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Selly Oak Hospital

:(hi ladywood
selly oak will be closing next year and everything will be transfered to the new hospital, sadly selly oak hospital is to be demolished to make way for a new housing development, hope this clears things up for you
best wishes anniekei

Thanks for the information.
My Grandfather died at Selly Oak.
The best Aunt in the world died there too.
My daughter had a cut, split chin, stitched at Selly Oak.
I commissioned a photograph [for a nursing recruitment campaign] that was taken in an operating room in Selly Oak.
I will, I think, like most of us, miss it.

ladywood
 
hi again ladywood
my mom worked and lived there in the early fifties she was a nurse and stayed at the nurses home, my auntie norah died there and i have attended the A & E on a few occassion after the accy closed, with one or the other of my children, but that is another story, my dad died in the general and mom in what is now called the heartlands, all these hospitals closing, i remeber quite a few of them
regards anniekei
 
Take a look at this link. It's a new web page that UHB have launched including history form both hospitals. Some old pics on there! Enjoy!

https://www.uhb.nhs.uk/Histories/index.html
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hi all
anyone remember the birmingham dental hospital?? I used to dread going there had gas once when about 8 yrs old and was sick for a week.
regards
paul stacey
 
well Selly Oak is closed now, sad days for all like me who trained there. I had the misfortune to be there in 2007 after hubby was involved in a bike accident on M6, being airlifted to Selly Oak, and ventilated on ITU. I found it comforting to be somewhere I knew, the new hospital is very impersonal because of its sheer size, but the staff are great there.
Love the pics, they bring back fond memories.
Sue
 
Thanks for taking & sharing these pictures. It will be sad indeed to see these buildings go but I don't think some of our earlier relatives would be so sad to see the back of them! I would have thought there would be some attempt at finding a new use for them.
 
best old building I have visited in the last 10 yrs is lincoln victorian prison, with the original cells skaffold, transportation cages, and the original "pentonville system" chapel where no prisoner could see another and all could only see the preaching vicar, only the condemed could sit next to each other without a screen. I did go to selly oak once as a kid after a cycle accident with a car, about 1957.
paul
 
Decided to brush off the dust from my tripod and camera for this place as it has been on my radar for nearly 3 years. Me and a mate visited today. A lot of the buildings have now gone but there is plenty to see.

A bit of history
Taken from Wiki

The first buildings on the site of Selly Oak Hospital were those of the King’s Norton Union Workhouse. It was a place for the care of the poor and was one of many workhouses constructed throughout the country following the introduction of the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. This act replaced the earlier system of poor relief, dating from 1601.

The hospital closed in 2012 upon completion of the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Relocation of the first services from Selly Oak began during the summer of 2010 when its A&E department moved to the new Q.E.Hospital on 16 June and over the next 7 days Critical Care and other departments moved step-by-step the 1.5 miles to the new hospital. On average one inpatient was moved every 5 minutes between 7 am and early evening [1] On the morning of 23 May 2010 a 'Service of Thanks' was held at Selly Oak Hospital to celebrate a century of caring and this was followed by a fun fair at which staff and patients were invited to "Take a Trip Down Memory Lane", sign a memory wall [2] and contribute to an on-line memories website. The reorganisation was first planned in 1998 though it was not until October 2004 that planning approval was given by Birmingham City Council, with construction beginning during 2006.


On to some pictures





































































Thanks for looking.
 
Thank you for posting those very interesting photos Hellboy. I'm sure many of us on the Forum can relate to Selly Oak Hospital in some way or another!

Judy
 
I read with dismay on the BBC news site that Persimmon Home will be developing the site of the former hospital, this in my opinion is bad news for Birmingham heritage.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-31606850

The news article mentions that they will 'Retain historic buildings' however I have experience of this particular developer riding roughshod over the District Council in Lichfield and the section 106 agreement that clearly stated that Persimmon Homes were to retain and maintain a Grad II* listed building. This significant historically interesting building was sold to Persimmon Homes in 2005 in a pristine condition, unfortunately through factors solely and directly influenced by Persimmon Homes, it is now a piece of heritage at risk.

It is easy for this developer to dress this development up by saying "We are investing £100 million in this iconic site and look forward to beginning work on what will be a six to seven-year long project that will breathe new life into Selly Oak and create up to 1,560 jobs.
"It is an exciting opportunity for us as developers to build homes which meet local needs and reflect the history and unique situation of the site, integrating into Bournville and the surrounding areas."

In reality they will be spending £100 million as the cost to build 650 houses in a prime location, looking to walk away with a profit in the region of £500 million.


While I believe that we should have new homes built, I also think it goes without saying that Birmingham has in the past lost for too much of its heritage in the past for lessons not to be learned, and that the protection of our heritage is a key part of Birmingham's identity and its community cohesiveness.

I have written to the council and the local MP, and would urge anyone with a love of Birmingham's history and heritage to do the same. I would also ask everyone who can, get out there with a camera and record and photograph what ever they can, before its gone forever.
 
When I was 8-years old I had an emergency operation at Selly Oak Hospital for peritonitis (appendicitis getting much worse). Remember being carried down the stairs at our home in Hall Green to a waiting ambulance. My parents were warned that I might not get through the operation. Spent a week there and then a month at the Children's Hospital at Five Ways. I have always been very grateful for the NHS and the work that they do. We can also be thankful that medical science has so much improved in recent decades and that we are tending to enjoy longer and healthier lives. Dave.
 
My Grandfather was in Selly Oak Hospital for a very long time. He developed gangrene in his foot and after several operations lost his leg above the knee. Everyone was so kind to him and called him "Uncle Dick". I was young but I had a special pass to visit him, children weren't allowed in those days. My Dad was in a wheelchair too and one time they had a little race down a long corridor!
There was "occupational therapy" then, which involved making cane baskets, tablemats from tiles or matchsticks, window wipers from chamois leather pieces etc.
He looked forward to afternoon tea-time as they always had a little piece of cherry cake!!

My husband was in the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital recently, also in City Hospital. We have a lot to be grateful for.
rosie.
 
My eldest daughter was born in Selly Oak hospital on 12th January 1978....... very different from those days now
 
just caught up with this thread...great photos hellboy...does anyone know if the hospital has now been totally demolished

lyn
 
I'd assumed they'd keep the old workhouse buildings. The later hospital buildings are so widely spread it's difficult to work our what's going on. For example this building looks like it's being developed - not demolished. I'd have expected this type of building to be the first to go. It's a massive site so no doubt developers and authorities have been involved in some interesting wheeler dealings. Viv.
 

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Been trying to make sense of the vast site of Selly Oak Hospital/Kings Norton Workhouse/Infirmary site. It looks to me that part of the old workhouse building, some of the later infirmary and one of the entrances are still there. But it's all a bit confusing as you can only navigate the perimeter. Here are some Streetviews. I can see two developments underway; The Oaks and the Oval. These seem to be in the older buildings (I.e c1870 - c 1902). There has been some clearance on the Raddlebarn Road side, some of which might be of the old infirmary as the rubbke seems to consist of red brick. But it's difficult to be certain. . Viv.
 
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