Toys R Us at TGJones in Oxford

There's a Toys R Us at TGJones in Oxford city centre.

You can find a Toys R Us concession at TGJones in Oxford, Oxfordshire.

The end of WHSmith, and the start of TGJones

The start of July 2025 marked the end of WHSmith on the British high street after 233 years. Following the sale of the business to Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital WHSmith shops underwent a rebrand to the new name of TGJones.

Toys R Us in the UK

Toys R Us returned to the UK shopping scene with an online presence in 2022 and with concessions opening inside some WHSmith shops in 2023. There are currently Toys R Us concessions open at TGJones and WHSmith at Welcome Break shops.

Toys R Us at Hobbycraft.

You can also find Toys R Us concessions at Hobbycraft stores.

Working at Toys R Us

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton Toys R Us store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

The old Toys R Us

At its peak there were 105 Toys R Us stores in the UK. It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited several of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

Links:

• Toys R Us
• TGJones

Related blog posts:

• Toys R Us
• TGJones
• WHSmith
• Retail

Ted's Crazy Golf in Oxford's Westgate Centre

A look at Ted's Crazy Golf at the Westgate Centre in Oxford.

Emily swung by Ted's Crazy Golf in Oxford's Westgate Centre on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Ted's Crazy Golf opened this month and is home to two 9-hole indoor crazy golf courses - Bad Bones and Fun House.

Link:

• Ted's Crazy Golf website

Crazy Golf in Oxford's Westgate Centre

A new crazy golf venue is opening at Oxford's Westgate Centre.

Junkyard Golf recently closed in Oxford's Westgate Centre and will reopen as Ted's Crazy Golf after a revamp of the venue.

Ted's Crazy Golf will be home to two 9-hole indoor crazy golf courses when the venue opens in August 2026.

Find out more on the Ted's Crazy Golf website.

New Mini Golf course at Bury Knowle Park in Oxford

Bury Knowle Park in Headington, Oxford has a new Mini Golf course.

The outdoor mini golf course can be found at Bury Knowle Pavilion at Bury Knowle Park in Headington, Oxford.

Check out the Bury Knowle Pavilion website for more information.

Bury Knowle Park used to be home to a Swedish Felt B-Run type of minigolf course. We played that course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in August 2009.

Crazy Golf at Bury Knowle Park in Headington, Oxford (August 2009)

I look forward to giving the new course a play on a revisit to my home city.

Plans for a new mini golf course in Oxford

There are plans to create a new mini golf course at Bury Knowle Park in Headington, Oxford.

The mini golf would be an addition to the park along with several other activities including table tennis and shuffleboard.

Bury Knowle Park in Headington used to be home to a Swedish Felt B-Run type of minigolf course.

This was the old course at Bury Knowle Park

Back in August 2009 we played that course - along with the layouts at Florence Park in Cowley, and at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park - in one day on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Playing the old the old course at Bury Knowle Park in the late noughties. How time flies!

It'll be interesting to see if the plans for the new course are approved and I look forward to giving it a play on a revisit to my home city if it does.

Crazy Croc's Mini Golf at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park in Oxford

A look at Crazy Croc's Mini Golf course at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park in Oxford.

Crazy Croc's Mini Golf at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park in Oxford

While back in Abingdon for the traditional Bun Throwing event we swung by Crazy Croc's Mini Golf at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park in Oxford.

Crazy Croc's Mini Golf at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park in Oxford

Unfortunately the weather was against us so we were unable to have a game.

Crazy Croc's Mini Golf at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park in Oxford

Crazy Croc's Mini Golf at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park in Oxford

Crazy Croc's Mini Golf at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park in Oxford

The park used to be home to a Swedish Felt B-Run type of miniature golf course. We played that layout on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in 2009. We also visited it when it was closed the year before.

Mini Golf at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park in Oxford

New Boom: Battle Bar opening in Oxford

A new Boom: Battle Bar with crazy golf and other indoor games is planned to open in Oxford this year.

Boom: Battle Bar Oxford will be the fourth venue from the brand.

As well as a minigolf course - known as 'Crazier Golf' - Boom: Battle Bar in Oxford will no doubt be home to other competitive socialising sports and games such as axe throwing, darts and shuffleboard.

My friend and minigolf rival Simon Brown played the Boom: Battle Bar 'Crazier Golf' course at the Brewery Quarter venue in Cardiff in November last year.

The first Boom: Battle Bar opened at the Castle Quarter shopping and entertainment centre in Norwich in July 2020.

There are also plans for a Boom: Battle Bar to open in Liverpool in 2021.

Visit the Boom: Battle Bar website and Boom: Battle Bar Oxford Facebook Page for more information.

Boom: Battle Bars are a relatively new entrant to the world of competitive socialising and retailtainment. A number of shopping malls, town centres and retail parks are adding minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf and other experiential entertainment and activity leisure offerings to their sites to attract and retain customers.

Minigolfing in Oxford's Parks

A look back at three minigolf courses in Oxford's Parks.

On this day in 2009 we played three Swedish Felt Mini Golf courses in Oxford.

We first visited the three Swedish Felt type minigolf courses in my home city on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in December 2008. We got to play them on the 13th August 2009 at the start of a nine-day road-trip that took us around the coast of Wales. Back then you could find layouts in Bury Knowle Park in Headington, Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park and Florence Park in Cowley.

Mini Golf in Bury Knowle Park, Headington.

Emily playing the first of many crazy golf holes we played on the holiday

This Swedish Felt Mini Golf was called Crazy Golf...

...and Putting!

A lesser spotted type of rules sign

Spectating

Swedish Felt Mini Golf courses contain some tricky optical illusion obstacles

Here's another lane that requires precision

Mini Golf at Florence Park in Cowley.

