Home Front Legacy 1914-18
Claire Corkill, Chris Kolonko, 2020. https://doi.org/10.5284/1059297. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Council for British Archaeology unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 3366
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1059297
- How to cite using this DOI
Full Record - Great Hall Birmingham University (PRN: 9341)
| PRN | 9341 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site or location name | Great Hall Birmingham University | ||||
| Summary | 1st Southern General Hospital | ||||
| Description | Grade II* Listed '1900-1909 by Sir Aston Webb and Ingress Bell, the D plan group main university building of which only part were completed to the original design. The Great Hall opposite the tower is the central axial building, to its front is a square entrance hall with a giant round arched mullioned window, above an ornate frieze over the loggia doorways, flanked by tapering square corner turrets (to rear as well) which are topped by small ribbed domes. Over the hall rises a low octagonal drum supporting a large ribbed dome and a miniature lantern. Red brick and stone and buff terracotta dressings, but the conception is more Byzantine than Renaissance. Behind the domed and galleried entrance hall with ornate Renaissance grotesque relief carving, lies the Great Hall itself, a vast tunnel vaulted space with cross vaulted 2 storey side galleries. Rich grotesque carving. Lavish stained glass by T R Spence. The centrepiece of the hall has 2 storey quadrant links forming the wing pavilions, 2 to the west but only one completed to the east. These relate on a smaller 2 storey scale to the Great Hall being square on plan and with similar ribbed domes but with round corner turrets, wings extending behind. Flat lintelled window ranges on ground floor and large frescoed friezes by Anning Bell below the parapets on the first floor level. The link ranges have segmental arched windows. Modern part to east not of special interest.' At the onset of the Great War the Great Hall was taken over as planned by the Territorial Force as the 1st Southern General Hospital initially providing 570 beds in the Great Hall and other university buildings including the Mechanical Engineering and Physics Departments. By the end of 1914 this would rise to 800. By Spring 1915, more University buildings had been taken over, providing up to 1,000 beds. Summer 1916 saw a further expansion adding another 570 beds. At the peak, the hospital could cater for 130 officers and 2357 other ranks. During 1916 tented accommodation would also be used. Author JRR Tolkien was a patient here in late 1916 suffering from trench fever contracted during the Battle of the Somme. Patients were brought in by ambulance trains to Selly Oak Station and collected in trailers. The first 120 patients arrived on the 1st September 1914. During 1915 additional annexes opened including Dudley Road, Wordsley Hospital and schools providing a further 2500 beds. | ||||
| Monument Type | MILITARY HOSPITAL;HOSPITAL;MILITARY HOSPITAL | ||||
| Desgination | None | ||||
| Material | BRICK | ||||
| Location | |||||
| Country | ENGLAND | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | |||||
| Site Location | Great Hall Birmingham University | ||||
| Postcode | B15 2TT | ||||
| Map Reference | NGR: SP0480583447 (404805, 283447) | ||||
| Condition/Threat | |||||
| Condition (Date) | Good (06-01-2017) | ||||
| Source | |||||
| (2014) Casualties of war. Birmingham County Council. Birmingham. https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/directory/56/library_archive_collections/category/1130 | |||||
| (2016) [Southern General Hospital]. The Long, Long Trail. https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/ | |||||
| Administration | |||||
| Recorded By (Date) | John M - Geograph (07-03-2005) | ||||
| Copiled On | 06-01-2017 | ||||
| Last Updated | 06-01-2017 | ||||
| Associated data |
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Documentation
| Image metadata | CSV | 590 Kb |
Data
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The Great Hall was taken over as planned by the Territorial Force as the 1st Southern General Hospital (University of Birmingham - Edgbaston Campus, Ring Road North, Bournbrook, Birmingham). Great Hall exterior 1. (File name: 9341_979.jpg) |
JPG | 101 Kb |
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The Great Hall was taken over as planned by the Territorial Force as the 1st Southern General Hospital (University of Birmingham - Edgbaston Campus, Ring Road North, Bournbrook, Birmingham). Great Hall exterior 2. (File name: 9341_980.jpg) |
JPG | 114 Kb |
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The Great Hall was taken over as planned by the Territorial Force as the 1st Southern General Hospital (University of Birmingham - Edgbaston Campus, Ring Road North, Bournbrook, Birmingham). Great Hall interior. (File name: 9341_981.jpg) |
JPG | 115 Kb |
