13/03/2026
๐ช๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ: ๐ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐น๐ธ
led by Dr David Low in place of Andy Foster
The Birmingham & West Midlands Group of the The Victorian Society gathered on the morning of 11th March 2026 for what proved to be an engaging exploration of West Bromwichโs Victorian civic architecture. The walk had originally been scheduled to be led by the architectural historian Andy Foster, but owing to his illness the group was very ably guided by Dr David Low, whose long involvement with the Society and deep knowledge of the region ensured that the tour was both informative and entertaining.
The walk began near Lodge Road Metro station and proceeded along West Bromwich High Street, reputed to be the longest high street in the Black Country.
From the outset, the tour demonstrated that the town retains a surprisingly rich legacy of nineteenth-century public architecture.
Our first stop was to St Michael and the Holy Angels Catholic Church, a Grade II-listed building constructed between 1876 and 1877 to the designs of Dunn and Hanson. Inside, the richness of the ecclesiastical interior offered a welcome contrast to the brisk early-spring weather outside.
From there we viewef the exterior of the former West Bromwich Institute (1884) and the Memorial School of Art, both designed by the local architectural partnership Wood & Kendrick. These buildings speak eloquently of the Victorian belief in self-improvement and civic education. Even in altered form they remain important markers of the townโs cultural ambitions in the later nineteenth century.
The walk continued to the civic heart of the town: the Carnegie Library (1907) and the adjacent West Bromwich Town Hall, built in 1874โ75 to the designs of Alexander and Henman. The Town Hall complex, recently restored, was awarded the regional groupโs 2024 Conservation Award, a fact that lent particular resonance to the visit.
A highlight of the day was the opportunity to enter the Town Hall itself, including the former Council Chamber where a buffet lunch was servedโan agreeable Victorian tradition revived for the modern heritage enthusiast. Dr Lowโs commentary brought the building vividly to life, explaining both its architectural significance and its role in the civic identity of the town.
After lunch, the walk continued to the Old Vicarage of the former Christ Church (1891), again associated with Wood & Kendrick, along with neighbouring church buildings that illustrated the expansion of ecclesiastical and community provision in the late Victorian period.
The tour concluded with a short Metro journey to view the Kenrick Factory, a reminder that West Bromwichโs architectural heritage cannot be separated from the industrial prosperity that created it.
Although Andy Fosterโs absence was felt, Dr David Low proved an excellent substituteโcombining scholarly insight with an accessible style that encouraged discussion throughout the walk. The event also demonstrated something important about West Bromwich itself: beneath its reputation as a purely industrial town lies a coherent and surprisingly ambitious Victorian civic landscape.
For members of the Society, the walk was a reminder that architectural interest in the Black Country often lies not only in individual monuments but in the broader urban fabricโlibraries, institutes, schools and town halls that together embody the civic optimism of the nineteenth century.
