You only have to take a walk around Birmingham to see some of the buildings which were once bustling sites that are no longer in use.
Some of these sites are fantastic architectural glories which have been left abandoned with no clear plan about their future, meaning that some have became open to the elements which can be very unforgiving.
Here are ten buildings in the city which are still standing but no longer in use. Let’s take a look:
1. Five Ways Tower, Edgbaston
The Five Ways Tower was built in 1979, located by the corner of Frederick Road and Islington Road. The building has been vacant since 2005 after the workforce in the building at the time suffered from ill health due to poor ventilation. In the past the building has been too expensive to refurbish and the tower remains derelict today | Google
2. Royalty Cinema, Harborne
Harborne’s Royalty Cinema was a real landmark for the neighbourhood and going there was a tradition for residents. It first opened as a cinema in 1930, but a major fire in 2018 left it in disrepair. | Google
3. Odeon Queensway Cinema, Scala Building, Holloway Circus
Birmingham’s lost cinema is now actually hidden underground. It’s buried beneath Scala House. The cinema closed in September 1988 and has remained empty and unused ever since Photo: Flickr - Elliot Brown
4. The Kingsway Cinema, Kings Heath
The Kingsway was destroyed in a fire in 2011. It operated as a cinema until 1980 and was used as a bingo hall in 2007. In 2020, a pop up cinema screening events were held outside the cinema. Much of the building was demolished in the fire,but plans were revealed last year to revamp the site and turn it into a cinema again with a restaurant - but as it stands, the building remains closed today | Google