Nestling on the banks of the picturesque Vasista Godavari, Taylor High School is one of the major landmarks in this town showcasing the Dutch and the British buildings of monumental value.
The high school was founded by British Educationist and local Revenue Officer H. Taylor in 1852.
Aptly, it was named after him in the later period. It has got entwined with the glorious history of the town as it has produced a galaxy of luminaries.
The ‘manyam veerudu’ (jungle hero) Alluri Sitarama Raju had his schooling in this institution before he led the Rampa rebellion against the British. Chilakamarti Lakshmi Narasimham, a freedom fighter and a noted Telugu litterateur, is yet another cap in its feathers.
The school is credited with producing a large number of high court judges, eminent lawyers and civil servants.
Taylor, who served as a local revenue officer, was said to have taken the pains to promote education in and around the area in the 1850s by establishing a school under the aegis of missionaries. It initially started as an elementary school and later upgraded as a high school. It was only the educational institution offering high school education in those days for students from surrounding areas such as Palacole, Veeravasaram and even Bhimavaram.
Under the private management, the school with a hoary past has been losing sheen in the post-Independent period as its student strength has been falling drastically, thanks to the public craze for convent education.
The local residents highlight the need for the government to restore the past glory of the school by equipping it with the basic infrastructure.