Teeing-off on the second of three courses in Oxford

Emily playing a very tricky obstacle

A nice line

Mini Golf at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park in Oxford.

At the third Swedish Felt Mini Golf course in the third park

Another long, straight shot required

And another!

An uphill dog-leg lane

Mini Golf in Oxford

Sadly the Florence Park Minigolf course was removed in March this year.

The course at Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park is now Crazy Croc's Mini Golf.

As far as I'm aware the course at Bury Knowle Park in Headington is still there.

Other places to play minigolf in Oxford include Gravitee Adventure Golf at the Ozone Leisure Park and Junkyard Golf venue in the Westgate Centre.

Earlier this year I found out there's also a minigolf course at the Fulbrook Centre at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

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Spotting a minigolf course in Oxford

Finding a minigolf course at the Fulbrook Centre at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

Many thanks to my friend Matt Roebuck for sending over some photos of a minigolf course he spotted on his daily lockdown exercise over the weekend.

I didn't recognise the course location when Matt sent me the photo

It's amazing what you see on your doorstep and find out doing a spot of urban exploration.

The path passing by the course

What a thing to spot while having a wander!

A look at the Crazy Golf course

Oxford's my home city and I never knew this particular course existed!

Back in 2011 a tournament was held on the course.

Interestingly it's a Swedish Felt B-Run minigolf course. While there are a few of them around the UK it's not the most common type of course. However, in Oxford we've visited three other Swedish Felt B-Run layouts. These were in Bury Knowle Park in Headington, Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park and Florence Park in Cowley.

As far as we're aware the course in Bury Knowle Park is still there.

The one in Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park has been replaced by Crazy Croc's Mini Golf.

Matt tells me that until six weeks ago the course in Florence Park was in place.

Florence Park in Oxford by Matt Roebuck 2020

Have you spotted a minigolf course during your daily lockdown outdoor exercise during the coronavirus pandemic? Do let us know. We might not have it on our To Visit list yet.

Matt is the author of The Other Olympics. It's a brilliant book and well worth a read. It covers a number of international multi-sports competitions.

Mini Golf in Cutteslowe Park, Oxford

Crazy Croc's Mini Golf at Cutteslowe Park in Oxford.

I recently found out there's been a change to one of the minigolf courses in my home city.

Our fellow minigolf adventurers Matt and Helen Dodd were in Oxford and swung by Cutteslowe Park and let us know the course there is now an adventure golf-style layout.

When Emily and I visited back in 2008 and 2009 the course in the park was a Swedish Felt Mini Golf B-Run.

How the now lost minigolf course looked on a frosty day in December 2008

The new Crazy Croc's Mini Golf in Cutteslowe Park is a 9-hole layout.

Visit the Crazy Croc's Mini Golf website for more information, opening times and prices.

It'll be a new course to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

20 minigolf course visits in 20 days in 2020

A Crazy World of Minigolf Tour update.

We've made 20 minigolf course visits so far this year. A strong start to 2020.

At our 944th course visit - the Crazy Golf course at Hexthorpe Flatts Park in Hexthorpe, Doncaster

Our travels have taken us to miniature golf venues in Oxford, Birmingham, Manchester, Northwich, Doncaster and Castleford.

Emily playing the Crazy Golf course at Sunnybank Gardens & The Yorkshire Ice Cream Farm in Hatfield, Doncaster

A number of those courses have been revisits, including two trips to our local Paradise Island Adventure Golf centre in the Trafford Centre.

Hole 5 of the Tiki Hut Trail course at Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre, Manchester

1. Putting course at Park Square in Cheadle Heath, Stockport
2, 3, 4. Junkyard Golf's three courses at the Westgate shopping centre in Oxford - Gary, Bozo and Pablo courses
5. That Funky Golf Place at Becketts Farm in Wythall, Birmingham
6, 7. Paradise Island Adventure Golf's two courses at the Trafford Centre in Manchester - Temple Ruins and Tiki Hut Trail
8, 9. The Putting course and Crazy Golf at Vickersway Park in Northwich
10, 11. Paradise Island Adventure Golf's two course at the Trafford Centre in Manchester - played both courses again
12. Crazy Golf at Elmfield Park in Bennetthorpe, Doncaster
13. Crazy Golf at Hexthorpe Flatts Park in Hexthorpe, Doncaster
14. Crazy Golf at Sunnybank Gardens & The Yorkshire Ice Cream Farm in Hatfield, Doncaster
15. Search for Atlantis Cosmic Golf at Xplore in the Xscape Centre in Castleford
16. Curse of the Mummy in 4D Cosmic Golf at Xplore in the Xscape Centre in Castleford - originally the 200th course played on our tour in 2010 back when it was 3D Cosmic Golf
17, 18. The two Volcano Falls Adventure Golf courses at the Xscape Centre in Castleford - T Rex Trail and Volcano Valley
19, 20. The two Mr Mulligans Pirate Golf courses at Junction 32 Outlet Village in Castleford - Skull Cove and Smugglers Bay

Castleford is a minigolf hotbed, with six minigolf courses across three sites and a total of 87-holes!

As of yesterday, Sunday 19th January, we've visited a total of 945 courses since September 2006.

Curse of the Mummy 4D Cosmic Golf in Castleford

Junkyard Golf in Oxford's Westgate Centre

A look at Junkyard Golf in the Westgate Centre, Oxford.

We were back in my home town at the weekend and swung by Junkyard Golf at the Westgate shopping centre in the city centre.

Junkyard Golf in Oxford is home to three 9-hole indoor Crazy Golf courses.

You can find other Junkyard Golf venues in Manchester, London, Leeds and Liverpool.

Check out the Junkyard Golf website for more information.

The Junkyard Golf course was the second course we visited in 2020. The first was the Putting Green at the Park Square offices in Cheadle Heath.