King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls with boundary gates, railings and piers

Summary

A girls’ grammar school, with associated gates, railings and gate piers. Designed by local architect, P B Chatwin, and built 1908-1911 following the merger of three schools at Aston, Summer Hill and Bath Row.

Reasons for Designation

King Edward VI Handsworth Girls’ School is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:

Architectural Interest:

* as a skilful neoclassical design which features elegant proportions and an extremely high quality of exterior embellishment;

* for the exceptional quality of the hall interior, which features a highly accomplished scheme of ornamental plasterwork, and well-articulated interior windows and doorways with decorative leadwork;

* for the survival of the unified scheme of decoration to corridors, stairwells and classrooms.

Historic Interest:

* as a school by regionally notable architect, P B Chatwin, who made a significant contribution to the building stock of the area.

History

King Edward VI Handsworth School opened on the 14th September 1911. It was formed by the merger of three schools: Aston, Summer Hill and Bath Row and initially taught 450 girls. The building cost £50,000 to build and was designed by P B Chatwin in a free, late-C17 style. Philip Boughton Chatwin (1873-1964) was a Birmingham based architect who became a partner in his father’s practice, J A Chatwin and Son, in 1897. He was responsible for a number of local commissions including churches, and commercial and educational buildings. His design for King Edward VI Handsworth School incorporated a number of specialist areas including a library, a school common-room, a gymnasium and a panelled hall with ornate plasterwork.

The earliest appearance of the building on Ordnance Survey Maps from 1917 suggests that the footprint of the main school building has changed very little since it was first built. 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 and made way for new school buildings, including a dining block, gymnasium and science block. In the 1960s a new floor was laid in the hall and the former gym became a music room. Further buildings, including a Sixth Form Centre and library, were added to the enlarged grounds in the late C20 and early C21 and the school reception was modernised. The original windows to the front were replaced in 2023.

Details

A girls’ grammar school by P B Chatwin, built 1908-1911, with associated gates, railings and gate piers.

MATERIALS: red brick with ashlar dressings and a plain tile roof. Some of the windows are leaded, with the majority being multi-pane timber sashes with top lights.

PLAN: the building is orientated on a roughly north-south axis and forms a long, linear range with short projecting bays to the west. The interior is arranged around a central, double-height hall. The symmetrical plan features staircases and suites of classrooms and offices to either end of the hall. A range running parallel to the hall contains a corridor and a further series of classrooms.

EXTERIOR: the building is composed of two storeys plus a basement beneath a steep, hipped roof featuring a central octagonal louvred cupola with a spire. The symmetrical west frontage features a central aedicule flanked by gabled projecting wings and hipped end bays. The aedicule is composed of Ionic columns supporting a deep entablature and segmental pediment featuring the coat of arms of King Edward VI, with a carved lion and dragon holding a shield above the motto ‘DIEU ET MON DROIT’. This frames the centre of five leaded windows with stone mullions and transoms in deep moulded dressings which articulate the exterior of the hall. A deep plinth continues around the flanking projecting wings which are encased with giant Ionic pilasters supporting the continued entablature and a blank segmental pediment with dentils. Both wings feature a large, arched entrance door set within a hooded porch on moulded consoles and reached by a series of curved stone steps. Above each door is a single first floor window in stone surrounds. There are pairs of windows to both floors on the side faces. The coped, stepped gables feature bands of stone and circular windows inside ornate stone surrounds with swan-neck pediments. Both floors of the adjoining brick bays feature six windows grouped in threes beneath flat brick lintels, those to the first floor and basement feature prominent keystones. The outer bays have hipped roofs and break slightly forward. The first floor is articulated with a deep stone band, with a single window to each floor flanked by pilasters.

The rear, east elevation is of seven bays and three storeys. Each bay of the ground and first floor has three windows with flat brick heads and keystones, while there are large windows with segmental heads to the basement. There are link-detached wings to either end of this elevation, including the former caretaker’s house to the north which has three bays of sash windows to the first and second floor and a dormer window and large stack to the hipped roof. To the ground floor of the south elevation is a bow window with stone mullion and transoms and a deep moulded cornice.

INTERIOR: the projecting west bays both have entrances that lead into vestibules. The north vestibule has internal doors with top and side lights with decorative leaded glazing featuring rose, crown and fleur-de-lys motifs. The south vestibule contains a modern reception area with a desk and automatic doors.

The interior is arranged around a double-height, barrel-vaulted hall. The hall is embellished with pilasters and ceiling ribs. Each bay features an arched doorway with a large fanlight with decorative leadwork. Above these are a series of leaded windows with mullions and transoms to first floor level, the central of these is slightly bowed. To the roof above are a series of lunette dormer windows. The hall features fine plasterwork by G H Cox, including the coat of arms of King Edward VI flanked by relief figures; bands of flowers and foliage to the ceiling ribs and walls; and shields to the pilasters with lions in aedicules below. Below the coat of arms to the head of the hall is an open pediment supported on pilasters and to the opposite end is a wooden clock. The hanging light fittings feature metal foliage and fleur-de-lys emblems.

The stairwells to either end of the hall are entered through arches, and feature open arches to the sides. They have C18-style swept-up rails and newels with royal ciphers and ball finials. The ground and first floor corridors are arcaded and retain moulded cornices, terrazzo floors and original doors and door furniture. The classrooms and offices typically retain cornicing, picture rails, skirting, parquet floors, and built-in corner cupboards. There is a timber fireplace to the staff room, which also contains an arcade of three arches.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the boundary to the east frontage is composed of brick piers with stone caps, brick plinths with stone coping, and metal railings with plain and fleur-de-lys finials. The pairs of gates feature King Edward VI monograms. The section to the south appears to have been added later.

Sources

Books and journals
Foster, A, Pevsner, N, Wedgwood, A, Birmingham and the Black Country (2022),

Websites
History of King Edward VI Handsworth School, accessed 5 March 2025 from https://kingedwardvi.bham.sch.uk/about-our-school/history/

Other
Ordnance Survey Map Warwickshire, 1:2500, 1917 edn.
Ordnance Survey Map, 1:1250 scale, 1971 edn.

End of official list entry