School with vaulted hall granted rare listed status

A building described as one of Birmingham's "best kept secrets" has been granted a rare Grade II* listing.

King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls has been given the legal protection awarded to buildings of particular national importance.

The rare listing puts the school in the same category as some of the city's most significant historic buildings, including The Old Crown pub in Digbeth, Moseley Road Baths and the Council House in Victoria Square.

The red brick building, built in a neoclassical style, contains some iconic columns and ornate plasterwork, including the coat of arms of King Edward VI, said Historic England.

The school, home to 450 pupils, opened in 1911 and was formed by the merger of three schools - Aston, Summer Hill and Bath Row.

The building originally cost £50,000 and was designed by Birmingham architect Philip Chatwin.

During World War Two, the pupils and staff were evacuated to a grammar school in Worcester.

It reopened to pupils in 1940 after air raid shelters had been built nearby, with many of the rooms on the ground floor and in the basement fitted with reinforced ceilings to make them bombproof.

"From the outside King Edward VI is a very impressive building but inside it contains what might just be Birmingham's best kept secret with a breathtaking central hall," said Louise Brennan, regional director of Historic England.

"The quality and craftsmanship on display in the hall and throughout the building are testament to the value that our ancestors placed on education, and the pride they had in civic buildings," she added.

Follow BBC Birmingham on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]