Adventure Golf at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea

Here's a look at the Adventure Golf course at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

We revisited the Adventure Golf at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea on our trip to the seaside town in April 2023.

There are two 9-hole courses there and they were originally the 14th and 15th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in March 2007 and we've returned a number of times since then.

We actually played the Aztec and Inca Adventure Golf courses at Adventure Island in 2003, three years before our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour began. Sadly the results of that contest are lost in the ether!

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,064 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

When added to the courses my brother Christopher and his family have visited around the British Isles and Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,111 courses visited!

Crazy Golf in Troon, Scotland

A look at the seafront Crazy Golf course in Troon, Scotland.

My friend and minigolf rival Simon Brown sent over a photo of the hut at the seafront Crazy Golf course in Troon from his recent visit.

You can see photos of the course from January 2023 in this guest blog post from Simon.

The 18-hole Crazy Golf course in Troon was the 573rd miniature golf course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2014.

Octoputts Indoor Crazy Golf in King's Lynn, Norfolk

There's an indoor crazy golf course in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

We swung by Octoputts Indoor Crazy Golf in King's Lynn, Norfolk en route to a family gathering last month.

Check out the Octoputts website for more information.

Toys R Us at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Spotting a Toys R Us store at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

Emily spotted this sign for the Toys R Us store at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on a trip to the USA earlier this year.

The store was in Terminal A, but Emily was at Terminal D

As well as this airport store, you can find Toys R Us stores within Macy's department stores in the USA, plus locations at two flagship stores at malls in New Jersey and Minnesota.

There were once 105 Toys R Us stores in the UK. The business ceased trading in 2018 and all of the shops here closed. In the USA there were more than 700 stores, with the final ones closing in June 2018 after 70 years of operating.

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

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 a number of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

Former Toys R Us locations we've visited on our travels:

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gateway retail park in Reading
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• St James Retail Park in Northampton
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby

A Debenhams ghost sign

Spotting a Debenhams ghost sign in Stockport.

A time capsule view of old Stockport

As a fan of retail history and ghost signs it was Marvellous to see the old Debenhams logo from 1986-1991 on show at the former Debenhams store in Stockport town centre yesterday evening.

The window graphics from the 90's, along with a ghost sign outline where the DEBENHAMS letters once were

The building is now home to the recently opened Joseph James Furniture Outlet.

How the shop looks in April 2024

Debenhams ceased trading on the high street in May 2021 after 243 years of operation. You can still find ghost signs and somewhat intact storefronts around the UK where the shop units have not been occupied by a new business.

Debenhams in Stockport, December 2020

The former Debenhams is over the road from the former Tandy shop, where you can still find a ghost sign. It's also on the same road where until recently you could find a British Home Stores ghost sign.

From Putt Putt Noodle to Putt Putt Social

The indoor crazy golf business has rebranded from Putt Putt Noodle to Putt Putt Social.

Putt Putt Social Minigolf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, September 2023

The old Putt Putt Noodle sign at what is now Putt Putt Social in Norwich, Norfolk

You can find Putt Putt Social venues in Bedford, Gloucester, Norwich, Poole and Telford.

Check out the Putt Putt Social website for more information.

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

The last Woolworths shop in the UK closed in January 2009 so it was brilliant to see this frontage looking fairly unchanged!

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

We first spotted the store in Longton while driving through the town in 2019 and returned in 2020 for a closer look. We were very surprised to see the branding still in place.

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

Old Iceland in Coventry

Spotting some old Iceland signage on a modern Iceland store.

Emily spotted this old branding on the signage at the Iceland store in Coventry city centre.

We saw a similar sign at the Iceland in Holywell, North Wales back in 2018.

Blockbuster Video Express in Colne

A look at the Blockbuster Video Express store in Colne, Lancashire.

We visited the former Blockbuster Video Express shop in Colne on this day in 2020.

Blockbuster Video Express in Colne, Lancashire

Exploring during the coronavirus pandemic

As our out-of-home minigolfing adventures were curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic I needed to scratch my exploring itch somehow. During the first nationwide lockdown Emily and I spent our daily outside exercise time walking around the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport where we managed to visit and photograph every one of the 265 pubs, bars and clubs in the area!

On our limited travels we also photographed as many pieces of Covid-19-related signage as we could.

The next mini 'tickable list' urban exploration challenge tapped into my interest in ghost signs, shops, retail marketing and old brands. Ever since I found the remnants of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in October 2019 I've been amazed to see the brand still has a lingering presence in other places too.

