The Legacy Centre of Excellence is an intercultural

arts centre An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues fo ...

in the Newtown area of

Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Located immediately to the north-west of Birmingham city centre, Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a wards of the United Kingdom, war ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England.

History

The centre occupies the site of the former Aston Hippodrome, which was a major variety theatre between 1908 and 1960. The Aston Hippodrome hosted performances by the likes of

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

and Morecambe and Wise. The building was demolished in 1980, but in 1991

Birmingham City Council Birmingham City Council is the local authority for the city of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. Birmingham has had an elected local authority since 1838, which has been reformed several times. Since 1974 the council has been a metropo ...

set up a project to create a new cultural facility on the site, specifically to reflect the highly diverse culture of the surrounding area. The Drum started hosting events in 1994, the first being an exhibition called ''Negritude''. In 1996, the singer

Cleo Laine Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Hitching; 28 October 1927) is an English singer and actress known for her scat singing. She is the widow of jazz composer and musician Sir John Dankworth and the mother of bassist Alec D ...

accepted a cheque from the National Lottery on behalf of The Drum. The Drum Arts Centre was fully opened in 1998 and established itself as the United Kingdom's national centre for

Black British Black British people or Black Britons"Black Briton, N." ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Oxford UP. December 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1136579918. are a multi-ethnic group of British people of List of ethnic groups of Africa, Sub-Saharan ...

and

British Asian British Asians (also referred to as Asian Britons) are British people of Asian people, Asian descent. They constitute a significant and growing minority of the people living in the United Kingdom, with a population of 5.76 million people or 8.6 ...

arts. Activities included music, drama, spoken word, exhibitions, visual arts, comedy and dance. In October 2013, during

Black History Month Black History Month is an annually observed commemorative month originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the Af ...

, The Drum was visited by then British Prime Minister

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...

, who was shown around the venue by its CEO Charles Small. In 2014, poet

Benjamin Zephaniah Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (15 April 1958 – 7 December 2023) was a British writer, dub poet, actor, musician and professor of poetry and creative writing. Over his lifetime, he was awarded 20 honorary doctorates in recognition of his c ...

and musician Courtney Pine were made patrons of The Drum, using their influence to help raise funds for a refit of the venue. In 2015, the establishment was approved for its first major renovation and extension since it first opened.

Closure

In March 2016, however, the decision was taken liquidate, amid financial troubles. The announcement to close was caused outrage among community representatives and residents. Birmingham musician Laura Mvula described the news as "terrible". An online community petition to save the venue from closure was signed by 3,294 people but was unsuccessful in its campaign. The Drum Arts Centre permanently closed its doors on 30 June 2016.

Reopening

The centre was reopened in September 2019 under new management as the Legacy Centre of Excellence, billed by its new owners as "Europe’s largest independent Black-owned Business and Arts Centre".

Facilities

The centre has two auditoria, the 350-seat main auditorium and a 120-seat ''Andy Hamilton Studio,'' named after saxophonist Andy Hamilton. It also has an exhibition space, a cafe-bar, a business suite and a multimedia production suite. The venue is also available for private hire.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://legacycoe.co.uk, Legacy COE official website 1998 establishments in England 2016 disestablishments in England 2019 establishments in England Art museums and galleries in Birmingham, West Midlands Arts centres in England Buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands Music venues in Birmingham, West Midlands Theatres in Birmingham, West Midlands