Former Bilston school of art with go-ahead for flats conversion heading to auction
A former art school building which was erected to commemorate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee will be going under the hammer later this month.
The former Bilston School of Art, in Mount Pleasant, was built in 1897 to designs by town engineer Captain Wilson, who reputedly based them on an institution in Glasgow.
It now has planning permission to be converted into apartments and is appearing in Bond Wolfe’s next livestreamed auction on October 26.
The building, which will have an undisclosed guide price, falls within the Bilston town centre conservation area.
James Mattin, managing director and auctioneer at Bond Wolfe, said: “The property extends to approximately 10,122 sq ft over two floors and sits on a site of around one acre.
“The site is now considered suitable for a combined conversion and new-build development of residential dwellings, and planning consent has been granted for a total 64 apartments.
“The current plans could see the building converted into 20 apartments, with the demolition of existing outbuildings and the construction of 44 new build apartments on the rest of the site.
“Other schemes may be deemed suitable, subject to obtaining the necessary consents.”
Mr Mattin added that the freehold development opportunity was being sold on behalf of an LPA receiver after the current owner went into liquidation.
Research by conservation experts has recorded how the Bilston School of Art building served the town and wider Wolverhampton area as a place of education and improvement for nearly a century.
In 1948 it was divided into two parts, the School of Art and the Technical School, renamed the Bilston College of Further Education in 1949, and by the 1970s it became an annex to the newly built College of Further Education in nearby Westfield Road.
The conservationists’ records of the building say: “It is an extremely satisfying composition of classical elements and decorative features to create a frontage with qualities more consistent with a fine country house.
“Local red brick is used with terracotta detailing, including figurative roundels designed by Percival Ball of the Lambeth School of Art.”
However, their report concludes: “It has now been empty for some years and has been slowly decaying ever since.”
The former Bilston School of Art occupies a prominent location on Mount Pleasant, with easy access of the busy A41 Oxford Street Island, which links to the main A463 Black Country Route and leads directly to Junction 10 of the M6 motorway.
There are multiple national and local retailers nearby including the Post Office, Iceland, Morrisons supermarket, several commercial and residential estate agents and other businesses.
The Bilston property is just one of 170 lots that are appearing in Bond Wolfe’s next auction, which will start at 9am on October 26.
Visit bondwolfe.com/free-property-appraisal, email [email protected] or call 0121 312 1212 for more details.
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