Former British School

Details

SP06648644
997/0/010419


BIRMINGHAM CITY
SEVERN STREET
Former British School


II


Former British School complex, empty at the time of inspection (2003). 1809 foundations mostly rebuilt in 1850-51, extended in 1869-70 by Yeoville Thomason, and again in 1879-80 by Martin & Chamberlain. Red brick with some blue brick dressings, some stone dressings, and terracotta details. Timber framed pitched and hipped roofs, covered with slates.
PLAN: 3 contiguous ranges with the ‘1879 -80’ range directly on Severn Street, ‘1869 -70’ range immediately south, and the 1850 -51 range facing and set back from Severn Street.
EXTERIOR: ‘1879 -80’ range to Severn Street has pitched roof with hipped corners. 2 storeys with pilasters to corners and flanking the raised central gable. Sloping site lower to the east where entrance with deep moulded architrave under pointed arch. To right, tall rectangular lights with 9/9 panes and leaded overlight, 3 to central bay and 2 to right. Double string course within which decorative terracotta plaques above central lights and to each pilaster. To first floor, 3 windows to central bay, and 2 to each side, all with 6/6 panes with hoppers and single pane above. Those to sides with stone shouldered lintels, those to centre with additional leaded light under stone shouldered head and then trefoil-headed light leaded with blue and clear glass. Above, 3 trefoil headed lights with similar glass and stone dressings. To gable, a wide rounded arch with central rose window leaded with blue and clear glass, and a pair of terracotta roundels. Gable capped with finial. EAST return elevation with 4 bays framed by pilasters each with terracotta plaque between the string courses that continued from façade. Two outside bays blind, central 2 bays each with a pair of similar windows at ground and first floors, and blind niches between the string courses. West elevation blocked in part by no.86 Severn Street (q.v.) then brick chimney, then 2 bays flanked by pilasters, that to left with pair of similar windows, that to right blind. SOUTH elevation with raised gable detail to match that at facade. To east angle is full-height quarter around stair tower with curved entrance under pointed arch with stone hood, double string course, and pair of paned windows with leaded over lights and coloured glass to top floor.
‘1869-70’ RANGE to south has pitched roof with raised glazed clerestory along ridge. West elevation blind. East elevation with tall metal framed windows and margin overlights and segmental arched heads outlined with blue brick linking each window with stone dressings between. First floor with similar smaller windows with stone shouldered lintels, continuous stone cills, and banded blue and dentil break brickwork. Dentilled cornice. At first floor a timber framed bridge with steep pitched roof. Glazing to upper part and decorative braces from each post.
‘1850-51’ RANGE 2 E. Italianate style with a shallow hipped roof. 10 bays, 4 to the centre slightly advanced and framed by wide pilasters with ‘BRITISH SCHOOL’ cut into the frieze. Ground floor paned windows with margin lights under segmental blue brick heads. String course then dentil course, except at pilasters. First floor windows with arched heads in blue brick. Projecting cornice with brackets to eaves. Cornice and eaves detail to side returns with similar windows. South elevation similarly detailed with eaves brackets below cornice, round arch-headed multi pane windows linked by stone course at first floor, and tall paned windows with margin lights under blue brick segmental arched heads at ground floor. Blocked arches at ground floor and brick chimneybreast to centre.
INTERIOR:
‘1879-80 RANGE’ has 3 elaborate wooden trusses with cast iron ties supported by thin tension rods. Trusses have arched braces in the wide central bay with round cut out spandrels. Each side of central bay infilled with trefoil headed cut outs, and boards within a chamfered grid. Tie supported by bolted knee braces and corbels, each depicting a different leaf. Roof hipped at the corners where the front and rear trusses return with similar detail. Continuous dado. To southeast, convert stair tower with full height chamfered baluster stair, and landing that links this building to the range behind. Ground floor plain but with arched openings and large wood fireplace to front classroom. Brick cellar.
‘1869-70 RANGE’ roof supported by 4 wooden trusses, a strut from the apex of which extends up to carry a glazed clerestory roof that runs along the ridge for the central 3 bays. Tie beams each have a pair of arched and corbel braces. Continuous dado panelling to first floor classroom with bay Arts and Crafts style panelling to centre of the west wall. Ground floor with 4 lattice wrought iron girders, each resting on a pair of cast iron corbels. Tall metal framed windows with margin over lights.
‘1850/51 RANGE’ Has wooden trusses, some missing, that comprise three vertical chamfered struts each with raking strips. Tall cast iron columns at ground floor.
HISTORY: The oldest building on the site was the first Nonconformist school in Birmingham, and opened in 1809 as the Royal Lancasterian Free School. A Quaker Day school was founded on the site in 1845 and in 1851-2, the school was enlarged by the addition of second storey and was identified on the frieze as a British School. In 1869-70, the site was further extended with the addition of a block by Birmingham architect Yeoville Thomason, who also designed the 1856 Synagogue (II*) to the south. A decade later, the school was further extended to Severn Street with a range designed by the Birmingham firm Martin & Chamberlain. This firm was well known for their board schools and their commission represents a move to conform to the requirements of the 1870 Education Act whilst remaining an independent Nonconformist school. It became a Council school in 1901 and closed in 1933, after which time it was used by the Birmingham Athletic Institute but in 2003 the buildings had been empty for several years.
An impressive complex of linked C19 Nonconformist school buildings that comprises an 1879-80 Martin & Chamberlain range, and 1869-70 Yeoville Thomason range and the earliest range of 1850-51 that, despite damage, forms an integral part of this historically and architecturally interesting school complex.
Group value with 86 Severn Street (II) and the Synagogue on Blucher Street (II*).

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