Steelhouse Lane police station

Steelhouse Lane police station is a former police station in central Birmingham, England. It was built for the Birmingham City Police and opened in 1933 as their Central Police Station,[1] replacing a Victorian station on the same site.[2] It was used by their successor, the West Midlands Police, until 2017 where they transferred to Lloyd House, also the force's HQ.[3][4] The carvings over the entrances, including the coat of arms of Birmingham, are by the local sculptor William Bloye.

The station sits on a plot of land at the rear of the former Victoria Law Courts (now a magistrates' court), which was originally acquired for the extension of the court building.[1] It faces Birmingham Children's Hospital.

The 1933 station itself, in neo-Georgian style[1] is not a listed building, but the adjacent, late-nineteenth century cell block on the corner of Coleridge Passage was given Grade II protection on 8 July 1982 for its special architectural interest: the three-story building has a brick and terra cotta facade with many ornaments, and it has a slate roof.[5] The station sits in Birmingham City Council's Steelhouse Lane conservation area, which was designated in October 1993.[1] A tunnel links the cell block to the courts.[2]

The City of Birmingham Orchestra, (later renamed the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra) held its first rehearsal in the band room at the old station, at 9.30am on 4 September 1920.[6] For around sixty years, until closed in 2005, the station housed a private bar, allowing officers to drink when not on duty.[7]

The police station closed for the final time on Sunday 15 January 2017.[8]

The West Midlands Police Museum relocated to the listed cell block in 2022.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Goer, Matthew (14 August 2007). Steelhouse Lane Conservation Area Character Appraisal (PDF). Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Birmingham's Hidden Spaces: What future for Steelhouse Lane's 'mini-prison'?". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  3. ^ "Announcement on police buildings in Birmingham". West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner. 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  4. ^ "BBC News - Three Birmingham police stations to close in savings plan". BBC Online. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1221212)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  6. ^ Morley, Christopher (4 November 2010). "A glorious 90 years". The Birmingham Post. p. 4.
  7. ^ "'Blow to morale' as bar forced to close". Birmingham Post. 29 December 2005. p. 3. Retrieved 26 March 2014. (subscription required)
  8. ^ "Steelhouse Lane police station closes for final time". bbc.co.uk/news. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
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