'Pop Up' Summertime Fun in Luton

We missed it.

We revisited our old home town of Luton last weekend and spotted this poster in the window of the old Debenhams advertising the 'Pop Up' Summertime Fun event in Luton's Wardown Park earlier this year. It included free Crazy Golf!

We've spent a lot of time in Wardown Park. The park has had some different courses over the years - including a fibreglass Crazy Golf layout, and a Putting/mini-Pitch & Putt course. It's currently home to an Adventure Golf course.

Wardown Adventure Golf course in Wardown Park, Luton (June 2021)

Wardown Park's first miniature golf course opened on the 19th June 1934 - so our visit in 2021 came 87 years to the day since the first putt was taken in the park!

A former Blockbuster Video store in Luton

A look at the former Blockbuster store in Luton.

I spotted the remains of a Blockbuster Video store while driving to Manchester in October 2019 and since then have found a few more signs of the brand on the high streets and retail parks of the UK.

My old local Blockbuster was on Park Street in Luton, Bedfordshire. Living very close by for many years I walked past the store on a daily basis, and probably popped in every other day while at uni.

We were recently back in Luton and had to take a look. The shop is still somewhat recognisable from its time as a video shop (if you know what you're looking for), with Blockbuster blue paintwork and the space where the QuikDrop box once was still framed.

The former Blockbuster store is now the Welcome Supermarket 

A windowed space sits where the QuikDrop box used to be

Check out my blog posts about other former Blockbuster Video stores in:

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Colne, Lancashire
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Wardown Adventure Golf in Luton

A look at the new Wardown Adventure Golf course in Luton.

We were back in our old home town of Luton, Bedfordshire on Saturday 19th June and while there swung by the new Adventure Golf course at Wardown Park.

The new Wardown Adventure Golf course opened in the park last month. It's a nice looking layout.

Wardown Park's first miniature golf course opened on the 19th June 1934 - so our visit came 87 years to the day since the first putt was taken in the park!

The 18-hole woodland-themed minigolf course is on an elevated bowling green in the park

Unfortunately we didn't have time for a game on the 18-hole course during our flying visit to the town. However, it was very nice to see the course proving popular with players.

It's nice to see a disused bowling green put to good use

We're looking forward to spending some time having some rounds there on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Visit the Wardown Adventure Golf website for more information, opening times and prices.

A Covid-19 sign at the entrance to Wardown Park

Miniature Golf at Wardown Park

Wardown Park's latest minigolf course opened in May this year.

The park was previously home to two minigolf courses. One was a crazy golf course, the other was a grass miniature golf course. Both were turned into a 'Mini Golf Meadow' in 2015.

We lived in Luton for 16 years and played the minigolf courses in the park a fair bit during that time. The Crazy Golf course that used to be in Wardown Park was the 18th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour way back on the 5th May 2007. The Grass Putting Miniature Golf layout was the 19th played on the 19th May. Until the meadows were planted minigolf had been played in the park since the 19th June 1934.

Wardown Adventure Golf in Luton

New adventure golf course opening at Wardown Park in Luton.

A new adventure golf course is opening in Luton's Wardown Park this May.

The 18-hole layout will have a woodland theme.

Check out the Wardown Adventure Golf website for more information.

Minigolf at Wardown Park

Wardown Park was previously home to two minigolf courses. One was a crazy golf course, the other was a grass miniature golf course.

Both were turned into a Mini Golf Meadow in 2015.

We lived in Luton for 16 years and played the minigolf courses in the park a fair bit during that time. The Crazy Golf course that used to be in Wardown Park was the 18th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour way back on the 5th May 2007. The Grass Putting Miniature Golf layout was the 19th played on the 19th May. Until the meadows were planted minigolf had been played in the park since the 19th June 1934.

A closed video shop in Luton

I spotted this snap of the old Shahenshah Videos shop on Alder Crescent in Luton while looking through my photos recently.

Check out my other video shop blog posts.

A snowy day on two lost minigolf courses

A look back at a snow day on the minigolf courses in Wardown Park, Luton.

Snow play allowed. This was back in January 2010

When we lived down in Luton, Bedfordshire our local park had two miniature golf courses. One was a 9-hole grass Mini Golf layout, the other was a 9-hole fibreglass Crazy Golf course.

That's hole 1 of the Crazy Golf course under the snow

The grass course at Wardown Park opened in 1934 and was an interesting one to play. It was too big to be considered to be a Putting Green, but not large enough to be classed as a Pitch & Putt, even though you were issued with an iron and a putter when you played.

