STOURBRIDGE COLLEGE OF ART

1851 - 2018

Stourbridge Free Library and Technical Institute

Stourbridge College of Art, or School of Art, grew out of drawing classes at the Mechanics’ Institution during the 1840s and was founded in 1851, and 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. The school was situated in a theatre building on Theatre Road but in 1905, the School moved to the then recently constructed Free Library and Technical Institute when it staged a show entitled ‘Stourbridge Art and Industrial Loan Exhibition.’ The School of Art merged with Stourbridge Technical School to form Foley College of Further Education, in 1979 its name was changed to the Stourbridge College of Technology and Art, then from 1991 Stourbridge College, which became part of Birmingham Polytechnic. The site closed in 2019.




Works by This Artist