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Linford Christie plaque JLP01_10_52089
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Linford Christie plaque JLP01_10_52089
NATIONAL INDOOR ARENA, KING EDWARDS ROAD, BIRMINGHAM. Athlete Linford Christie, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham and a third man posed beside a commemorative plaque at the official opening of the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.
I/N is recorded next to this image in Laings negative register, signifying that it is an internegative. It appears to have been copied from the original in November 1991.
The £ 50m Design and Construct contract for the National Indoor Arena (NIA) was awarded to the Laing Midlands Division by Birmingham City Council in January 1989. It was officially opened on 4th October 1991 by athlete Linford Christie. At the time of opening, it was the largest indoor arena in the UK and had capacity for approximately 12, 000 spectators. The arena has been renamed multiple times throughout its history. Originally the National Indoor Arena (October 1991 to December 2014), it later became known as The Barclaycard Arena (December 2014 to August 2017), Arena Birmingham (September 2017 to April 2020), and Utilita Arena Birmingham (April 2020 to present)
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Media ID 24492237
© Historic England Archive
1990s Ceremony Fame Historic Person People Recreation Sport Sports Centre
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This print captures a significant moment in the history of the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. Athlete Linford Christie, accompanied by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham and another gentleman, stands proudly beside a commemorative plaque at the official opening of this iconic venue. The image is an internegative, copied from the original in November 1991, as indicated by the "I/N" recorded next to it in Laings negative register. The National Indoor Arena was constructed under a £50 million Design and Construct contract awarded to Laing Midlands Division by Birmingham City Council in January 1989. On October 4th, 1991, Linford Christie had the honor of officially opening this state-of-the-art arena. At that time, it boasted being the largest indoor arena in the UK with a capacity for approximately 12,000 spectators. Throughout its history, this venue has undergone several name changes. Originally known as the National Indoor Arena from October 1991 to December 2014, it later became The Barclaycard Arena (December 2014 to August 2017), then Arena Birmingham (September 2017 to April 2020), and currently bears the name Utilita Arena Birmingham since April 2020. This photograph provides us with a glimpse into an important moment when sports and civic leaders came together to celebrate and inaugurate one of Britain's premier indoor arenas.
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