You also received a paper ticket every time you played a round on the courses. A really nice touch and something we've rarely seen elsewhere on our travels

Sadly both courses are now long gone. Luckily we played a lot of games there in the latter half of the noughties.

The area where the two courses were was turned into a mini meadow in 2015.

Playing Minigolf at Kent Athletic Club in Luton

A look back at a pop-up crazy golf course in Luton.

We played a pop-up one-day-only minigolf course set-up on the football pitch at Kent Athletic Club in Luton nine years ago today.

The layout was the 267th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

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L is for Luton

We took our daily exercise in the Reddish area of Stockport yesterday and swung by Luton Road.

We lived in Luton for 16 years before moving north to Stockport.

Interestingly both towns are famous in the hat industry and have hat musuems. In fact it was the growth of the hat trade in Luton that contributed to the decline of the hat industry in Stockport. While millinery is not as big a trade in either town nowadays, the history lives on in the nickname of Luton Town and Stockport County football clubs as they are both 'The Hatters'.

Guinness World Record Attempt for the 'Most Brussels Sprouts Eaten in a Minute'

A look back at the 2009 Guinness World Record Attempt for the 'Most Brussels Sprouts Eaten in a Minute'.

I can't believe it's been ten years since I attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the 'Most Brussels Sprouts Eaten in a Minute' at Luton Indoor Market!

A star studded line-up of talent assembled to take part in the charity record attempt

What an event that was.

Check out the other Guinness World Records I've attempted over the years.

Me and Brad Shepherd with our certificates from the event

Wacky, Waving, Inflatable, Arm-Flailing, Tube Man in Luton

An airdancer from the archives.

We saw this Wacky, Waving, Inflatable, Arm-Flailing, Tube-man at a funfair in Luton's Wardown Park back in August 2010.

Happy National Mad Hatter Day

Today, 6th October, is National Mad Hatter Day.

A lot of hats in Luton

The occurrence reminded me of the time Emily and I helped break the Guinness World Record of 'Largest Gathering of People Wearing Boater Hats' while we lived in Luton back in 2014.

The event was organised by the Museum Makers team and saw 797 people turn out for the record attempt and SMASH the previous record of 250 boater wearers.

A pair of mad hatters

Luton is famous for it's hat industry. As is our new home town of Stockport!

Both football clubs are known as The Hatters and both towns have hat musuems.

The similarities don't end there as both towns are also under flight paths. You could call Stockport 'The Luton of the North', or Luton 'The Stockport of the South'. Though I can't imagine anyone would.

In fact it was the growth of the hat trade in Luton that contributed to the decline of the hat industry in Stockport.

Video from the official Guinness World Record attempt for the 'Largest Gathering of People Wearing Boater Hats' held at Wardown Park in Luton on Saturday 16th August 2014.

Retro videogame graffiti in Luton

Spotting some retro videogame graffiti at The Mall Luton.

Last weekend we revisited our old hometown of Luton and while walking down George Street it was brilliant to see this retro videogame graffiti at The Mall shopping centre. It certainly brightened up the space.

The mural features a whole host of retro game characters and was created by Demograffix.

 

Related blog posts:
- Luton
- Art

A view of Wardown Park in Luton

A look at an old Crazy Golf location in Luton.

My mate and Lutonian Martin Morrin recently sent me a snap from Luton's Wardown Park showing the site of the old miniature golf courses. There used to be a grass Putting course and a Crazy Golf layout in the park.

The shed has been replaced with a different wooden structure. The bench is looking a little wonky these days

In 2015 the two courses were removed to make way for a year-long project to monitor how local Luton residents and insects reacted to a variety of new meadows.

Over the years we played the minigolf courses in the park a fair bit. The Crazy Golf course that used to be in Wardown Park was the 18th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour way back on the 5th May 2007. The Grass Putting Miniature Golf layout became the 19th played on the 19th May. Until the meadows were planted minigolf had been played in the park since the 19th June 1934.

A remnant of hole one of the old Wardown Park Crazy Golf course

It's a shame to see the area isn't being used for anything anymore.

You can see what the courses used to look like in our Crazy Golf in Wardown Park blog post.

The first minigolf course visit of 2017

The first minigolf course visit of 2017 was made by Emily as she spotted a Putting Green on her spa break at Luton Hoo at the weekend.

The Golf Practice Area at Luton Hoo on the 6th January

The course became the 721st visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Luton

Link:
- Luton Hoo

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