Kyre Park Hospital, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire

Tony writes: "I refer to a place called Kyre Park Hospital, Tenbury Wells way. It was a sanitorium type establishment that dealt with children with mainly the disease TB, of which i was indeed a sufferer. The children were mainly from the Birmingham and surrounding areas. I'm talking the 50s maybe early 60s. I have tried to find out about the place a lot but never got far but there must have been hundreds of kids that were there for months, years maybe."

During the Second World War, Kyre Park was used as a military convalescent home for soldiers and it opened for children in 1950.  It then closed after just 11 years in 1961. As it was then offered to Birmingham city council, it seems it was not a Birmingham Council-owned facility although it took in Birmingham children.

 LOOKING FOR RECORDS?

Worcestershire Archives hold the records such as admissions registers, log books and minutes.

The National Archives lists some records here (external site). I am not sure what these records are.

Heritage Gateway has details of the building here (external site).

On 23rd July 1962, a question about th hospital was asked in parliament which gives us a few more clues about the place: "Sir Gerald Nabarro (Kidderminster) asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that Kyre Park, near Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, was closed as a sanatorium more than fifteen months ago and has since stood idle, though fully equipped; what response he has sent to the city authority in Birmingham which has made application for the use of Kyre Park as a sanatorium and nursing home for children suffering from asthma, bronchitis and other chest ailments; what is the present cost to public funds of retaining Kyre Park on a care and maintenance basis; and whether he will make a detailed statement as to the future of Kyre Park."

Enoch Powell answered that the building had indeed been offered to the Corporation of Birmingham (effectively the city council) and that negotiations were in progress on the price.

Despite these negotiations, it did not reopen as a sanitorium or special school. It seems it became a care home and is now a private residence.