Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital - corner of Church Street and Barwick Street

Opened in 1883 to accomodate the hospital’s move from Cannon Street in 1823, the building – designed by Payne & Talbot – is fortunately still standing and is a prime example of Victorian Architecture as can be seen above.

As with the other City Centre hospitals – the building was insufficient to cope with today’s demands of a hi-tch hospital and a move to more centralized, multi-disciplinary hospital sites (and now ‘Super Hospitals’) swept in during the 1970s and gathered pace during the 1980s and 90s;  the days were numbered for the specialist hospital. Along with the Birmingham and Midland Ear, Nose & Throat Hospital a few hundred yards away and the Birmingham and Midland Hospital for Skin and Urinary Diseases, the hospital’s function moved to Dudley Road ‘City’ Hospital and the building was vacated by the NHS.

In 2000 the vacant building underwent a major refurbishment and opened as the 600-room Hotel du Vin – a ’boutique hotel’ (no, I’m not certain what that is either) and the long-term future of this impressive Victorian building has thus been assured.