Deep in the heart of Selly Oak, Birmingham, lies the now-derelict BMS International Mission Centre (historically known as Wallis House and St Andrew’s Hall). Once a bustling global hub for missionary training and theological education, this massive complex now sits completely silent and abandoned.
In this video, we take a look inside/around this fading piece of Birmingham’s academic history before it is lost forever.
THE HISTORY OF THE SITE: Originally tied to the historic Selly Oak Colleges network, the site evolved from Carey Hall (a women’s missionary college founded in 1912) into St Andrew’s Hall in 1966. For decades, the Baptist Missionary Society (BMS World Mission) used the campus to train overseas workers. In its final active years, it operated as a commercial meeting venue and student/guest accommodation complete with a chapel and lecture halls.
WHY IS IT ABANDONED? As global training shifted online and operations downscaled to Didcot, the massive Selly Oak campus became redundant. Left vacant, the buildings rapidly fell into disrepair.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BUILDING? Time is running out for this historic site. Birmingham City Council has approved planning permission to demolish the derelict Class C2 college complex to make way for a brand-new Class C3 residential housing estate.
DISCLAIMER: Urban exploring comes with serious risks. Always let someone know your location, never go alone, and stay alert at all times. You never know who might be around the next corner—or if the ground beneath you could give way without warning.
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