An online exhibition showcasing pieces of original design material and artwork created by the students of the Coalbrookdale School of Art, some were submitted for examination. The collection demonstrates a range of different styles and techniques, and many of the designs directly inspired the products made by local industries.
The mid-Victorian period was the age of imitation and reproduction. Every style from naturalism to Gothic and Classicism was revived in art, furnishings, metalwork and ceramics.
Read more
In response to the relatively poor British designs on display at the Great Exhibition of 1851, the 'Science and Art Department' was established by the Board of Education in 1856, in South Kensington.
Read more
Many students at the Coalbrookdale School of Art already worked in the industries of the Gorge, including the Coalbrookdale Company, Craven Dunnill & Co. and Maw & Co. These companies often paid for their employees to attend art classes, to learn their craft and develop their designing skills.
Read more