I Grew Up 80s
Get ready to pull up your leg warmers and scramble your Rubik’s Cubes, as the exciting new exhibition, I Grew Up 80s, is coming to The Hub!
You’ll travel through the cultural landscape of 1980’s Britain through the eyes of a child – revisiting the vibrancy, quirkiness and innovation that defined the decade. Discover over 200 iconic treasures – from BMX to Betamax, Dirty Dancing to Donkey Kong, Thompson Twins to Transformers.
The exhibition is curated by Matt Fox and is drawn from his personal collection of 80’s memorabilia.
8th April – 1st July
FREE Exhibition
Opening Times:
N.B. Booking is recommended for weekends and Easter / Half term holidays. Booking is not required at any other time.
Open Tuesday – Saturday 9.30am – 3.30pm *
And selected** Sunday’s 10am – 2pm.
(10am – 11am on Sunday’s is our Relaxed Hour).
*There are a few occasions when the exhibition is closed or closes a little earlier, due to other events taking place in the space. These are listed below in FAQs and we recommend checking before you travel.
** Sundays are bookable and all available Sundays are listed on the bookings page.
Frequently Asked Question's
Booking is recommended for Saturdays, Sundays and the school holidays (11th – 16th April and 30th May – 4th June). Booking is not required (or available) at any other times.
You are still welcome to visit on a weekend or during the holidays without a booking, however you may be asked to wait for an available time slot if the visitor capacity has been reached.
Booking is available in 30 minute slots.
You may take as long as you wish to look around the exhibition. The timed slots for bookable days are every 30 minutes, however you are not limited to 30 minutes to look around.
Entrance to the exhibition is one-way, however once inside it is free-flow, and therefore if you wished to look around quickly, or take your time, both are possible.
The exhibition is accessible to wheelchair users and those with limited mobility. The Hub is located on the 1st floor, there is a lift up to this floor and the entrance to / journey around the exhibition does not include any steps.
We have a ‘Relaxed Hour’ on Sunday mornings, from 10am – 11am. This is suitable for Neurodivergent and learning disabled customers, or anybody who would benefit from a relaxed environment. A list of the things we’ll be putting in place for Relaxed Hour is below.
If you’re worried, anxious or have additional needs that can be alleviated by speaking to our team, please call us on 01543 256611 or email hello@thehubstmarys.co.uk.
The Relaxed Hour is open to Neurodivergent and Learning Disabled people, or anybody who would benefit from a more relaxed environment.
During the Relaxed Hour we’ll be doing the following:
- Limiting Noise
- Removing abnormal lighting
- There will be additional signage to the exhibition and facilities.
- There will be a designated ‘Quiet Zone’ in the coffee shop, with available ear defenders, fidgets and bean bags.
- We will reduce the number of entry tickets to these sessions, to reduce the risk of crowding.
- Our staff are trained in Autism and Learning Disability awareness and will be there to assist if you need them.
Yes! Even though your kids didn’t ‘Grow up 80s’ we’re sure they will still love looking at all of the fab 80s toys and memorabilia with their grown-ups and listening to you exclaim ‘I had one of those!’.
Please note that due to the valuable nature of the exhibition, we request that children are supervised at all times.
We’ll also be running lots of fun activities for children over the school holidays, see below for more information.
Assistance dogs are welcome in the Coffee Shop and exhibition at all times.
Other well behaved dogs are welcome any time to The Hub coffee shop. They may also be admitted into the exhibition if it is quiet and they do not cause distress to other visitors. Due to the valuable nature of the exhibition, we request that they are carried past any free standing items.
Yes! The Coffee Shop will be open when the exhibition is open. Last orders are usually 30 minutes before the closing time.
Yes please!
The Hub at St Mary’s is a registered charity and not for profit coffee shop: Please donate if you can so that we can continue to be a place for the community where everyone can enjoy great exhibitions, art, performance and coffee!
There is an opportunity to make a donation on the booking page and we also have a donation cash box at the exit of the exhibition.
The exhibition is closed every Monday.
It will also be closed on the following days:
- Sunday 9th April
- Saturday 6th May
- Sunday 7th May
- Sunday 28th May
- Sunday 18th June
This exhibition is supported by Lichfield District Council, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and The George Hotel.
Save the date for our 80’s family activities!
Rubik’s Cube Challenge – Saturday 8th April (free), just drop along to The Hub between 10am – 3pm (more info here). Suitable for all ages.
80s Character Clay Modelling – 12th April (free), just drop along to The Hub between 2pm – 3pm (spaces allocated on a first come, first served basis). Suitable for all ages.
Pom Pom Workshop – 14th April – £4 (more info and book tickets here). Age guide 5 – 16.
Board Game Sundays – every Sunday that our exhibition is open (check bookings page for dates), pick up and play a retro 80s board game in our coffee shop between 11am – 2pm (free). Suitable for all ages.
