Birmingham Union workhouse

Birmingham Union workhouse was a large complex with multiple interconnected buildings constructed between 1850 and 1852 in the Winson Green area. The facility was designed with separate wings and sections to house around 700 adults and 600 children in divided quarters.

It was built following the Poor Law Amendment Act and replaced an earlier structure from 1734 that had stood at Coleridge Passage. The main buildings were demolished in the early 1990s, though the entrance structure survived until September 2017.

The name reflects its past role as a place where poor and destitute people were separated by age and circumstance. Visitors can sense how the layout kept different groups apart through distinct areas and passages.

The site is now mostly gone, with the main buildings demolished and only fragments of the original structure remaining in the landscape. Visitors should expect a site that has been heavily altered, with limited remains to see compared to its original scale.

The entrance arch became known as 'the arch of tears' because families were separated there upon arrival at the institution. This emotional association has remained part of the place's memory long after the buildings vanished.

Location: Birmingham

Architects: John Jones Bateman

GPS coordinates: 52.48860,-1.92940

Latest update: December 12, 2025 12:02