Birmingham City University, Art and Design Archives

The architects' reports were commissioned by Birmingham City Council Architects' Department in 1984-5, at which time the former Birmingham Polytechnic was under local authority council. These are therefore retained institutional records. The colour photographs were taken by the builders Kyle Stewart Ltd during the course of their restoration of the Margaret Street building in the mid-1990s, and were passed to the Keeper of Archives sometime between 2000 and 2007.

Due to the work of Birmingham Society of Artists, Birmingham Government School of Design first opened in 1843 at Somerset House, where basic drawing and painting skills were taught. The school changed its name in 1853, becoming the Birmingham Government School of Ornamental Art - later shortened to just the School of Art. The School of Art adopted the National Course of Instruction, a 23- stage programme for teaching art and design developed by Henry Cole. It proved very popular and problems arose with overcrowding in classes. The School moved to larger premises in 1858. It quickly outgrew these as well,but it was not until 1877, with the appointment of Edward R Taylor as the Head of the School, that there was a concerted push for a move to larger facilities. His persuasion, coupled with growing numbers of students and good examination results, succeeded in convincing the Birmingham Committee to sponsor the building of new school premises.

In 1884 the School became Birmingham Municipal School of Arts and Crafts - the first municipal school in the country - and moved to the new premises in Margaret Street, Birmingham, which were designed by John Henry Chamberlain. The influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement (which had always been popular in Birmingham) and the needs of local employers and employees resulted in a change in the direction teaching began to take at the School at this time. Although drawing and painting continued to be important, more practical based courses and teaching were developed e.g. metalworking, needlework, sculpture etc. Obviously these practical subjects needed much more space and equipment for them to take place, so an extension was built to the School in 1892.

In 1890 the Vittoria Street School of Jewellery and Silversmithing was opened in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter, specifically to serve the needs of the local jewellery trade. Robert Catterson-Smith was head of this School until 1903, when he became the Head of the Central School due to Taylor's retirement. Arthur Gaskin took over the headship at the School of Jewellery, where he remained for the next twenty years. The Central School's success continued at its new home, with Birmingham students gaining many National Government Prizes and Awards. A system of elementary Branch schools in Birmingham teaching art and design to children from as young as 12 had first been started in the mid 1850s. The success of these continued to grow with 15 such schools existing in the city in 1900.

Enrolments continued to increase until the First World War, after which the School became the College of Art and Design. Initial plans for more new facilities first made in 1933 were finally completed in 1964, when premises were built at Gosta Green to accommodate new design departments. The College of Art and Design continued to be independent until 1971 when, along with five other Birmingham colleges, it was merged to form the City of Birmingham Polytechnic. In 1975 three further colleges joined the Polytechnic, and 1988 saw Bournville College of Art also join. This resulted in Birmingham Institute of Art and Design being created, which incorporates Bournville College of Art, the School of Art at Margaret Street and the Gosta Green facility (the latter moved to the new city centre campus at Parkside in 2013). The polytechnic was formally designated a university as the University of Central England in Birmingham (UCE) in 1992. It was renamed Birmingham City University in 2007.