Birmingham's precious listed building that is now the bin of Broad Street. The once grand villa is now a dumping ground on the back streets of our party street.
A Fallen Landmark
It was once a grand villa, a beautiful mansion house that was later used as a hospital for the adults, children and babies of Birmingham. But while the Grade II-listed Georgian house spent more recent years hosting club nights and diners as venues Old Orleans and Zara's, these days its only frequent use appears to be the dumping ground of Broad Street.
Historic England designated the building as important for a number of reasons, not least the fact it was 'a dignified example of polite, late-Georgian architecture'. It was noted for its 'skilfully enlarged complementary symmetrical wings' designed by John Jones Bateman, the Martin and Chamberlain-designed 'elegant' perimeter walls, and the 'high quality of the surviving interior features'.
It's not known how well the 'elegant joinery and plasterwork' within are faring given the building is locked off by its owners, with weeds growing from the brickwork. Round the sides and the back of the building are perhaps in the worst condition, which is saying something considering the front courtyard is filled with weeds, laughing gas canisters and fast food trash.
Uncertain Future
BirminghamLive has made attempts to contact the owners over the years to find out more about the future plans for the building but at the time of writing, all approaches had proved unsuccessful. Earlier this month, we contacted the planning firm that put in a planning application on behalf of the owners to add a skyscraper to the roof back in 2024. The plans were thrown out, with Councillor Gareth Moore calling the idea 'utterly bonkers' and those objecting calling the prospect 'an insult' to the precious space. The company - Marrons - said that it did not wish to comment on the fate of the building.
The mansion played an important role in the development of our healthcare service in Birmingham - it was briefly the home of the committee that created the Birmingham Children's Hospital. You can read here our story that dives deeper into the history of this once-grand space.
Other Listed Buildings at Risk
While it's sad to see, 80 Broad Street is not the only listed building currently sitting unused in our city centre. Among them are the at-risk Methodist Central Hall on Corporation Street and The Crown, a pub on Station Street that played a critical role in the story of some of Birmingham's most culturally important bands. It was the first place Black Sabbath played ahead of their explosion into heavy metal superstardom.
