Owned by Shropshire Council, the Victorian building was built as a school and dates to the 1860s, with major additions added in 1896. The charitable Abbey School was founded in 1708, moving to the purpose built premises in 1896 and becoming Shrewsbury National School in 1898. During the twentieth century it operated as an elementary school until 1957, after which time it was used by the Shrewsbury College of Art. It became redundant in 1980. In 1985 the English Bridge Workshop was founded. The EBW then continued the building's educational and artistic role.

Elementary schools were the first schools in England and Wales intended to give a basic education to the children of working class families. At the start of the 19th century, the only schooling available to these young people was run by private concerns or by charities, and was often of a very poor standard.