King's College is an independent

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 ...

day A day is the time rotation period, period of a full Earth's rotation, rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours (86,400 seconds). As a day passes at a given location it experiences morning, afternoon, evening, ...

and boarding school in

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, England, providing education for 2 to 18-year-olds. Set across two sites, it is surrounded by Somerset countryside. A member school of the Woodard Corporation, the school has approximately 450 pupils, including about 300 boarders. The associated prep school is King's College Prep School. The head of the school is Michael Sloan, who started his first academic year in the winter of 2022. King’s College Taunton has several international schools: in Doha, Riyadh and India.

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 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 under the instructions of the Grammar School's Headmaster

William Tuckwell William Tuckwell (27 November 1829 – 1 February 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, a ...

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 ...

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, held by a branch of the Cecil family. 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 t ...

. Henry Richards MP bestowed the fine organ formerly in St Michael Bassishaw. The school also had the support of the Gibbs Family of

Tyntesfield Tyntesfield () is a Victorian Gothic Revival country 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 locati ...

. 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 is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

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

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 in 1936, Emperor Haile Selassie I 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. Before the

General Election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

in 1964, the

prime minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Sir Alec Douglas-Home Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel ( ; 2 July 1903 – 9 October 1995), known as Lord Dunglass from 1918 to 1951 and the Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative ...

, 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 in 1952 the Junior School moved to that site. Pyrland Hall is now known as King's Hall School co-educational prep 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, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

. 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 The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

programme ''

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns, worship songs and inspirational performances in churches of varying denominations from around the UK alongside interviews and stories reflecting how Ch ...

'' 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 ...

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

Facilities

With two separate and independent sites for the Prep and Senior schools, there are dedicated facilities for each school. These include two heated swimming pools, sports halls, playing fields, astroturf pitches, theatres, forest schools and cookery schools. At the College site, there is also a large and dedicated art school, music school, science centre, DT centre, cricket centre, tennis dome and purpose-built library.

Notable students

* 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, '' T ...

, South African cricketer. *

Jos Buttler Joseph Charles Buttler (born 8 September 1990), known as Jos Buttler, is an English international cricket, cricketer and former captain of the England cricket team, national team. He plays for Lancashire County Cricket Club, Lancashire in dom ...

cricketer Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

; Wicketkeeper and white ball captain for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

plays first class cricket for

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. Was part of the England team that won the 2019 ICC World Cup and captained the team that won the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup. *

Charles Ching Charles Arthur Ching ( zh, t=沈澄, 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, Chin ...

, judge * Tom Banton, Somerset and England cricketer * Sir Geoffrey Cox, 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 and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Member of Parliament * Richard Harden, first-class

for Somerset * Calvin Harrison, cricketer * Sir John Hazan, judge *

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 The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...

- 1974 * Sir John Keegan, military historian * Neil Kernon, musician, record producer * Simon Jones, film, stage TV & radio actor, narrator *

Henry Litton Henry Denis Litton GBM, CBE, SC ( Chinese: 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 first at th ...

, judge * Christopher Mackenzie-Beevor, courtier *

Jonathan Meades Jonathan Turner Meades (born 21 January 1947) is an English writer and film-maker. His work spans journalism, fiction, essays, memoir and over fifty television films, many for the BBC. He has described himself as a "cardinal of atheism" and i ...

, author and broadcaster * Angus Moon, Head of Chambers at Serjeants Inn * David Pipe, racehorse trainer * Geoffrey Rippon, Baron Rippon of Hexham,

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 an English actress. She is known for her roles in the comedy series ''Ted Lasso'' (2020–2023) and in the fifth season of the crime drama series '' Fargo'' (2023–2024). She earned Primetime Emmy Award nomi ...

, actress * Roger Twose, first-class

for New Zealand * Ted Nash, English entrepreneur * Tom Voyce, 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 1977) is an English entertainer, magician, TV presenter and DJ. He is best known as one half of the double act Dick and Dom with Richard "Dick" McCourt, with whom he was won two British Academy Children ...

, 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 Chi ...

* John Eakin, British Blind Open Golf champion - 2011 * The Turner Twins - Hugo & Ross Turner, adventurers * Maddie Hinch, women's England and Great Britain hockey goalkeeper * Will Smeed, 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 private schools in the United Kingdom. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the business interests of its ...

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