Converted chapel for home-buyers ‘seeking asylum’
IT’S the historic property that could redefine the term “asylum seeker’”.
Because five apartments are going on sale in the grounds of the former Rubery Hill Hospital – a former Victorian asylum, in Rednal.
Dating back to 1882, most of the asylum buildings have been demolished, but the grade II-listed chapel survives and has now been converted into five duplex apartments. When it opened in 1882, the hospital was called Birmingham County Asylum (Rubery Hill) and housed people who had serious psychiatric conditions. Records show that in 1914 there were over 100,000 patients living in over 100 asylums around the UK.
During the First World War, Rubery Hill became the 1st Birmingham War Hospital before returning to it original function. When the Second World War broke out in 1939 once again it was again used to help the war effort.
In 1948 it became part of the NHS as Rubery Hill Hospital. When the Care in the Community policy was introduced in the early 1980s most of its patients were transferred to community facilities.
It went into decline and closed in 1993 and most of the buildings were subsequently demolished. Only the lodge and approach drives remain, along with the superintendent’s residence and the chapel.
The remainder of the site is now new housing and the chapel has now been renamed Nightingale Grove, Great Park, Rubery.
During the conversion, developers have retained many of the original historic features.
Estate agents Centrick New Homes, which is marketing the apartments, has not yet released prices.
A spokeswoman for Centrick said: “We’ve had lots of calls and they’re proving very popular but because of lockdown, we haven’t been able to hold any viewings.
‘‘It also meant we couldn’t carry out the last bit of work on the property. We are hoping the apartments will be completely finished and available by July.”