The last part of an historic Birmingham workhouse has been earmarked for demolition to pave the way for the redevelopment of the Dudley Road hospital site.
The grand entrance to the building, known the Archway of Tears because of the sorrow suffered by those desperate enough to go through it, has stood on the Winson Green site since 1852.
After workhouses were abolished in the early 20th century the workhouse was converted into a hospital - the first version of the .
Much of the workhouse was demolished in the early 1990s and all that is left is the Archway of Tears building, which stands derelict in the middle of the car park.
Now bosses from the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital Trust say that it is unsafe and needs to be torn down, prompting outrage from conservationists.
Early photographs of Birmingham workhouses show the poor men and women segregated for meals after a day's hard labour.
Brummie historian Carl Chinn said: “It is upsetting. This is the last remnant of a building which was hated by the working classes but it stands as a symbol of not only that oppression but also the dignity and resilience of those at the lower end of society.”
Prof Chinn, whose great great grandfather died in the workhouse along with many more Brummies, unveiled a plaque on the site in 1999.
The inscription reads: “To all those who through no fault of their own were forced to enter the workhouse. In life they endured misfortune, in death may they rest in peace.”
He said: “The plaque allows us to pay respects to those members of our families who ended up there because they had nowhere else to go.
“We should not be obliterating the past. It would make a great museum of the NHS in Birmingham and the Black Country. It is after all a reminder of why we needed and created the NHS in the first place.”
The first City Hospital was a direct extension of the Birmingham Union Workhouse.
Prof Chinn is being backed in the campaign to preserve the arch by the city’s Victorian Society and leading conservationists.
Cllr Peter Douglas Osborn (Cons, Weoley) said: “It is absolutely essential we retain the Archway of Tears. It’s emotional aspect and most importantly historical aspect is something the city needs to remember. The NHS should not be allowed to demolish it.”
He said that he was regularly threatened by his father ‘you’ll end up in the workhouse’ as were many Brummies.
And Tim Bridges, of the Victorian Society, said the building could be restored and resused. "Where there's a will, there's a way. If the hospital supported it a use would be found."
There is no legal protection for the building as an application by the Victorian Society to have it listed was turned down in 2010. At the same time Birmingham Conservation Trust carried out an appraisal of the building and suggested some form of community centre could be based there once the hospital leaves the site in 2018.
Much of the existing City Hospital, will be demolished when the majority of services are moved to the new Midland Metropolitan Hospital in Cape Hill. Only the Eye Hospital and Treatment Centre will remain leaving the rest of the site to be cleared for new housing.
The NHS is allowed to pull down the building, but has submitted a planning application to inform and consult over the method of demolition. The application states that there are ‘structural elements which are unsafe’. It states the stone archway itself will be dismantled and preserved for future use before demolition.
Trust chairman Richard Samuda, said: “We believe that there is no suitable future usage for the building in the centre of the main City Hospital car parking area, known as the ‘Archway of Tears’, due to its derelict condition, ongoing health and safety risks, and no viable alternative use following feasibility studies. However we are excited by the potential for the development of new clinical services on the site.
"The building is not statutorily listed. We have therefore submitted the required “Prior Notice of Demolition” to Birmingham City Council.
“We recognise the interest from conservation groups and the history of the site, and we would therefore seek to remove the Archway so that it can be incorporated into a future development. We will also be working with Birmingham City Council archivists to create a record of the building.”
