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'Abandoned' UK hospital is being transformed so people can live there
Reach Daily Express | February 14, 2026 3:41 PM CST

A UK hospital that was abandoned 15 years ago has been redeveloped into a brand new housing estate. Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham closed its doors back in 2011 after services moved over to the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The building has a long history, with it first opening as a workhouse in the 1800s. It was a place for the care of the poor following the introduction of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. The workhouse opened in 1870, and 17 years later a workhouse infirmary opened.

It was built to include a pavilion and was entirely lit by electric light. The development cost £45,000 and provided accommodation for around 300 patients.

Over the years, more was added to the site, including a new entrance block in 1902 and a nurses' home in 1908. Selly Oak House soon got its title and the workplace became home for the chronically sick.

The home and the infirmary combined and joined the National Health Service as Selly Oak Hospital in 1948. For years, the building cared for the local community until the new hospital was built.

Selly Oak Hospital closed in October 2011, with the building standing empty. People known as urban explorers have entered the site in recent years to see the abandoned hospital.

They have claimed online to have been able to access the former morgue, with utensils and equipments still being there. In 2015, it was announced the sale of the hospital had been made with planning permission for 650 homes.

Many of the hospital buildings have been refurbished, while others have been demolished. Work is still underway to totally transform the site.

In 2021, part of the hospital was transformed into a block of 44 one-bedroom apartments by housebuilder Charles Church. The Ellis Court development saw the construction of two new wings out of the main building that used to be the infirmary.

Its development was named after Dr Frederick William Ellis, who was chief medical officer at the hospital over a century ago.

At the time, Charles Church Central sales director Sarah Preston said: "We are so proud to be working with such an interesting and historic building, breathing new life into its walls and adapting it to its new important role - creating a safe, high quality and welcoming place to live.

"The proximity of Ellis Court to the QE Hospital and the university, as well as the high-spec of our fixtures and fittings, gives us a real point of difference over other accommodation and is already attracting some discerning customers."

The former nurses' home has also been turned into apartments, with a three-bedroom penthouse going up for sale back in 2023. The Agents Property Consultants had listed the fourth floor flat on Rightmove for £750,000.

New build houses also sit on the site, with a Florence Place development bringing in more new build apartments.


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