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The Blackie (Now called The Black-E) is a contemporary arts and community centre in which opened in 1967 in what used to be the Great George Street Congregational Church.

It originally derived its familiar name, The Blackie, as a shortened version of ‘The Black Church’ – a description of the Chapel in the 1960’s covered with a hundred years of inner-city smoke and soot. It looks nothing like this today, the century of grime has       long since been blasted away. 

I still find it quite shocking that this run down and almost derelict exterior housed a functioning community project. In image 1 I think the presence of the woman sweeping   up makes the picture. Image 2 is a detail from the back wall. Notice how the graffiti art  was yet to be influenced by the ‘hip-hop’ style which was just about to become prevalent in the UK.