Here's the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Colne and how it looked in August 2020.

Some of the exterior signage

Blockbuster Video Express

A notice of Administration taped on the inside of the shop window. Note the tape used is Blockbuster branded

The old QuikDrop box

The sign on the front of the shop was long gone

A look inside the former Blockbuster Video Express store. Still recognisable as a video shop

Blockbuster Video Express in Colne

Blockbuster Video in the UK

Blockbuster Video entered the UK video rental market in 1989 following the purchase of Ritz Video.

I remember going to the Ritz Video shop on the Peachcroft Estate in my home town of Abingdon, Oxfordshire in the late 80's and early 90's. That store became a Blockbuster and I rented some classics from there back in the day. Check out this post from the excellent Abingdon Blog to see a photo of the shuttered shop in 2014.

Most Blockbuster Video Express stores were somewhat smaller than regular Blockbuster shops. Although all of the stores expanded to include video game rentals. Old signage for the games area has been clearly visible on both the Fallowfield and Colne stores I've been to.

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.

Blockbuster Video store locations we've visited

Our travels have taken us to several former Blockbuster stores:

• 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

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

A look at the Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich.

My brother and founder member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour sent over these snaps of the Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich, Norfolk.

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Christopher was visiting the park with his daughter Elena for a train ride on the miniature railway there.

We visited and played the superb Crazy Golf course and Putting Green at Eaton Park in Norwich back in May 2017.

Visit the Eaton Park Crazy Golf course website for more information.

Happy National 7-Eleven Day

It's National 7-Eleven Day.

7-Eleven convenience stores celebrate National 7-Eleven Day on when else but the 11th July.

We were surprised to see a number of 7-Eleven stores in Stockholm on our last trip there in 2018. We'd only ever seen them in the USA before that

The first 7-Eleven Day was held in 2002.

Dr Pac-Man's Covid-19 Testing Centre in Lanzarote

We've been documenting the signs of the covid times since the pandemic began in 2020 and have seen a number of different, interesting and fun ways to promote social distancing, testing and getting a jab.

Doctors Covid-19 Testing in Lanzarote

This escalator advertising for a Covid-19 Testing Centre that Emily spotted in Lanzarote last month is one of the best!

Surely Pac-Man should be avoiding the covvy though!

Doctors Covid-19 Testing in Lanzarote

Blackbeard's Adventure Golf in Hunstanton

My little brother Christopher and his family were recently in Hunstanton, Norfolk for a day trip and sent this photos from Blackbeard's Adventure Golf.

Emily and I visited Blackbeard's Adventure Golf in Hunstanton back in 2011! The two courses there were the 246th and 247th courses played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Together we've now visited 1,019 courses since September 2006.

Check out the Blackbeard's Adventure Golf Facebook Page for more information.

Blockbuster Video Express in Failsworth, Manchester

Spotting a retail remnant on an old Blockbuster Video store in Manchester.

My retail archaeologist senses started twitching while on the Oldham Road in Failsworth recently as I looked at a building and thought to myself, "I bet that used to be a Blockbuster."

And sure enough, it was once a Blockbuster Video Express store.

The shop unit now home to AMC Furniture was once a Blockbuster Video Express store

I've only driven along this particular part of the road once before, but luckily this time the view of the shop front was clear and I could see the QuikDrop box still in place!

Blockbuster Video

We're big fans of video, videos stores, retail history and retro stuff and have been visiting and documenting the last remaining traces of the Blockbuster brand in the UK over the last few years. We've seen a number of the brand's shopfronts, signs and QuikDrop boxes. As well as some other video shops.

The first of the old Blockbuster locations we found was also in Manchester, just up the road from us at Fallowfield Retail Park.

Blockbuster Video Stores

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were in the UK.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

The QuikDrop box at the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Failsworth, Manchester

We've now visited 28 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop.

• 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
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Herne Bay Mini Golf

A look at the Mini Golf course on the seafront in Herne Bay, Kent.

Herne Bay Mini Golf

We revisited the 78th course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour last month.

Mini Golf Rules

It doesn't seem like we first swung by it in 2008! Time certainly flies.

We've now been to 983 courses on our travels since 2006.

Visit the iFun Family Entertainment Centre website for more info on the Herne Bay Mini Golf course.

I've been documenting coronavirus signs during the pandemic and it was interesting to see some social distancing signs at the Herne Bay course.

A Covid-19 sign at Herne Bay Mini Golf

A social distancing sign on the Herne Bay Mini Golf course

A Coronavirus social distancing sign at Herne Bay Mini Golf