The Barber Institute of Fine Arts - The University of Birmingham - University Road - Edgbaston, Birmingham, U.K.
Posted by: 
Mike_bjm
N 52° 27.024 W 001° 55.643
30U E 572893 N 5811675
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts building can be found close to the East Gate of The University of Birmingham in Edgbaston.
Waymark Code: WM124B0
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/24/2020
Views: 4
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts building can be found close to the East Gate of The University of Birmingham in Edgbaston.
'The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is housed in one of Birmingham's finest Art Deco buildings.' (
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The building is a Grade II Listed Building* designed by Robert Atkinson and built between 1935 and 1939. This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1930 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
The building's ornamentation includes 'ashlar panels carved with symbols of the Arts on the first floor' and geometric patterning on the cornice. (
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'Ashlar' is described by Nikolaus Pevsner's Architectural Glossary as 'Masonry of large blocks worked to even faces and square edges.' Source: 'Pevsner's Architectural Glossary' by Nikolaus Pevsner (ISBN:978-0-300-22368-2
Cornice, in architecture, the decorated projection at the top of a wall provided to protect the wall face or to ornament and finish the eaves. The term is used as well for any projecting element that crowns an architectural feature, such as a doorway. A cornice is also specifically the top member of the entablature (q.v.) of a Classical order (see order); it is in this case divided into three parts, a bed mold, corona, and cymatium. (
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Additional ornamentation is provided by two large heraldic shields to either side of the main entrance. The arms of the University are to the right and those of to the left the arms of Sir William Henry Barber, 1st Baronet of Culham Court in the County of Berkshire
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'William Marinus Dudok (6 July 1884 - 6 April 1974) was a Dutch modernist architect. He was born in Amsterdam. He became City Architect for the town of Hilversum in 1928 where he was best known for the brick Hilversum Town Hall completed in 1931.' (
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The Barber Institute building is of a 'Sophisticated design marrying elements of traditional institutional classicism with Dudok inspired stone dressed brick modern. A 2 storey compact block with shallow full height portal wing to right hand of front. Ashlar faced ground floor and blind lst floor of brick with flat coped roofline. The horizontal emphasis of the strip fenestration of the ground floor is suavely combined with the vertical accent of the slightly battered portal. The latter is complemented in small scale by ashlar panels carved with symbols of the Arts on the first floor and reflected by the visual stop of the larger panel at the end of return east elevation. The banding and strip fenestration of the front follows round on to the side and rear elevations giving a crisp linear definition to the design.' (
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