Birmingham City Hospital officially closed Nov 2024

[Vivienne14]

Two surviving features of interest near the hospital entrance. The first is a gate column through which people passed towards the Archway of Tears. I suspect this must date back to the early days of the workhouse. And a wonderful victorian wall pillar box. You can just make out the 'VR' near the top. Lovely, a pretty rare find !

 

[zero]

Must say, I am completely blown away at the insane levels of historical knowledge and research by members of this thread.
Just..... WOW!

More photo's, the next batch will be from the inside of the main building. I've picked out the best ones.
Won't upload all as the wards had a similar layout and structure.

 

[zero]

hopefully when zero has time he could let us know what is going to happen to the plaque that carl chinn unveiled in 1999

lyn

To be honest, I wasn't aware of this plaque. I'll try and find out.

 

[zero]

Ground Floor x-ray dept.

 

[zero]

Windmill Theatres. Ground Floor.

 

[Astoness]

To be honest, I wasn't aware of this plaque. I'll try and find out.

here is the plaque that carl chinn unveiled outside the archway of tears 1999 and also a st view of where it was moved to...on a pile of bricks on the right of the western road entrance..shameful

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Astoness]

Must say, I am completely blown away at the insane levels of historical knowledge and research by members of this thread.
Just..... WOW!

More photo's, the next batch will be from the inside of the main building. I've picked out the best ones.
Won't upload all as the wards had a similar layout and structure.

hi zero do you know if the old wall..pillars and pillar box shown on post 181 will be retained also thanks for the compliment we are like dogs with bones once we get stuck into a good topic its also great to find someone such as yourself who is so keen to help us...thanks

lyn

 

[zero]

hi zero do you know if the old wall..pillars and pillar box shown on post 181 will be retained also thanks for the compliment we are like dogs with bones once we get stuck into a good topic its also great to find someone such as yourself who is so keen to help us...thanks

lyn

Not sure. They might. I'll take some more photo's. Infact, i'll do a walk around the site, and take photo's of any remaining history.

 

[Astoness]

Not sure. They might. I'll take some more photo's. Infact, i'll do a walk around the site, and take photo's of any remaining history.

thanks zero that is much appreciated in fact it looks as though the pillars run right down to western road

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

lyn

 

[Vivienne14]

Hi Zero, please could you check if this building still exists. It's the old school building for boys. Many thanks in advance.

 

[zero]

Hi Zero, please could you check if this building still exists. It's the old school building for boys. Many thanks in advance.View attachment 231365

Sure does. They haven't demolished it yet. I took this photo before the boards went up. Hasn't changed much for 25 years. It's also crazy that I took the same photo, same angle 25 years after the date on your upload

 

[Vivienne14]

So it's scheduled for demolition. Thanks Zero. There was once another building (of the same design) used as the girls' school but I think it's been built over. We have a thread about it here.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/cape-schools-and-the-birmingham-workhouse-school.48426

 

[Astoness]

hi zero sorry to ask yet another question but if the boys school is due for demo is it possible for you to be allowed in and take some photos..looks a pretty sturdy building to me...shame it cant be retained and a nice blue plaque added to it...too much to ask i guess as there will always be a reason not to

lyn

 

[zero]

hi zero sorry to ask yet another question but if the boys school is due for demo is it possible for you to be allowed in and take some photos..looks a pretty sturdy building to me...shame it cant be retained and a nice blue plaque added to it...too much to ask i guess as there will always be a reason not to

lyn

Ask away
I'll try.
Nothing wrong with the building, it was in use right up until all the staff moved to MMUH.

 

[zero]

So it's scheduled for demolition. Thanks Zero. There was once another building (of the same design) used as the girls' school but I think it's been built over. We have a thread about it here.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/cape-schools-and-the-birmingham-workhouse-school.48426

Amazing thread(s)!

 

[Mark Tooze]

Only just realised - one of the buildings I photographed was the old boys school - is this the workhouse crest on the wall I wonder?

 

[Vivienne14]

A nice find Mark. Is it OK if I copy your photo to our workhouse school thread to the link below, please ? I'm trying to pin down the dates of when this building was built and the period it was used as a school building (probably 1870-1880?). Thanks.

It's interesting (at least to me), as it formed part of the efforts of the workhouse to provide children with a proper form of education from the 185Os until the Education Act kicked in. Earlier school buildings, nearer Dudley Road, were taken over to provide for needed patient accommodation, so this alternative accommodation must have been built as replacement schoolrooms, etc. These were further north-west of the original school buildings.

