New mosaic tile street art in Edgeley, Stockport

Finding some new mosaic tile street art in Edgeley, Stockport.

We're big fans of street art and it's always fun spotting new pieces when wandering. Earlier this week we spotted a new piece showing a circle/letter O on the side of The Friary fish & chip shop on Castle Street in Edgeley and on a subsequent walk found the letter R on the Royal Oak pub, so guessed there were more letters that would spell out the word "STOCKPORT"!

We did a bit of further research - as well as receiving a comment from the artists on Instagram - and found that the group behind the new mosaic tile street art in Edgeley were Grit Studios, Mosaics in Manchester, Stockport County Community Trust, and The Writing Squad. It's from some of the same team that were behind the prominent 'The Scarf My Father Wore' mural project in Edgeley.

The Scarf My Father Wore Mural, snow and Christmas tree in Edgeley in January this year

A trail map for the S T O C K P O R T letter mosaic artwork is coming soon...

S

T

O

C

K

P

O

R

T

You can find some other nice mosaics in Edgeley at the Library on Edgeley Road.

There's also a lot of superb street art around the town centre and wider borough.

We're big fans of Invader's work too, and you can find Invader Was Here mosaics in Manchester city centre.

We'll be keeping an eye our for more of Mosaics in Manchester's work too - we've seen some pieces on our walks around the city before.

Check out these other posts about mosaics on the blog.

S T O C K P O R T mosaic tile street art in Edgeley, Stockport

Spotting some new mosaic tile street art in Edgeley, Stockport.

We're big fans of street art and it's always fun spotting new pieces when wandering. We noticed a new piece showing a circle/letter O on the side of The Friary fish & chip shop on Castle Street in Edgeley and on a subsequent walk found the letter R on the Royal Oak pub, so guessed there were more letters that would spell out the word "STOCKPORT"!

Mosaic tile street art on Castle Street in Edgeley, Stockport

There are no other markings on the artwork so we don't know who did it, and we're pretty sure they're very recent additions to the fabric of Edgeley as we are round that way pretty much every day and hadn't noticed them before.

They're a very nice touch, so a job well done to the artist or artists behind them. 

Edgeley Station mural mosaic on the Greek Street roundabout in Stockport

Edgeley Station mosaic to be removed and replaced in Stockport.

The Edgeley Station tile mosaic on the Greek Street roundabout in Stockport will be removed as part of the year-long works to replace the bridge the roundabout sits on.

The Greek Street roundabout in Stockport - you can see the 'Edgeley Station' mural on the left of the photo. I wonder how many roundabouts are also bridges over railway lines?

Unfortunately the original mosaic won't be able to be put back in place, so a new mural in keeping with the heritage of the roundabout will be put there at the end of the works.

The Edgeley Station mural mosaic on the Greek Street roundabout in Stockport. The roundabout is also known locally as the Armoury roundabout after the armoury military installation and pub there. Stockport railway station hasn't been called Edgeley Station, or Stockport Edgeley Station for many many years! 

Putt Darts at King Pins Mini Golf at Trafford Palazzo in Manchester

There's a darts-themed hole on the King Pins Mini Golf course at the Trafford Palazzo shopping and entertainment centre in Manchester.

Find out more about King Pins locations on the King Pins website.

The King Pins Mini Golf course at Trafford Palazzo became the 1,072nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We played Mini Golf at King Pins at the Manchester Arndale last year.

New Mini Golf course at The Galleries in Wigan

A new indoor Mini Golf course is being created at The Galleries in Wigan, Greater Manchester.

The new indoor Mini Golf course is part of a development of the former Galleries shopping centre in Wigan town centre.

Find out more about The Galleries redevelopment on the Wigan Council and The Galleries websites

It'll be a new and fairly local course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Radioactive Mini Golf in Manchester

There's a 'toxic waste' hole at King Pins in Manchester!

Find out more about King Pins locations on the King Pins website.

The King Pins Mini Golf course at Trafford Palazzo became the 1,072nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We played Mini Golf at King Pins at the Manchester Arndale last year.

Kebab Near Me in Bridgehall, Stockport

What a name for a takeaway!

We spotted the new Kebab Near Me takeaway in Bridgehall, Stockport over Christmas.

Bravo to the team at Kebab Near Me in Bridgehall, Stockport for selecting the name for the takeaway.

This is one way to be found!

Check out the Kebab Near Me website.

King Pins Mini Golf at Trafford Palazzo in Manchester

A look at the new King Pins Mini Golf course at the Trafford Palazzo shopping and entertainment centre in Manchester.

King Pins Mini Golf at Trafford Palazzo in Manchester

An indoor mini golf course is part of the set-up at the King Pins tenpin bowling and entertainment venue at the Trafford Palazzo in Manchester.

The 9-hole King Pins Mini Golf course opened at the Trafford Palazzo in July this year.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 3

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 6

Hole 7

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 9

Hole 9

Find out more about King Pins locations on the King Pins website.

The King Pins Mini Golf course at Trafford Palazzo became the 1,072nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Earlier this year we played Mini Golf at King Pins at the Manchester Arndale.

GBRf 66725 train passing through Reddish South station in Stockport, Greater Manchester

The GB Railfreight Class 66 locomotive No. 66307 was named 'Ipswich Town' this year.

Although when it passed through Reddish South station in Stockport, Greater Manchester on the 18th November 2024 it was quite mucky indeed!

