–1919), who liked to be known as the "radical parson", was an English Anglican clergyman well known on political platforms for his experiments in allotments, his advocacy of land nationalisation, and his enthusiasm for Chr ...

and were built between 1867 and 1869. Maintaining the link with the past, Woodard adopted the

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...

badge of Bishop Richard Fox (the Grammar School's founder) as the new King’s crest. Today Bishop Fox and Tuckwell are still names of school Houses and former pupils are known as Old Aluredians (OAs) after King Alfred. One of the most notable parts of the school is the Chapel, built from 1903 and designed by W. E. Tower with later extensions in 1936 and 1986. The Chapel was the particular project of the school Provost, Prebendary Henry Meynell, who sought the support of benefactors, most notably the former Prime Minister the

Marquess of Salisbury Marquess of Salisbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1789 for the 7th Earl of Salisbury. Most of the holders of the title have been prominent in British political life over the last two centuries, particularly th ...

. Henry Richards MP bestowed the fine organ formerly in

St Michael Bassishaw St Michael Bassishaw, or Basinshaw, was a parish church in Basinghall Street in the City of London, standing on land now occupied by the Barbican Centre complex. Recorded since the 12th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 16 ...

. The school also had the support of the Gibbs Family of

Tyntesfield Tyntesfield is a Victorian Gothic Revival house and estate near Wraxall, North Somerset, England. The house is a Grade I listed building named after the Tynte baronets, who had owned estates in the area since about 1500. The location was form ...

. H. Martin Gibbs, the school Custos, was responsible for building the Lady Chapel and for donating some fine pieces of devotional art. The main building has been designated as a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...

stood for MP in Taunton, and many of his early political appearances took place on what is currently the school's 1st XV Rugby pitch. After the Italian invasion of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

in 1936,

Emperor Haile Selassie I Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia ('' ...

fled in exile to Bath. During his stay in the UK his youngest son and eldest grandson went to King's College, and the Emperor himself distributed awards at Sports Day in 1937. Two trophies were donated by the Emperor. Before the

General Election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

in 1964, the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Sir Alec Douglas-Home Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel (; 2 July 1903 – 9 October 1995), styled as Lord Dunglass between 1918 and 1951 and being The 14th Earl of Home from 1951 till 1963, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conse ...

, addressed a public meeting at the school. Junior pupils (from the age of around 8) were part of the school from 1880. When the school purchased

Pyrland Hall Pyrland Hall is a country house near Cheddon Fitzpaine in the English county of Somerset. It is a Grade II* listed building. History Pyrland Hall was built around 1760 for Sir William Yea of the Yea baronets. It is a brick building with Bath st ...

in 1952 the Junior School moved to that site. Pyrland Hall is now known as King's Hall School co-educational

prep school Preparatory school or prep school may refer to: Schools *Preparatory school (United Kingdom), an independent school preparing children aged 8–13 for entry into fee-charging independent schools, usually public schools *College-preparatory school, ...

. The school became

in 1968 (in that it admitted girls into the Sixth Form), becoming fully co-educational in 1991. There are currently seven boarding houses: Bishop Fox, King Alfred, Woodard (After

) Tuckwell (after

, Meynell, Taylor and

Carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

. All these houses, plus Neates, King Edward's and Perratt's, which no longer exist, were male boarding houses until 1991 when Meynell converted to become the first all female boarding house. Carpenter became a female boarding house in 1994 and Taylor house was founded as a female boarding house in 1997. Until the conversion to full coeducational status, Sixth Form girls were assigned to one of the male boarding houses but lived in separate accommodation. In 2007, the school choir took part in a choral competition on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

programme ''

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns sung in churches of varying denominations from around the UK. The series was first broadcast in October 1961. On that occasion, the venue was the Ta ...

'' and came first, and in the same year the senior rugby team were victorious in

The National Schools 7's The Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens is an English rugby union sevens tournament, organised by Rosslyn Park F.C., that has evolved into the world's largest rugby tournament with some 9,500 boys and girls aged 13 – 19 competing annually from o ...

. The school chapel is the venue for an annual concert by the

Somerset chamber choir Somerset Chamber Choir is a choir based in the county of Somerset, England. The choir was formed in 1984 by former members of Somerset Youth Choir, and typically gives two concerts annually. Initially, these were mainly around Taunton, but in J ...

Houses

;Boys * King Alfred * Tuckwell * Woodard * Bishop Fox * Neates (Disbanded) ;Girls * Carpenter * Taylor * Meynell

Notable students

Former students of King's College, Taunton, are referred to as "Old Aluredians". * Robin Appleford, youngest pilot in the Battle of Britain - 1940 *

Neil Brand Neil Brand (born 18 March 1958) is an English dramatist, composer and author. In addition to being a regular silent film accompanist at London's National Film Theatre, Brand has composed new scores for two restored films from the 1920s, '' The ...

, South African cricketer. *

Jos Buttler Joseph Charles Buttler (born 8 September 1990) is an English cricketer who captains the England cricket team in limited overs cricket, and plays for the England Test team. In domestic cricket he represents Lancashire, having previously played ...

, first-class

cricketer Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

for Lancashire and England *

Charles Ching Charles Arthur Ching (, 7 October 1935http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr99-00/english/panels/ajls/papers/2387e04.pdf –30 November 2000) was a judge in Hong Kong. Born Charles Arthur Ching into an intellectual family in Hong Kong, Ching was educate ...

, judge *

Tom Banton Thomas Banton (born 11 November 1998) is an English cricketer. He made his international debut for the England cricket team in November 2019. Domestic and franchise career Banton made his Twenty20 cricket debut for Somerset in the 2017 NatWest ...

