Deep in the heart of Birmingham, we step inside a long-abandoned office block… but this explore takes a shocking turn.
Hidden away behind locked doors and forgotten corridors, we uncover a fully-fledged police CCTV operations room, left exactly as it was when it shut down. Monitors, control desks, and evidence of surveillance work still remain — raising serious questions about why it was abandoned and what it once watched 👀
This explore offers a rare look into a forgotten side of Birmingham’s surveillance history, untouched for years and frozen in time. As always, we explore responsibly — take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This video is for documentary and educational purposes only. Filmed with respect for the location.
📍 Location: Birmingham, UK
📸 Follow Dee Explores for more abandoned places, hidden locations, and real urban exploration
👉 Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy real urbex content — it genuinely helps the channel grow.
Exploring the abandoned Selly Oak Hospital (2015/2016) before demolition. Thanks to Jellyfish for the photos below!
Back in 2015/2016, myself, Jellyfish, and Gibo went on a few visits to the abandoned Selly Oak Hospital not long after it moved to the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The first couple of times we tried to explore this place, we were met with security almost immediately.
Eventually, we managed to sneak past the security and the security devices on site and made our way into the disused buildings. Not much was left behind by the time we managed to get inside to explore, but what was left behind was crazy!
The freakiest part of the explore was when we managed to gain access to the morgue. The utensils and stainless steel bed were still there, and the morgue slab had a Ouija board left on top. That’s when the explore really started getting freaky.
Here’s some history on the now-demolished Selly Oak Hospital.
Origins — From Workhouse to Infirmary The site originally housed the King’s Norton Union Workhouse, built under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 to care for the very poor. Designed by Edward Holmes, it opened around 1870/1872 and could house a few hundred inmates.
In 1897, a purpose-built workhouse infirmary was added (designed by Daniel Arkell), with around 300 beds. It was one of the early infirmaries lit entirely by electric light — unusual at the time.
Transition to Hospital By 1902–1908, the complex expanded with a new entrance and a large nurses’ home called Woodlands.
In 1911, the workhouse and infirmary were renamed Selly Oak Hospital as King’s Norton became part of Birmingham and the Poor Law system was reorganised.
Over the inter-war years, the hospital modernised: operating theatres, labs, wards, and services expanded, reflecting the shift from a Poor Law institution to a general hospital.
NHS Era and Growth When the National Health Service was founded in 1948, Selly Oak Hospital and its associated buildings (formerly the workhouse and infirmary) joined the NHS and became a general hospital under Birmingham City Council.
In later decades, it became part of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (from 1997) and was linked administratively with the nearby Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Special Roles and Recognition From 2001, the hospital was home to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, providing specialist care and rehabilitation for military personnel injured in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The hospital also developed strong reputations for trauma and burns care and offered numerous general and specialist services to the West Midlands.
Closure and Aftermath With the opening of the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham starting in 2010, services progressively transferred from Selly Oak.
The hospital formally closed in late 2011/2012, ending its healthcare role after more than a century as a medical institution.
In 2015, the Trust sold the site for redevelopment. Plans were made for around 650 homes, and many of the old buildings have since been demolished or repurposed.
Throwing it right back to 2017, when we explored the abandoned Hall Green Dogs Stadium.
Thanks to Jellyfish on the pics!
Hall Green Greyhound Stadium opened in 1927, right in the heart of Birmingham, during the golden age of greyhound racing. For decades it was one of the city’s biggest sporting and social venues, drawing thousands through its gates week after week. The stadium wasn’t just about racing — it was about community. Families, workers, regulars with their favourite dogs, the sounds of the crowd, the bookmakers shouting, and the smell of food drifting through the stands.
At its peak, Hall Green was a huge operation. It hosted major races, employed large numbers of local people, and became a landmark for the area. During and after the war years it remained popular, offering people escapism and entertainment at a time when life was far from easy. Generations grew up with memories of nights spent here.
But as the years went on, attendance declined. Changing habits, rising costs, and the slow decline of greyhound racing hit hard. In 2017, after nearly 90 years of racing, Hall Green Dogs finally closed its doors. What was once full of noise and movement was suddenly left behind.
Walking through it abandoned was surreal. Empty stands where crowds once cheered. The track slowly being reclaimed by nature. Old signage, peeling paint, and rooms that felt like they’d been left in a hurry — all frozen in time. You could almost imagine the echoes of the past still hanging in the air.
Places like this remind you how quickly everything can change. From one of Birmingham’s most loved venues to complete silence.
Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.
Big thanks to MOD Jelly on the Photographs and MOD Dan2 on editing!
As a kid, I lived opposite this abandoned site for about 13 years, long before I became an explorer. It was obvious that this would definitely be a building I’d explore one day. Some of the history surrounding this building is quite dark. There are rumours online of a tunnel system used by MI5 and MI6, and claims that the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors of the block were also used by MI5 and MI6. There are multiple reports of people being moved via the tunnels and of individuals being brainwashed at this location. How true this is, I am unsure.
We explored this building back in 2016, and it was not easy at all. With security based inside the building and positioned at the rear, it was challenging to gain entry. We explored this building around 15 times, popping back and forth to try and find out more about what this place was used for. This has to be one of the most interesting explores.
The Powergen building once stood at the junction of Stratford Road and Haslucks Green Road in Shirley, Solihull. It was part of the offices for the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB), which later became Powergen — one of the companies formed after the UK electricity industry was privatised.
The building was designed in the 1960s by notable Birmingham architect John Madin, who also designed other major local structures such as the old Birmingham Central Library. Its style reflected the era’s modernist/brutalist trends, making it distinctive but also controversial among local residents.
Powergen vacated the site in the mid-1990s, around 1995, leaving the building largely unused for many years. After closure, the site sat derelict for decades and became a familiar, if slightly eerie, landmark in Shirley.
In 2015, while still abandoned, the building’s decaying appearance made it an ideal filming location for the zombie movie The Girl With All the Gifts (starring Glenn Close). The production used the site’s rugged, abandoned atmosphere to depict a post-apocalyptic setting.
The Powergen building was demolished in 2017 to make way for redevelopment. Today, the site has been transformed into Solihull Retirement Village (also known as Solihull Village) — a modern residential community with homes and facilities for people over 55.
Welcome back to the channel — this time, I’m diving into PRYZM Birmingham for the third time 🕺… but things don’t go quite how I expected.
About PRYZM Birmingham
PRYZM was one of the most iconic nightclubs on Broad Street in Birmingham. Originally it was the legendary Gatecrasher, but in 2016 it relaunched with a £1.4 million renovation under the Deltic Group.
The venue was huge: up to ~2,500 capacity across three floors.
Inside, there were four distinct rooms: a main arena, a more intimate R&B-style “Curve” room, a pure house “House” room, and a retro disco “Vinyl” area.
It was known for its cutting-edge light & sound tech, massive LED screens, neon lights and disco balls — definitely a proper super-club. soundvibemag.com
The club catered to a young crowd and mixed genres like electronic, hip-hop, and R&B, which made it a central hub for Birmingham’s nightlife. soundvibemag.com
Ownership & Business Background
PRYZM in Birmingham was run by Rekom UK (previously the Deltic Group).
Unfortunately, in early 2024 Rekom UK went into administration, citing major financial pressures — rising energy costs, business rates, and a drop in student night-out spending due to the cost-of-living crisis.
As a result, PRYZM Birmingham closed with immediate effect.
The closure meant more than 70 jobs were lost.
According to local business groups, there are already plans or hopes to redevelop the former club space.
Why It’s So Legendary / Why I Keep Exploring It
For years, PRYZM was the place to go in Birmingham for a big night out — massive dancefloor, big-name DJs, and a wild clubbing experience.Because of its size and layout, there are so many corners and rooms to explore; it’s a playground for urban exploration.
The contrast between how vibrant it was in its prime and how it is now (after closure) gives it a hauntingly nostalgic feel.
In This Video / Exploration
I go back in for the third time, pushing boundaries further than before — checking out parts I haven’t explored in my previous visits.
Things go wrong: this time, it escalates — the police are called, and yes, Dee gets arrested (for real).
I document every twist: the layout, the vibe, security, and the tension of being caught in real time.
I reflect on the club’s history (from Gatecrasher to PRYZM), and what its closure means in the bigger picture of Birmingham nightlife.
Why You Should Watch
If you love urban exploration, this is not just another abandoned building: it’s one of the UK’s most iconic clubs.
There’s real stakes — the risk of getting caught, plus a lot of emotional weight because of the club’s legacy. It’s a story about change: the nightlife boom, the decline, and how places like PRYZM have shaped our memories.
We went sneaking and creeping through the abandoned Square Shopping Centre in Birmingham, exploring hidden corners and forgotten spots. Things got intense when security caught us—but that didn’t stop us from sneaking back in for more!