The Stockport Pyramid

The Stockport Pyramid is reopening in 2025.

One of the first landmarks - among many fine buildings - we noticed when we moved to Stockport in 2016 was the Stockport Pyramid.

The Stockport Pyramid

Not many towns in the UK can lay claim to being home to a pyramid!

A view of the pyramid across the M60 

The Stockport Pyramid had been home to the Co-operative Bank until 2018 and the building had been empty since then.

Views of the Stockport Pyramid in August 2020

It was originally planned to be the first of five pyramids in Stockport's own Valley of the Kings. That plan didn't come to fruition and the Stockport Pyramid sits on in the Kings Valley industrial and trading estate next to the M60.

A view of the pyramid from a train into Manchester on the viaduct

Plans have now been approved for Royal Nawaab to create an Indian dining destination including a restaurant and banqueting hall in the building.

It'll be interesting to make a booking and get to go inside for a look around the intriguing building.

The Stockport Pyramid was completed in 1992 after five years work. Standing 36.6 metres (120 feet) in height, the Stockport Pyramid is somewhat smaller than Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza, which stands 147 metres (481 feet) high. However, the striking structure has become a familiar sight to people in the town, those passing on the M60, or passengers on trains on the lines across the viaduct.

Visit the Royal Nawaab website for more information.

New Adventure Golf course in Middleton, Rochdale

A new Adventure Golf course is being created in Middleton.

The new outdoor Adventure Golf course is being built at Bowlee Park Driving Range in Middleton, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Visit the Bowlee Park Driving Range website for more information.

It'll be another new - and fairly local - course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Blockbuster Video Store in Fallowfield, Manchester - Five Years On

A look back at the old Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester.

This is what was left of Blockbuster Video on Fallowfield Retail Park back in October 2019

I found the preserved remains of a 'dead brand' - Blockbuster Video - while in Manchester five years ago today!

It became the first of many former Blockbuster Video stores Emily and I travelled to once we found that there were still some other visible remains of the brand to be seen on high streets and at shopping centres around the UK.

Oh, what happened to this sign?

Dark clouds gathered over the brand in 2013

Blockbuster Video entered the UK video rental market in 1989 following the purchase of Ritz Video. In 2013 there were over 500 Blockbuster locations in the UK. Throughout that year the number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. On the 16th December 2013 all stores ceased operations.

On the visit to the old Fallowfield shop in October 2019 the Blockbuster Video store sign was prominently displayed on both sides of the main sign at Fallowfield Retail Park and the windows of the shop still retained Blockbuster signage.

A sign in the shop window

Most of the shelves inside had been removed, but the walls and desks clearly retained the brand colours of Blockbuster.

The window graphics still looked fresh

Clearly still recognisable as a Blockbuster on the inside

The shelves were bare

There is currently one independently owned franchise still operating as a Blockbuster Video in the USA and you can find it in Bend, Oregon.

Quik Drop box to nowhere

We made several more visits to the abandoned Blockbuster Video shop at Fallowfield Retail Park, including one last look as it was being demolished in January 2024.

Other Blockbuster Video stores

Here's a list and links to the other Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date:

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Failsworth, Manchester
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Independent video stores

There are still traces of former video shops to be found on the streets, shopping centres and retail parks of the UK. While most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores, there are remnants of (and in some cases still operating) independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky. Some of those we've snapped over the years include:

• Shahenshah Videos in Luton
• Deane Video Centre in Bolton
• Video Box Office at the Happy Shopper Wayfairer Discount Store in Ilkeston
• Video Future in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent
• The Movie Box in Manchester
• Jubilee Films in Ashton-under-Lyne
• B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton
• Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
• Video Express in Swansea
• Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds

Do you still have a video store near you?

By my reckoning there are three video shops still in operation in the UK. They are:

• Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds
• 20th Century Flicks in Bristol
• Snips Movies in Bebington, Wirral

I've been to two of the above, with Snips Movies on my to visit list in the future. Hopefully I'll be able to get a membership card for the shop too.

Do you have a favourite defunct brand? Are the remains of an old brand still visible near where you live or work? Do let me know.

New Adventure Golf course in Middleton, Rochdale

Bowlee Park Driving Range has plans to open a new Adventure Golf course.

The new outdoor Adventure Golf course would be at Bowlee Park Driving Range in Middleton, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Visit the Bowlee Park Driving Range website for more information.

It'll be another new - and fairly local - course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Heritage Train passing through Edgeley, Stockport

Early morning train nerdery in Edgeley, Stockport on Saturday 24th August 2024.

This was the West Coast Railways Unadvertised Express from Crewe to Carlisle.

InterCity 125 Heritage Train passing through Edgeley, Stockport

Early morning train nerdery in Edgeley, Stockport on Saturday 24th August 2024.

This was the Hanson & Hall Unadvertised Express InterCity 125 from Crewe to Edinburgh.

It's really saying something when a Midland Mainline InterCity 125 that I used to commute into London from Luton on is considered a heritage train!

Dinosaur mini-golf at Swinton Square in Salford

There's a dinosaur mini-golf course at Swinton Square in Salford until Sunday 11th August.

The 9-hole course is free to play!

Check out the Swinton Square website for more information.

We played the Dino Crazy Golf pop-up at Swinton Square on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in 2022.