Oxford University 19th century art building to be restored

The main premises of the Ruskin School of Art in the High Street in Oxford has been closed since October 2024 for a major refurbishment.

The listed building dates back to the 19th century, built in 1888 and designed by T G Jackson, and the university’s art department moved in to the High Street building in 1975.

It details a refurbishment which include the removal of a 1970s era mezzanine in the main studio space, as well as 20th century partitions and building services, the installation of a platform lift to make most of the building accessible, and the creation of a new library and seminar teaching spaces.

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Visualisation of the new proposed library in the Ruskin School of Art (Image: Purcell / Ruskin School of Art)

The latter remodelling is partly envisioned to house 16 new students on the premises, adding to the ‘intimately-scaled’ department of 130 students for a new postgraduate Master’s programme in Contemporary Art History and Theory, due to launch in October this year.

Another key reason is to restore the building’s core spaces to their ‘original 19th century splendour’, partly by removing the ‘unsightly’ 1970s mezzanine from the drawing studio to maximise its natural light and ceiling height.

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Visualisation of the office space in the Ruskin School of Art (Image: Purcell / Ruskin School of Art)

The renovations are also sought to improve the building’s energy performance and the ‘poor air quality and damp damage’ in the basement level, which was revealed when the building was stripped back during ‘enabling works’ earlier this year.

Finally, it would establish a more ‘flexible and efficient design’ for varied studio spaces through use of removable partitions to provide different teaching and studio space configurations depending on the department’s needs.

The application is open for consultation on the Oxford City Council planning portal and is due to be decided this month.