Queen's College, Taunton

Updated on Dec 15, 2023

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Established 1843 Headmistress Dr Lorraine Earps Phone +44 1823 272559 Colors Black, Yellow		Religion Methodist DfE number 933/6024 Founded 1843

Type Independent day and boarding school Location Trull Road Taunton Somerset TA1 4QS England Address Trull Rd, Taunton TA1 4QS, UK Motto Non scholae sed vitae discimus; "We learn not for school, but for life" Profiles Facebook Twitter

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Queen's College is a co-educational independent school located in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England. It is a day/boarding school for children aged 0–18. The school incorporates Nursery, Pre-Prep, Junior and Senior schools. The current Head Teacher of the Senior School (11–18) is Dr Lorraine Earps. Tracey Khodabandehloo is the Head of the Junior School (3–11)

History

First known as the Wesleyan Collegiate Institute, Queen's College was established by the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1843. The building is a symmetrical Tudor Gothic building and set in approximately 35 acres (140,000 m²) of grounds.It was built by Giles and Gane in 1874 and has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. It first began admitting girls during the 1970s and is now fully coeducational.

The college's motto non scholae sed vitae discimus ("We educate not just for school but for life’").

Sports

The school has sports teams in cricket, rugby union, hockey, swimming, athletics, netball and tennis. The school also provides other popular disciplines such as rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, canoe polo, fencing, Duke of Edinburgh Award, mountaineering, badminton and horse riding.

Arts

Queen's College teaches performing arts, including drama and music, and dance. The Quartz festival, running from the first Wednesday of October each year for ten days, attracts over 6,000 visitors annually.

An edition of the BBC television programme This Is Your Life was broadcast from the school hall in February 1958, when host Eamonn Andrews surprised H J ‘Dapper’ Channon, a college master, known affectionately by all at the school as ‘Mr Chips’.

Houses

The Junior School is split into four day houses and one boarding house, each accepting both boys and girls. The houses are named after local hill ranges: Quantocks, Brendons, Blackdowns and Mendips.

The Senior School is split into boarding and day houses for girls and boys. The houses are named after past headmasters or early pupils:

Notable alumni

Former pupils are known as Old Queenians, and include:

Ben Ackland - Irish cricketer

John Baron - Conservative MP

Sir Robert Bond KCMG — Prime Minister of Newfoundland 1900–1909

Arthur Henry Reginald Buller - Mycologist and President of the Royal Society of Canada

Matthew Clay - 2006 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist in Swimming

Carrie Davis - Radio 1 sports analyst

Sir Nicholas Barton "Nick" Harvey - Liberal Democrat MP

Sir Robert Hart GCMG — Inspector-General of China's Imperial Maritime Customs Service 1863–1907

Arthur Henderson PC — Labour politician, Baron Rowley of Rowley Regis, Secretary of State for Air 1947–1951

Peter Honess - Oscar-nominated, BAFTA award-winning Hollywood film editor (L. A. Confidential); Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Peter Mitchell - 1978 Nobel Prize Winner (Chemistry)

Martin Pipe - racehorse trainer

Dean Ryan - England International Rugby Union player and Head Coach of Gloucester RFU Club

Leighton Seager - 1st Baron Leighton of St Mellons, shipping magnate

Sir George Shenton KB — Mayor of Perth, Western Australia 1880–1884 & 1886–1888

Harold Arthur Watkinson PC, CH — Conservative politician and businessman, 1st Viscount Watkinson of Woking, Minister of Defence 1959–1962

John Passmore Widgery- Baron Widgery of South Molton, OBE, TD, QC, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales 1971–1980

James Howard Williams (Elephant Bill) - British Army officer and author

Ed Weeks - actor

References

Queen's College, Taunton Wikipedia

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