About the Square Shopping Centre: Once a busy hub in the heart of Birmingham, the Square Shopping Centre is now abandoned, giving urban explorers the chance to discover hidden spaces, forgotten details, and the quiet remnants of its past.
Like, comment, and subscribe for more urban exploration adventures! #UrbanExploration #Urbex #AbandonedPlaces #Birmingham #SneakingAdventure #TheSquare
Join us on an immersive journey through nearly 140 years of medical history at the Dudley Road / City Hospital site in Birmingham.
Beginning in the late 19th century as the infirmary of the Birmingham Union Workhouse, this landmark hospital evolved over decades—expanding its wards, maternity facilities, and even secret tunnels beneath its corridors.
The original building opened around 1887-89, designed with a remarkable layout: a quarter-mile long main corridor with ward blocks radiating out in a configuration inspired by Florence Nightingale’s ward-design principles.
Over the decades the hospital adapted to changing healthcare needs—maternity services, major expansions, innovations in nursing and infection control all marked its legacy.
In November 2024, the final acute services moved to the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick, bringing to an end a long era of inpatient care on the Dudley Road site.
Now you’ll descend into the hidden corners: the tunnels beneath the wards, the maternity block frozen in time, the wards where countless births and recoveries took place—and reflect on the wider story of a hospital that served a changing city, generation after generation.
Whether you’re drawn in by urban exploration, medical history, or the quiet fascination of abandoned spaces, this full-length video takes you behind the scenes of one of Birmingham’s most storied healthcare institutions.
⚠️ Explore respectfully: what lies behind those doors is history, not just decay. Please observe safety and legacy when filming or viewing such places.
Hidden on the edge of Birmingham, the Druids Heath tower blocks once stood as proud symbols of 1960s social housing. Today, they’re empty giants — stripped bare, vandalised, and awaiting demolition under a £43 million regeneration scheme.
In this video, we step inside the eerie remains of these forgotten high-rises. From pitch-black stairwells to decaying flats frozen in time, every floor tells a story of lives once lived here. The higher we climb, the more breathtaking the views become — vast panoramas of Birmingham from a perspective few ever see.
But our explore didn’t end as planned. Just as we reached the top, the police arrived, turning our adventure into a tense encounter we’ll never forget.
What you’ll see in this video:
Abandoned flats and haunting interiors
Stunning city views from the upper floors
The moment our explore is cut short by police
The story of Druids Heath — from thriving estate to demolition zone If you love urban exploration, raw history, and the thrill of the unexpected, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
Like, comment, and subscribe for more explores, and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss the next adventure. #UrbanExploration #AbandonedPlaces #Birmingham #DruidsHeath
Step inside Birmingham’s legendary Que Club—once the pulsating heart of the UK’s rave scene. Housed within the striking Grade II-listed Methodist Central Hall, built in 1903–04, this converted hall became a sprawling playground for clubbers starting in 1989, complete with a main auditorium, steep balconies, miles of corridors, and over 30 additional rooms.
Experience the nights that defined an era: unforgettable sounds of Acid House, Britpop, techno, drum & bass, jungle—the likes of Atomic Jam, Flashback, House of God, Bubble Club, and more ruled the floors. The venue’s legendary lineup featured artists such as David Bowie, Blur, Massive Attack, The Chemical Brothers, Pulp, Run‑DMC, and Shed Seven. Notably, Daft Punk’s Alive 1997 album captured 45 minutes of their live set from the Que.
Beyond the music, the Que Club symbolised a radical cultural shift. It welcomed diverse communities—across race, gender, and sexuality—offering a liberated space to dance, escape, and belong. With its elaborate layout of hidden rooms, the venue became a labyrinth where exploration was as thrilling as the beats themselves.
After closing its doors in 2017, its legacy continued to live on through In The Que, a documentary funded partly by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and created by the Birmingham Music Archive, which celebrated the venue’s social and cultural importance. The venue also inspired exhibitions—most notably at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery—and a trove of photographs by fashion icon Terence Donovan, which captured the energy, intimacy, and humanity of the rave culture that thrived there.
Today, the former Methodist hall stands on Historic England’s Heritage At Risk Register, awaiting a new chapter in its storied existence. Advocacy continues to preserve the architectural and cultural essence of this once‑in‑a‑lifetime clubbing venue.
Join us as we revisit the Que’s glory days, reflect on why it mattered, and explore how it shaped the soundscape of modern British club culture.
Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.
