Moseley & Balsall Heath Institute (Moseley Dance Centre Hazelle Stage School)

[ellbrown]

Some photos of the former Moseley & Balsall Heath Institute (now the Moseley Dance Centre Hazelle Stage School).

This quote from Bill Dargue's site under Moseley (not Balsall Heath):

Bill Dargue Moseley

Designed in Victorian gothic by local architect William Hale, it was built by local builder John Bowen in 1879. This was the home of a self-help organisation to improve the educational lot of poorer Victorians determined to better themselves. The institute was able to attract luminaries such as Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde to lecture there.

A sculpture over the entrance represents Industry and Art depicting a blacksmith, metalworker and spinner flanked by the busts of Michelangelo and Shakespeare. The tympana of the ground-floor windows show medieval figures engaged in art, drama, literature, music, poetry, science.

Busts of Michelangelo and Shakespeare



Michelangelo close up



Shakespeare close up



Industry and Art close up



Medieval figures

Seen from Cromer Road (traffic kept going past on the Moseley Road).

 

[devonjim]

Our school held it's annual " Speech Day" at the Moseley Rd Institute in 1950's.

 

[Eric Gibson]

Myself and a senior girl from our school were sent there to a lecture on world government, that must have been in the late forties, some early proponents of the European Union I think, can't remember much about it now.

 

[Phil]

To get back on topic, a photo of Moseley & Balsall Heath Institute which looks to have been taken within a few years of being built in 1879 by local builder John Bowen.

 

[Vivienne14]

Have set up a new thread for Moseley Victorian & Edwardian buildings https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/moseley-victorian-edwardian-buildings.49450/
Viv

 

[Mike Fisher]

I went there in the late 50's when Moseley Grammar School speech day was held there - the next one was at the Town Hall