Birmingham School with a Grand Central Hall Awarded Rare Grade II* Listed Status
Built in a neo-classical style, King Edward VI in Handsworth opened in September 1911 and was the merger of three existing schools. The school includes a double-height, barrel-vaulted central hall featuring ornate plasterwork and the coat of arms of King Edward VI.
King Edward VI Girls Grammar School in Handsworth, Birmingham, has been granted Grade II* listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the advice of Historic England.
The rare Grade II* listed status puts the school in the same category as some of Birmingham's most significant historic buildings, including The Old Crown pub in Digbeth, Moseley Road Baths, and the Council House in Victoria Square.
Architecture
The building cost £50,000 and was designed by Philip Chatwin, a Birmingham-based architect.
Chatwin's design for the school, built in red brick with stone detailing, featured Ionic columns (1 of 3 column styles used in ancient Greece) and a tiled roof. It also included designated spaces, such as a library, a school common room, a gymnasium, and a double-height, barrel-vaulted central hall.
The hall is home to ornate plasterwork, including the coat of arms of King Edward VI, bands of flowers and foliage, and shields with lions. The hanging light fittings also feature metal foliage and fleur-de-lys emblems. King Edward VI's monogram features on the wrought iron entrance gates.
From the outside, King Edward VI is a very impressive building, but inside it contains what might just be Birmingham's best-kept secret with a breathtaking central hall. The quality and craftsmanship on display in the hall and throughout the building are testament to the value that our ancestors placed on education and the pride they had in civic buildings.
History
King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls opened on 14 September 1911, under the leadership of the Headmistress, Miss Nimmo, who remained in post until 1915. It was formed by the merger of 3 schools – Aston, Summer Hill and Bath Row – and initially taught 450 pupils.
During the Second World War, the pupils and staff were evacuated. They were sent to Worcester Girls' Grammar School, and on 3 September 1939, they travelled there from Birmingham's Snow Hill Station.
Although there were no air raids in Birmingham until August 1940, by April 1940, air raid shelters had been built at Handsworth and the school reopened. Many of the rooms on the ground floor and in the basement had their ceilings reinforced to make them bomb-proof, and windows were covered with adhesive net to prevent flying glass.
A second evacuation to Coalville in Leicestershire took place in November 1940 and ended in July 1941. The school remained open on site for the rest of the war.
The school was built on an area of land that was originally surrounded by dense residential development. Housing around the school began to be cleared from the late 1950s, making way for new school buildings, including a dining block, a new gymnasium, and a science block.
The Victorian Society is delighted that one of Birmingham's finest Edwardian buildings, King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls of 1911 has been granted listed status. It is excellent that the main building by local architect Philip Chatwin with splendid plasterwork in the school hall by G.H.Cox will be preserved for current and future generations of students and visitors to enjoy.
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