Stourbridge College of Art

Founded in 1851, the School of Art offered instruction in drawing, art and design to students engaged in industries, mainly the historic local glass manufacturing industry. In January 1882, the Stourbridge School began its classes with a new art master, Edward John Simms (1846-1927) whose tenure lasted nearly a decade. The School then welcomed a new art master, George Henry Cromack, (1865-1924) but found its building increasingly inadequate for the growing numbers of students wanting instruction in various technical subjects. By late 1904, local generosity helped by some government assistance agreed to relocate the School to the recently constructed Free Library and Technical Institute. When the School relocated early in 1905 it staged a show entitled ‘Stourbridge Art and Industrial Loan Exhibition.’

At various time throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the School’s name was altered to the Stourbridge College of Technology and Art in 1979 and it was then known as Stourbridge College from 1991. It was eventually absorbed into the Birmingham Polytechnic until it was sold in 2018.