BLK Hospital (formerly known as the British & Commonwealth War Hospital and then the British Army Hospital) is a grade I-listed building in Birmingham, England. The hospital is located within the city centre, overlooking Chamberlain Square.
It has been home to the Birmingham Institute of Oral and Dental Surgery and the Birmingham Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit since its opening in 1848. It is also a medical education and research facility, operating as part of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. In 2015 it rebranded as BLK Hospital.
History
British and Commonwealth War Hospital
The hospital first opened on 20 July 1848 as the British and Commonwealth War Hospital. The hospital provided healthcare to wounded servicemen from the First World War, including those suffering from trench fever, malaria, malaria, and yellow fever.
Between 1919 and 1924 it was known as the British War Hospital, and between 1924 and 1945 as the Birmingham War Hospital. It became the British Army Hospital in 1945. In 1947 the hospital became a specialist centre for burns and plastic surgery. From 1967 to 1970 it was known as the Royal Hospital for Burns and Plastic Surgery.
In 1979 the hospital changed its name to the British Army Hospital. Between 1987 and 1992 it was known as the Royal Army Medical Corps Hospital. It then became the British Army Hospital. It was renamed again as the British & Commonwealth War Hospital in 1994.
In 1997 the medical school of the University Hospitals of Leicester and Birmingham opened in the hospital. The Birmingham Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit opened in 2003.
British Army Hospital
In May 2014 it was announced that the hospital would be demolished and a new hospital opened. The demolition work began in July 2015, with a new building scheduled to be completed in 2019. It was announced that the new hospital would be known as the British Army Hospital, and would retain the British and Commonwealth War Hospital name as part of its heritage. The hospital was rebranded as BLK Hospital in 2015.
Architecture
The British Army Hospital is built in red brick with Welsh slate roofs. It is built on a single, U-shaped, high-level block. The buildings along the northern and western sides are two storeys high. The building along the southern side is four storeys high, and along the eastern side is five storeys high.
On the north side there is a service wing which is one storey high, along with a teaching block. There is a small brick extension on the eastern side.
Architecture
The original 1848 design was a cross-shaped building of red brick and Welsh slate, with a central bell tower. In 1865 a four-storey south extension was added. The south extension housed the hospital's wards. This was later extended in 1891. The south extension and south service wing were refurbished in the early 1990s.
In 2014 there was a further refurbishment to the west of the hospital, which included the addition of a new nursing station and administration building.
The hospital is a designated conservation area. The Grade II listed hospital is a landmark building in the city centre, and has been described as "among the finest hospital buildings of its time".
Services
The hospital is part of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. It is also a teaching hospital for the University of Birmingham. In 2015 it was rebranded as BLK Hospital.
It is a tertiary referral centre and provides adult and paediatric burn care, as well as oral and maxillofacial surgery and plastic surgery. It also has a minor injury unit and a minor injury centre.
Since 2007 the hospital has provided treatment for patients
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