Beginnings
Taunton School was founded in 1847 as a boys-only school for dissenters - those not members of the Church of England. Right from its founding, it was in direct competition with the other independent schools in Taunton: King's College (Church of England) and Queen's College (Methodist). Its first site was at the southern end of the town.
In the 1870s, the school's governors purchased a site at the northern end of Taunton, on Staplegrove Road. They had built, by Joseph James, a gothic-influenced building, in the prevailing style of the period. The school is constructed in a C-plan, with a 50-foot (15 m) high tower. Grey stone came from Somerset's Mendip Hills. This large building still dominates the school's 90-acre (36 ha) campus today. It is a Grade II listed building.
The school was a founding member of the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships and has hosted the tournament numerous times.
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