College history

William Turner was born in Guisborough in 1615. His father John bought the manor of Kirkleatham in 1623, but as a younger son in his family, William had to make his own way in the world and so he was apprenticed to a London cloth merchant.  He became a successful businessman in his own right, ending his days a wealthy merchant banker. When he died in 1692, he left a fortune of some £6m.

He served as both an Alderman and Lord Mayor of the City of London during the 1660s and it was during that time that he was knighted by King Charles II. In later years he was a Member of Parliament.

He was always noted for his civic responsibilities, his charitable inclinations, and his interest in education. He was much involved in the rebuilding of the City of London after the Great Fire of 1666, taking a particular interest in the new St Paul’s, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. For his family estates, having established the Hospital in Kirkleatham in 1676, in his will he left money, and a charity, for the establishment of a school. This was housed in what is now the Kirkleatham Old Hall Museum, newly built in 1709.

The first school did not flourish, and in the nineteenth century the charity was reconstituted and a new school built in 1868 on Coatham Road, on a site currently occupied by Redcar’s Central Library. As the twentieth century unfolded this 'Coatham School' was to become one of the most successful grammar schools in the North of England, moving in 1963 to brand new premises on Corporation Road, in the building across the road from the present Redcar & Cleveland College.

1975 saw the amalgamation of the sixth-forms of Sir William Turner’s School for boys and the Cleveland Grammar School for girls, to produce Sir William Turner’s Sixth-Form College, and a further move, this time to Redcar Lane. With the advent of tertiary education in 1994 Sir William Turner’s moved again, this time back to Corporation Road, to join with Cleveland Technical College, to establish Redcar & Cleveland College.

Sir William Turner, and the traditions of his schools and colleges, is one of the many important elements that make up the present Redcar & Cleveland College. The charity he established those three centuries ago, now called the Sir William Turner Foundation, continues to play a major part in College life. Sir William Turner's bequest continues to flow through the College, supporting projects, departments and individuals, and it has had a major part to play in the establishment of the new College, opening in 2008. As he would have wished, he remains an important benefactor to all our students today.

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