Stourbridge College Of Art

Stourbridge College of Art, originally a town library and technical college, was built in two phases between 1903 and 1909 by Frederick Woodward. Constructed in red brick with terracotta dressings and slate roofs, the building is designed in a Netherlandish Renaissance style. The complex plan incorporates several ranges on a corner site, standing mostly three storeys high with a basement and attic. The corner entrance features an elaborate terracotta archway topped with relief figures within a tympanum. Steps lead to part-glazed doors featuring stained glass, including portrait roundels depicting Kelvin, Shakespeare, Rubens, and Mozart. Tall basket-arched windows are topped with moulded terracotta frames and ornamental cornice hoods, with a coped Dutch gable above. To the right of the entrance is a canted, battlemented section containing the staircase, also with elaborate window frames. Further along, facing Hagley Road, is a two-storey range in a similar style. An elaborate terracotta archway leads to a doorway, and a clock tower rises above with clock faces within balconied arches and a domed open belvedere at the top. Behind this section is another range facing Church Street. The extensive interior includes glazed doors and partitions, a staircase with decorative cast-iron balustrade, and a notable series of stained glass windows in an Art Nouveau style, one signed S Evans of West Smethwick. These windows are particularly elaborate on the staircase, and continue along both the Hagley Road and Church Street elevations, forming a key feature. A large polygonal two-storey bay with a battlemented parapet and arched window is situated to the left of the front entrance. The Church Street front is a nine-window range with four slightly projecting gabled sections and similar fenestration, with elaborate terracotta window surrounds. A further doorway is located in the second gable from the left, and two elaborate domed lanterns adorn the roof. Andrew Carnegie contributed £3,000 towards the foundation of the library and a further £700 to the 1908 newsroom extension.