How an unassuming Wolverhampton building was preserved by dedicated campaigners who fought against its demolition
A Wolverhampton brutalist building, home to an art school, was saved from demolition thanks to campaign efforts, receiving Grade II-listed status at the tail end of 2025.
The nine-storey building was under threat for a large part of 2025 despite it being considered a brutalist masterpiece by many locals.
At first look, the building can seem rather unassuming but it rose to regional prominence after a petition with more than 7000 signatures prompted the structure in 2025 to gain its status as a Grade-II listed site, by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the advice of Historic England.
University of Wolverhampton School of Art is located on Ring Road, and has been a fixture on the city skyline since it was first opened by Sir Charles Wheeler in October 1970.
If you’ve walked passed the spot on your way to work on a bleak, overcast day then it should come as no surprise that this building seems to encapsulate its surroundings perfectly well.