Map attached shows the later boys' school building as a blue dot. The pink dot was the girls' school, the site of which has, I think, been built over.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/cape-schools-and-the-birmingham-workhouse-schools.48426

 

[Mark Tooze]

A nice find Mark. Is it OK if I copy your photo to our workhouse school thread to the link below, please ? I'm trying to pin down the dates of when this building was built and the period it was used as a school building (probably 1870-1880?). Thanks.

It's interesting (at least to me), as it formed part of the efforts of the workhouse to provide children with a proper form of education from the 185Os until the Education Act kicked in. Earlier school buildings, nearer Dudley Road, were taken over to provide for needed patient accommodation, so this alternative accommodation must have been built as replacement schoolrooms, etc. These were further north-west of the original school buildings.

Map attached shows the later boys' school building as a blue dot. The pink dot was the girls' school, the site of which has, I think, been built over.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/cape-schools-and-the-birmingham-workhouse-schools.48426

View attachment 231457

A nice find Mark. Is it OK if I copy your photo to our workhouse school thread to the link below, please ? I'm trying to pin down the dates of when this building was built and the period it was used as a school building (probably 1870-1880?). Thanks.

It's interesting (at least to me), as it formed part of the efforts of the workhouse to provide children with a proper form of education from the 185Os until the Education Act kicked in. Earlier school buildings, nearer Dudley Road, were taken over to provide for needed patient accommodation, so this alternative accommodation must have been built as replacement schoolrooms, etc. These were further north-west of the original school buildings.

Map attached shows the later boys' school building as a blue dot. The pink dot was the girls' school, the site of which has, I think, been built over.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/cape-schools-and-the-birmingham-workhouse-schools.48426

View attachment 231457

HI Vivienne - of course you can post it!
I'll check back through the original photos to see if I have a better view - this was took over the top of a fence with a "Daily Mail" lens....

 

[Vivienne14]

Thanks Mark. Re the crest Mark has posted #136. I think it's probably a version of the 'Forward' crest. I don't think the Guardians used a crest of their own, they most likely used Birmingham 'Forward'

 

[Mark Tooze]

Only have another one - this is not quite so good:-


However - I have "digitally stretched" the first photo so it is a bit easier to look at:-

 

[Vivienne14]

Great, thanks Mark. Depending on the date of the boys' school building (which might be c1870s, although can't confirm yet), the crest is very eroded. Is that normal? I wondered if it had been moved from the earlier school buildings, but it looks like it's built into the brickwork.

I also asked myself why was it on this particular building.Was a crest placed on other workhouse buildings too, I wonder ?

It also makes me question whether the building was used at another time for some other use. The building wasn't on the original 1850s plan as far as I can see.

 

[pjmburns]

So it's scheduled for demolition. Thanks Zero. There was once another building (of the same design) used as the girls' school but I think it's been built over. We have a thread about it here.

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/threads/cape-schools-and-the-birmingham-workhouse-school.48426

Trying to work my way through a long "heritage statement" but did spot this
Significant additions in the 1930s included the construction of the Art Deco style Maternity building, which necessitated the demolition of the workhouse girls’ school and part of the workhouse male epileptic wards, and the substantial northwards extension of the nurses’ home.

Also found this
Between the Geriatric Office Block and the Pathology Group stands the Child Development Centre, which occupies the surviving workhouse Boy’s School. The building was not part of the original workhouse but had been added to the complex by the time of the publication of the 1888
Ordnance Survey. The rather plain T-plan building has been degraded by modern replacement windows and a large flat-roofed extension on the west
side. A matching T-plan Girls’ School that stood further south, was demolished to make way for the Maternity block.

I imagine the building is earmarked for demolition as it is not part of the original 1852 buildings.

 

[Vivienne14]

The former boys' school building is at least 138 years old. Despite it having been subject to major internal alteration, it's still a significant piece of the education of workhouse children. Sadly, its demolition is, again, an obvious disregard for workhouse - and Birmingham education - history. Many of the children who benefitted hopefully raised themselves out of the poverty of their early lives simply because they could read and write. And some of their ancestors have this to be thankful for. When this goes, that reminder and tribute will disappear too. It's especially significant as the 1850s original school buildings no longer exist.