Public
171/365: The Public, West Bromwich
Click for a larger, sharper image...but before I get on to that, first and most importantly a big "Thank you!" to
reynardo for the postcard! So glad your trip has gone so well. :D
Now, back to today's image. This is "The Public" (yes, just that) in West Bromwich. These days it's a sixth form college, which meant I had to wait until term was over to get a photo. It's a big building -- I had to use my phone's wide angle setting to get it in the frame at all. But it was actually
built as an innovative arts centre, including a small theatre and much more besides. Sadly the project was fraught with problems from the start, with large cost overruns and underwhelming interior features -- think Millennium Dome, I suppose. Sandwell Council decided in 2013, after only five years, that they could not afford to keep it open, despite visitor numbers having risen steadily year on year, and it closed later that same year for conversion to educational use. During the brief time it
was open, however, it hosted something of considerable interest to me: UK PonyCon 2010! The official UKPC site gives that year's host as Birmingham, but West Bromwich is
not Birmingham. That's like calling Salford Manchester or Gateshead Newcastle! I didn't attend myself as I wasn't in the fandom in 2010, but as the con was held in late October that year it was, I
think, the first
ever Pony convention held after the start of
Friendship is Magic!