The Birmingham Union Workhouse was a

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...

on Western Road in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, England.

Earlier workhouse

The ''Birmingham Workhouse Infirmary'' was a workhouse constructed in 1734 on the site of the present day Coleridge Passage, now opposite

Birmingham Children's Hospital Birmingham Children's Hospital is a specialist children's hospital located in Birmingham, England. The hospital provides a range of specialist services and operates the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for the city. The servi ...

. This facility had hosted the medical lectures of Mr John Tomlinson, the First Surgeon of the infirmary; these lectures, commencing in 1767 were the precursor to the foundation of the

Birmingham Medical School The University of Birmingham Medical School is one of Britain's largest and oldest medical schools with over 400 medical, 70 pharmacy, 140 biomedical science and 130 nursing students graduating each year. It is based at the University of Birmi ...

in 1825 and were among the first formal medical lectures held outside London and Scotland.

History

A new infirmary building, built to increase the capacity of the old one, was constructed between 1850 and 1852 under the

Poor Law Amendment Act The ''Poor Law Amendment Act 1834'' (PLAA) known widely as the New Poor Law, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig government of Earl Grey. It completely replaced earlier legislation based on the ''Poor Relief ...

of 1834, to designs by

John Jones Bateman John Jones Bateman (1817–1903) was an English architect, active in the town (later city) of Birmingham, where he designed a number of important civic buildings, and nonconformist churches, often in partnership with George Drury. He was the f ...

and G Drury. The main entrance building, though derelict, survived until demolition in September 2017. Its arched entrance was known as "the arch of tears". The remainder of the workhouse was demolished in the early 1990s. In 1889 a hospital was built as an extension to the workhouse. This still exists, much developed, as City Hospital. Despite its age and social significance, calls by the

Victorian Society The Victorian Society is a UK amenity society and membership organisation that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. It is a registered ...

and Birmingham Conservation Trust, for the workhouse entrance building to be

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

, were turned down by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

in 2010.

Earlier workhouse

History

References

Further reading