100 Buildings 100 Years

1924: Taunton School Science Building, Somerset

Status: Listed Grade II
Type: Education
Architect: E Vincent Harris
Location: Staplegrove Road, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 6AD

Harris completed this late English Rennaissance block, which included a Memorial Hall, in 1924. It was encased in Bath stone with mullioned and transomed windows all round. The memorial function was announced by a small central entrance block with Gothic door and oriel window above, contrasting with the learning blocks arranged either side. The war memorial is a large open space in the centre of the internal rear wall. Corridors lead to the classrooms off to left and right. The ground and first floor are linked by a double staircase, work rooms on both floors being a mixture of laboratories, lecture rooms, library, staff rooms and stores. John Brown (c. 1928) said ‘the memorial aspect of the structure [is] wonderfully observed and maintained by the architect.’

by Nicholas Holmes