Selly Oak Hospital
The location was initially chosen for the establishment of the new King's Norton Union Workhouse, a facility dedicated to assisting the impoverished. This workhouse was part of a broader movement across the nation, spurred by the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, leading to the construction of numerous similar institutions. Designed by Edward Holmes, the workhouse was completed and opened its doors in 1870. In September 1897, a workhouse infirmary, crafted by Daniel Arkell with a pavilion layout and fully illuminated by electric lighting, was constructed by Thomas Rowbotham from Small Heath at a cost of £45,000. This infirmary was equipped to accommodate approximately 300 patients.
The new entrance block was finished in 1902, followed by the completion of a substantial nurses' residence, later named Woodlands, in 1908. The workhouse transitioned into a facility for the chronically ill, known as Selly Oak House, and eventually merged with the infirmary to become Selly Oak Hospital under the National Health Service in 1948. In April 2001, the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine was established at the hospital, with its official opening conducted by the Princess Royal. However, in March 2007, families of some injured servicemen raised concerns that the hospital was failing to adequately care for Iraq War veterans. Reports also surfaced of servicemen facing verbal abuse from members of the public opposed to the conflict. Following a visit, Jeremy Clarkson voiced his discontent, claiming in a letter to the NHS that injured servicemen lacked a dedicated ward and were treated similarly to "a lad who got drunk and crashed his Citroën into a tree." A subsequent report from the House of Commons Defence Select Committee attributed the allegations against the hospital to a smear campaign, commending the quality of clinical care provided to military patients.
A 'Service of Thanks' took place at Selly Oak Hospital on May 23, 2010, commemorating a hundred years of dedicated care and reflecting on the memories associated with the institution. Following the relocation of services to the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Selly Oak Hospital officially closed its doors in October 2011. On February 24, 2015, the Trust revealed that it had finalised contracts with Persimmon for the sale of the site, which included outline planning permission for the development of 650 homes.
