The first buildings on the site of Selly Oak Hospital were those of the King’s Norton Union Workhouse. It was a place for the care of the poor and was one of many workhouses constructed throughout the country following the introduction of the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. These were replaced in 1872 by the new, much larger one at Selly Oak. It was built to accommodate 200 pauper inmates.At Selly Oak, a separate infirmary was built in 1897 at a cost of £52,000. It was the subject of much heated debate as the original estimate had been £18,000. It was a light, clean and practical building, and generally a source of much pride. The Guardians took great care and gathered information from other infirmaries to ensure that the final design, put out to a competition and won by Mr. Daniel Arkell, was up-to-date and modern.In 1911, King’s Norton – no longer a rural area – left Worcestershire and became part of the City of Birmingham. The Birmingham Union was formed from the unions of King’s Norton, Aston and Birmingham. The King’s Norton Workhouse Infirmary was renamed Selly Oak Hospital.Closure of Selly Oak started in 2011 and finished 2012 and now lies empty .We visited Sptember 2015,and found the site wide open with demolition having been started.I truly loved my wander round most of this vast expanse of old and newer 60`s style buildings..we simply opened doors and explored.