| AdminHistory | The original Birmingham Workhouse was built in 1734 in Lichfield Street, now Corporation Street, on the site where the Victoria Law Courts now stand. Later in the century two wings were added: one in 1766, which was the infirmary of the workhouse, and one in 1779, which was a place of labour. No patient and inmate records survive for the workhouse; however an infirmary committee was set up in 1882, to administer the work. This material can be found in GP B/2/4/1.
The Lichfield Street workhouse was designed to hold 600 inmates, but the rapid increase in the urban poor soon required the overseers to reconsider their options. To solve the problem a new workhouse was built on Birmingham Heath and was opened in 1852. In 1889 an Infirmary was opened on the same site serving Birmingham Workhouse. The Infirmary was known under several names including Workhouse Infirmary; Infirmary, Birmingham; Birmingham City Infirmary; Dudley Road Infirmary; Dudley Road Hospital; and finally City Hospital.
The Infirmary was designed by W. H. Ward and had a corridor a quarter of a mile long linking nine pavilions, based on a model recommended by Florence Nightingale. Plans for the Infirmary can be found in MS 423.
The Infirmary was renamed Dudley Road Hospital in 1912. At the same time the Workhouse became known as Western Road House, and was no longer a workhouse but a Poor Law Institution accommodating elderly and infirm paupers.
The Guardians ran the Infirmary from the time it was opened until 1930, when it became the responsibility of the Health Committee of Birmingham Corporation. Records for this committee can be found in council minutes, please see a member of staff for details. From 1948, with the implementation of the National Health Service, the Hospital again changed control to the Regional Hospital Board. For records of Birmingham Regional Health Board see MS 1523. The hospital also came under West Birmingham Hospital Management committee (see MS 702).
In addition to the Workhouse Infirmary, as it was originally known, there were also several other workhouse institutions, including the Asylum at Winson Green (All Saints) which was a mental asylum serving Birmingham, Aston and Kings Norton Unions, opened in 1850 (See MS 344). There were also fever hospitals for those with smallpox and other infectious diseases.
The collection comprises mainly patient records, however because of their poor condition due to flooding and fire many of these records are not available. There are no administrative or financial records in the collection, although some can be found in other collections that we hold. These are:
Birmingham Poor Law Union Infirmary committee, reference GP/B/2/4/1.
Birmingham City Council Minutes, Health Committee, reference BCC/1/AR.
Birmingham Regional Hospital Board, reference MS 1523.
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