, Somerset and England cricketer * Sir Geoffrey Cox QC PC MP, Her Majesty's Attorney General of England and Wales and Advocate General of Northern Ireland, 2018–20,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Member of Parliament * Richard Harden, first-class

for Somerset *

Calvin Harrison Calvin Harrison (born January 20, 1974) is an American athlete. He won a gold medal in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He is the identical twin brother of fellow Olympic medalist Alvin Harrison. ...

, cricketer *

Antony Hewish Antony Hewish (11 May 1924 – 13 September 2021) was a British radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974 (together with fellow radio-astronomer Martin Ryle) for his role in the discovery of pulsars. He was also awarded the ...

Nobel Prize in Physics ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...

- 1974 * Sir John Keegan, military historian *

Neil Kernon Neil Kernon is an English musician, record producer, mixer and recording engineer from London. He is a Grammy Award winner and has worked on over 100 Gold and Platinum records. Biography Born to a musical family, Kernon's formal musical trai ...

, musician, record producer * Simon Jones, film, stage TV & radio actor, narrator *

Henry Litton Henry Denis Litton CBE, GBM ( Chinese transliteration: 烈顯倫; born 7 August 1934) is a retired judge in Hong Kong. Early life and education Born into a Eurasian family in Hong Kong, Henry Litton excelled in school during his early years f ...

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, judge *

Christopher Mackenzie-Beevor Colonel Christopher David Mackenzie-Beevor (born 10 April 1949) is a British courtier who was Lieutenant of Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms from 2018 to 2019 and Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant from 2016 to 2017. He was educated at King's ...

, courtier *

Jonathan Meades Jonathan Turner Meades (born 21 January 1947) is an English writer and film-maker, primarily on the subjects of place, culture, architecture and food. His work spans journalism, fiction, essays, memoir and over fifty highly idiosyncratic tele ...

, author and broadcaster * Angus Moon, QC and Head of Chambers at Serjeants Inn *

David Pipe David Ronald Pipe (born 5 November 1983) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or full-back. Club career Born in Caerphilly, Wales, Pipe began his career in the youth system at Coventry City. He made his senior ...

, racehorse trainer * Geoffrey Rippon, Baron Rippon of Hexham PC,

Member of Parliament * Matthew Robinson, rugby player for Wales *

Michael Scott (priest) Guthrie Michael Scott (30 July 1907 – 14 September 1983) was an Anglican priest and anti-apartheid activist, who joined in the defiance of the apartheid system in South Africa in the 1940s – a long struggle for social justice in that ...

, pioneer campaigner against apartheid *

Juno Temple Juno Temple (born 21 July 1989) is a British actress. She has appeared in the films ''Notes on a Scandal'' (2006), ''Atonement'' (2007), ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2008), ''The Three Musketeers'' (2011), ''The Dark Knight Rises'' (2012), '' Mag ...

, actress *

Roger Twose Roger Graham Twose (born 17 April 1968) is an English-born former cricketer, who played 16 Test matches and 87 One Day Internationals for New Zealand in the mid-1990s. In February 2021, Twose was appointed as the director of New Zealand Cric ...

, first-class

for New Zealand * Ted Nash, English entrepreneur *

Tom Voyce Thomas Michael Dunstan Voyce (born 5 January 1981) is a former English rugby union player who played at wing or fullback. He previously played for England. Voyce married Anna Wood in September 2015. Biography Born 5 January 1981 in Truro, ...

, rugby player for Gloucester Rugby *

Tom Webley Thomas Webley (born 2 March 1983) is an English cricketer. Webley is a left-handed batsman who bowls slow left-arm orthodox. Born in Bristol before moving to the village of Corfe Mullen in Dorset, Webley had been educated at King's College, a ...

, cricketer *

Dominic Wood Dominic Simon "Dom" Wood (born 3 January 1978) is an English entertainer, magician and presenter of radio and television, best known as one half of the double act Dick and Dom, with the other being Richard McCourt. From 14 October 2007 to Septe ...

, CBBC presenter

Dick and Dom Dick and Dom (originally Richard and Dominic) are a British comedy double act consisting of the presenters Richard "Dick" McCourt and Dominic "Dom" Wood. They are primarily known for presenting 'the broom cupboard' presentation links on Childr ...

* John Eakin, British Blind Open Golf champion - 2011 *

The Turner Twins Hugo Turner FRGS and Ross Turner FRGS (born 22 October 1988), better known as The Turner Twins, are British adventurers best known for their pioneering expeditions. Biography The twins were born in Exeter and grew up near Christow in Devon. ...

- Hugo & Ross Turner, adventurers *

Maddie Hinch Madeleine Clare Hinch, (born 8 October 1988), known as Maddie Hinch is an English field hockey player who plays as a goalkeeper for Tilburg HC and England and Great Britain national teams. Club career In 2021-22 she played club hockey in the ...

, women's England and Great Britain hockey goalkeeper *

Will Smeed William Conrad Francis Smeed (born 26 October 2001) is an English cricketer. He made his Twenty20 debut on 11 September 2020, for Somerset in the 2020 T20 Blast. On 10 August 2022 he became the first player to score a century in The Hundred (101 ...

, Somerset county cricket player

References

External links

*
Profile
on the

Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 schools in the United Kingdom's independent education sector. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the busin ...

website
Old Aluredian website
{{Authority control Anglo-Catholic educational establishments Boarding schools in Somerset Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Independent schools in Somerset Woodard Schools Educational institutions established in 1880 1880 establishments in England Schools in Taunton Church of England independent schools in the Diocese of Bath and Wells