Birmingham School of Art - floral details

The School of Art opposite BM&AG. This used to be The College of Art, part of the old Birmingham Polytechnic, which later became the UCE and now BCU.

The Birmingham School of Art was a municipal school based in the centre of Birmingham. Although the organisation was absorbed into the Birmingham Polytechnic in 1971, it is now part of Birmingham City University's Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, it is Grade I listed.

The building is on Margaret Street, and it remains part of the university's Department of Fine Art, but it is still commonly referred to its original title.

The building is a red Victorian Gothic structure, completed after the death of architect J. H. Chamberlain, by his partner William Martin and his son Frederick Martin. Foundation stone laid in 1884, completed a year later in 1885.

An extension was built in 1892-93 by Martin & Chamberlain running east down Cornwall Street. It was renovated and refurbished between 1992 and 1996 by Associated Architects.

When it was listed in 1970 it was listed as the Art And Design Annexe, Birmingham Polytechnic. Obviously now it is the Birmingham City University School of Art.

1881-85, by Martin and Chamberlain and extended along Cornwall Street in 1893. Brick and terracotta with stone dressings and some tile decoration and with mosaic in the central gable; tiled roof with bracketted eaves cornice and decorative ridge tiles. In a Gothic style. Three and 4 storeys; 5 bays, the central and outer ones all gabled though differently in width and height, a facade as brilliantly successful as it is wholly asymmetrical. The centre bay with the gabled entrance arch flanked by pinnacles and carrying a big pointed arched opening within the gable above. The door behind gates and up a steep flight of steps within a room with arches carried on granite columns and a flat panelled wooden ceiling. Ground floor windows all with shouldered and moulded heads. First floor windows all broad lancets in various groupings; then, on the left a roundel by Barlow of Leicester with splended foliage in an Art Nouveau style, a band of trefoil headed lancets with roundels below and, on the right, a big canted bay window carried on a tripartite buttress rising up from basement level and with a triplet of lancets above. Excellent floral details in the spandrels. Inside, too, with excellent detailing everywhere including mosaic floors, stained glass windows, fine metalwork and joinery and carved capitals. The studios on the top floor large and functionally constructed with big iron arches with quatrefoils. On the return, the 9 bays of the extension differ from the 5 bays of the original in having figures (by Benjamin Creswick) rather than foliage in the tympana of the arches.

Birmingham School of Art - Heritage Gateway

Some rights reserved

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / Birmingham / Brindleyplace (show map)

Taken on: June 28, 2009

Tags:

school of art

birmingham city university

birmingham polytechnic

birmingham

birmingham school of art

municipal school

organisation

birmingham institute of art and design

grade i listed

margaret st

department of fine art

university

red-brick

victorian gothic

j. h. chamberlain

william martin

frederick martin

foundation stone

extension

martin & chamberlain

cornwall st

associated architects

west midlands

england

united kingdom

great britain

Grade II* listed

art and design annexe, birmingham polytechnic

art and design annexe

brick and terracotta

stone dressings

tile decoration

mosaic

central gable

tiled roof

bracketted eaves cornice

decorative ridge tiles

gothic style

asymmetrical

gabled entrance arch flanked by pinnacles

arches

granite columns

flat panelled wooden ceiling

shouldered and moulded heads

broad lancets

roundel

barlow of leicester

foliage

art nouveau style

band of trefoil headed lancets

big canted bay window

tripartite buttress

triplet of lancets

floral details

spandrels « less

Sets appears in: • Victorian buildings, Birmingham • Cornwall Street, Birmingham

Groups appears in: • Sculpture • Statues and Sculptures. more » • Red Brick Buildings • Public Sculpture (UK) • Sculpture awards on flickr - add 1 award 3 • (Officially) England's Best Buildings • Birmingham City University « less

Camera: Fujifilm FinePix S1500, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, 9.3mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Fujifilm FinePix S1500
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/800)
Focal Length:	9.3mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	+0.33 EV
Flash:	On, Red-eye reduction
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Digital Camera FinePix S1500 Ver1.01
Show full info

Stats: 3,140 views

go back

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: