Standing in front of HMP Birmingham (formerly known as Winson Green Prison) is easy to see the doom and gloom the prison can elicit.
The red-brick building cuts an imposing impression onto the historic working-class area.
According to recent government deprivation statistics released last week, Winson Green & Gib Heath is ranked among the most deprived postcodes in Birmingham.
Historically, the area has long-standing issues with social deprivation, economic inactivity, and poverty
The prison first opened in the Victorian era, in 1849, and it was built on the same site as a workhouse, and its Victorian structure still leaves a big impression in 2025.
Famous inmates in the past include, the train robber Charlie Wilson and the serial killer Fred West.
You could tell by the faces of those standing around the prison on a November day in 2025, that it is a horrible place to have to visit. There were plenty of glum faces, as they visited their loved ones in prison.
It also did not help that we visited Winson Green on a dreary, cloudy day with mostly overcast spells.
Read more here: The 10 Birmingham neighbourhoods facing the sharpest decline as city named UK's second most deprived
According to RightMove, house prices in Winson Green have an overall average of £169,362, as shown by figure in the last year.
Its easy to see how the prison walls seem to dominate the general atmosphere of the area.
The area in the past 15 years has been seemingly blighted with bad news.
In recent memory, the 2011 riots was one such instance that had shaken the area, when the rioting culminated to the unfortunate deaths of three men from Winson Green, which left the community shocked and angry.
A few years later, Channel 4’s infamous Benefits Street (2014) was one such TV series that caused controversy, a walk down James Turner Street today and it looks pretty unassuming to today’s eyes.
For many critics at the time, the TV show misrepresented the area’s historic working-class routes and focused on the petty crimes, seeming to paint a picture to the entire country that is what life in Winson Green is like.
In more recent months, Winson Green has been affected by bin strikes, leaving rubbish piled up and residents frustrated over delayed collections.
Here’s a peek into Winson Green in 2025:
1. Bishop Latimer Memorial Church of All Saints
Grade II listed building that was built between 1904-1905 in the gothic style. The building originally served as a parish church but is now part of the Bishop Latimer United Church, a joint venture between the Church of England and the United Reformed Church. | Mimi Ibrahim
2. Bhia Kanhyya House
Originally this building was the Handsworth New Road School. However it was converted to flats in 1996. At the start of the 20th century when it was built in 1901, the school was one of the last of the series of Birmingham Board Schools. | Mimi Ibrahim
3. HMP Birmingham
Located on Winson Green Road, HMP Birmingham is a men’s prison. | Mimi Ibrahim
4. HMP Birmingham Visitors' Centre
Near the main prison, located on the opposite side of the road. | Mimi Ibrahim