Extension Award

The framed certificate was presented to Queen’s College by Taunton Deane Borough. The
wording on the certificate states that the extension to Parklands and Channon houses was
designed by Messrs Edwards D Mills & Partners (Soho, London) and was constructed by
Messrs RG Spiller (Chard). It explains that the extension was granted one of the awards for a
building of good design completed in Taunton Deane Borough between April 1977 and March
1979. It’s dated 29/1/80.

Previously, the two houses had been separate buildings for boarders. Parklands was purchased
in 1954 and after some adaptation work the first boarders were housed there in the summer
term 1955 with Mr and Mrs Hylands. It had space for 30 boys. Next door was a property that
compromised one house known as Seymour and two flats, called St Hubert’s, bought in 1959,
the result of ‘a combination of good fortune, sound judgement and a little persuasion’ according
to the Mr P. Hodgson, Headmaster, 1979-91. The whole was renamed Channon House when it
opened as a boarding house in September the following year under Mr and Mrs Wade.
The extension was built to meet the increased demand for boarding in the 1970s. Although the
two buildings were physically joined together the doors on both the ground and first floors that
linked them were locked, only to be opened in an emergency. This remained the case until 2011
when the whole complex was converted into a boarding house for girls, and renamed Hutton
House, and full access between the two buildings was made possible.