Watch: Exclusive first glimpse inside Dudley's £4 million new 'Fun City', expected to bring 75,000 visitors a year into town
Laser tagging, escape rooms, retro computer games and indoor cricket are among the attractions that will be available at Dudley's £4 million 'Fun City' that will officially be launched at the weekend.
The Express & Star has been granted an exclusive behind-the-scenes preview of the attraction which is spread across four floors of the former Dudley Museum & Art Gallery on the corner of St James's Road and Priory Street.
It will be the main anchor of the town's new Stone Street leisure quarter, which also includes the Old Glass House pub and the Royal Keep Hotel which will also be opening shortly.
The development, creating 40 jobs, will officially be launched on Saturday, at an event n Stone Street Square attended by Wolves legend Steve Bull, former West Bromwich Albion star Bob Taylor, and BBC sports presenter and former freestyle world football champion Liv Cooke.
It will mark the culmination of 18 months' hard work for couple Hayley and Paul Andrews, whose development company Hush Properties is behind the scheme.
"It's amazing to see it all come together now, after months of hard work, it now feels that all the hard work was worthwhile," says Hayley.
They say the development was the result of extensive research which found strong demand for such a venue in the town.
"We did a detailed feasibility study, which found that a destination hub was what was missing from Dudley, I went to the public, asked local business what they wanted, and this is what they came up with, something for the kids to do, somewhere for the adults to go, something that was family friendly," says Hayley.
Paul adds: "We feel Dudley's right on the brink now, we are going to see the Metro come online, we are going to see the new bus station, there's a couple of other developments we are working on, and we feel you will shortly see Dudley tipping the other side. This was paramount for us in terms of the night-time economy.
"The research we did,. from both the local residents and the people coming into Dudley, said there was nothing to do in Dudley, we though this was something that Dudley's crying out for."
The Grade II listed red-brick building opened in 1883, with the help of philanthropist and Express & Star co-owner Andrew Carnegie. The museum closed nine years ago, and has been empty ever since, but the past 18 months have seen a painstaking renovation which has seen the stained glass windows and period wall tiles carefully restored.
On entry, visitors are greeted with a retro-themed cocktail bar, and a games room featuring electronic dartboards, pool tables and shuffleboard, with an indoor cricket centre - which can be adapted for golf, tennis or lacrosse at the rear..
Steps lead down to a basement with a 1980s-style amusement arcade, with comfortable sofas and period arcade games, as well as karaoke rooms which can be hired for small groups.
On the first floor there is a special room dedicated to virtual reality games, including an escape room, shooting games and a cookery challenge.
But it is the top floor which Paul is most proud. At the rear is a football-themed room, dedicated to Dudley-born football legend Duncan Edwards, complete with its own dug-out and penalty shoot-out game - which can also be adapted for other sports.
"There used to be a Duncan Edwards exhibition at the old museum, so we have kept a Duncan Edwerds-themed room," says Hayley.
At the front is the laser tagging game, with an complicated labyrinth of different rooms, where the enemies could be lurking round every corner.
Hayley says the hotel, across the square in Stone Street, will also feature themed rooms relating to Dudley's history through the centuries, including the chain-making and glass industries, as well as the zoo.
Paul says 1,000 people have already signed up to the launch event, which will be held from midday until 8pm on Saturday, and will include entertainments in the square. Two-hundred lucky golden ticket winners will be the first members of the public to try the new centre out.
The gallery building, well known for its meteorological instruments outside, was opened by Earl Beauchamp, the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire as an art school and library.
The art gallery itself opened five years later, and a geological museum was added in 1912.
The Brooke Robinson Museum, which had previously been located next to the town hall, was moved into the building in 1981, and a collection of memorabilia relating to Dudley-born football legend Duncan Edwards was also added.
It once displayed works by impressionist J M W Turner, as well as renowned Black Country artist Percy Shakespeare.
But the venue closed in December 2016 as part of a plan by Dudley Council to save £150,000 a year.
Some of the exhibits were moved to the new Dudley Archives Centre in Tipton Road, and others were put on display at Himley Hall.
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