Some history of Taunton’s College, now the site of The University of Southampton’s Avenue Campus
Posted by Highfield Residents' Association on Aug 9, 2021 in Local History | 0 commentsHere is some interesting background and photos about Taunton’s School courtesy of Brian Veck, Southampton History Photos.
In 1969, Taunton’s College became a Sixth Form College for boys called Richard Taunton Sixth Form College. It started admitting girls in 1978. In 1989, it merged with Hill College and chose to refurbish and occupy the Hill Lane site.
In 1993, the University bought the old Taunton’s College site from Hampshire County Council and refurbished it to become The Avenue Campus.
More on the history of Richard Taunton College here:
Taunton’s School, founded in 1760 by Alderman Richard Taunton, twice mayor of Southampton. Old boys included Benny Hill, Martin Chivers and Chris Packham (Richard Taunton 6th FormCollege). Martin Chivers scored 106 goals for Southampton and 174 for Spurs, some record. I’ve no idea how many Benny Hill scored! My school from 1953 to 1960.
