Lost shops - Burger King in Chester

Spotting a fast food ghost sign in Chester.

We spotted this ghost sign of a former Burger King while having a walk round Chester.

Krunchy Fried Chicken in Fallowfield, Manchester

Finding a 'KFC' in Fallowfield.

Krunched in sign!

We've seen a number of 'KFCs' on our travels, including this Krunchy Fried Chicken in Fallowfield, Manchester.

There are Krunchy Fried Chicken shops in Liverpool and Stalybridge too.

FINGER LICKING CHICKEN in Withington, Manchester

Finger Licking Chicken in Withington, Manchester.

We've seen quite a few 'KFCs' on our travels, but the only Finger Licking Chicken we've spotted is in Withington, Manchester.

Socially distanced benches in Spinningfields

A pair of socially distanced benches in Spinningfields, Manchester.

One person only at this time

This doesn't look like the most comfortable bit of seating even at the best of times

We saw two other benches in the time of Coronavirus in Colne.

Kingtucky Fried Chicken in Manchester

Do you have a favourite fried chicken takeaway brand?

We've seen quite a few 'KFCs' on our travels.

The long closed Kingtucky Fried Chicken in Manchester

The Movie Box in Manchester

A look at a Manchester video shop.

You don't see video shops all that often any more

The shop is also called The Corner Store

And the Mac & PC Centre

Some lost brand shop signs from my travels

A look at some lost brand shop signs from my travels.

Clockwise from top left Woolworths Big W in Brunstane, Edinburgh; Toys R Us in Ancoats, Manchester; Tandy in Hitchin; Blockbuster in Fallowfield, Manhester; Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent; BHS in Stockport; Blockbuster Video Express in Colne; Kwik Save in Barrow-in-Furness; RadioShack in Saint Annes on the Sea

Do you have a favourite brand from the past?

Colne in Bloom

We recently had a nice wander around Colne in Lancashire and saw a number of planters out for Colne in Bloom.

This one in particular caught our eye!

We liked this one at Colne railway station as it had a nice train theme.

The Titanic Bed commemorated the ship and the band master Wallace Hartley who was born in Colne.

Kansas Fried Chicken in Didsbury Village

Finding a 'KFC' in Didsbury Village, Manchester.

Another of the 'KFCs' we've seen on our travels is this Kansas Fried Chicken in Didsbury Village, Manchester.

There are other Kansas Fried Chicken shops in the Manchester and Cheshire area, including one in Handforth.

Kansas Fried Chicken in Handforth

Finding a 'KFC' in Handforth, Cheshire.

Another of the 'KFCs' we've seen on our travels is this Kansas Fried Chicken in Handforth.

There are other Kansas Fried Chicken shops in the Manchester and Cheshire area, including one in Didsbury Village.

Hidden in plain sight

It's funny what you see when you look back on your travels.

With my current, new found interest in seeking out old Blockbuster Video stores while there are still traces of them, I checked out if there used to be any in Suffolk ahead of our next visit to see family and friends in the area.

In a normal year we'd have been to Ipswich and Felixstowe a number of times already by now. Felixstowe is probably our most visited seaside of all time, with the minigolf courses in the town our most revisited.

Sadly we've been there a grand total of zero times in 2020.

Looking online Felixstowe was once home to a Blockbuster Video store on Crescent Road.

Strangely I inadvertently blogged about it in 2017! In a way.

When I saw the location of the former store I knew I'd seen it before.

Back in 2017 I was alerted to the fact there was a new American Diner in Felixstowe that served a 98% gluten free menu. Something that intrigued me as it's a strange thing to offer as everyone with Coeliac Disease needs 100% gluten free food!

Looking at that blog post I noticed a remnant of its time as a Blockbuster. Can you see what it is?

Look closely^

Yes, the original Blockbuster Video sign was still in place and the big torn ticket outline is clear to see!

Blockbuster!

It's always interesting to see shadows, ghosts and remnants from a bygone time. Here in Cheadle Hulme you can still see the outline of the old Blockbuster Video logo on what is now a Majestic Wine Warehouse.

A funny old sign

NO TIPPING at the Stockport Pyramid.

While having a wander around the Stockport Pyramid I noticed a funny sign near the gates - it must've been up for years as it had the old Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council logo on it.

NO TIPPNG

The other NO TIPPING sign on the opposite side of the driveway was spelt correctly.

NO TIPPING

Both signs are likely to be almost 30 years old. That's a long time for a typo like that to be hidden in plain sight!

The Metropolitan Borough of Stockport was founded in 1974 and the Stockport Pyramid was completed in 1992 after five years work.

Sadly traces of the old Metropolitan Borough of Stockport logo are becoming few and far between. There was one on an old noticeboard on Adswood Road in Cheadle Hulme until it was destroyed in a road traffic accident last year!

  

Thanks to Natalie Ainscough for letting me know about this sign with the old logo on at Woodford Recreation Ground.

Benches in the time of Coronavirus

A look at two benches in the time of social distancing.

We saw a few different social distancing signs on our walk round Colne in Lancashire on Sunday afternoon, including these two on benches in the town centre.

Blockbuster Video Express in Colne

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

Since our out-of-home minigolfing adventures have been somewhat curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic I've needed to scratch my exploring and collecting itch somehow. During the first nationwide lockdown we 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.

My next mini 'tickable list' urban exploration challenge taps 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 last October I've been amazed to see the brand still has a lingering presence in other places too.

My old local Blockbuster was on Park Street in Luton, Bedfordshire and while it is long-gone I still remember the amount of time I spent in it when I was a student. I built up quite a collection of big-box ex-rental VHS tapes from there in the early noughties.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013 so it's amazing that there are still clearly visible remnants of the brand on the high street and on retail parks almost seven years later.

Blockbuster Video and Express stores

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 back 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.

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 Express in Colne

While looking online for nearby places to have a wander during the local lockdown here in the north west I stumbled upon the Blockbuster Video Express in Colne, Lancashire.

It's crazy to see the store in person as Colne's main street is quite a busy thoroughfare and the prominently positioned Blockbuster was the only empty shop we saw in that particular part of the town.

You should've seen the size of the fine for taking back Police Academy almost seven years late. And I hadn't rewound it

A view of the store from Market Street

The old QuikDrop box has been sealed and painted over

The box is still in place though

It's always nice to see old CRT TVs in place

A view of the right hand side of the store. The Häagen-Dazs fridge is still there

The left side, till area and games wall. Note the Coca-Cola and Ben & Jerry's fridges towards the back of the store too

The games wall

A letter about the Administration. That was a good printer and high quality paper to have lasted so long. The Blockbuster branded tape looks in great condition as well

Still sticky

Blockbuster Video Express in Westcliff on Sea

Last month my friend and fellow blogger Mark Routh kindly sent me some super snaps of the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Westcliff on Sea, Essex. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person next time I'm down that way.

The Last Blockbuster

The very last Blockbuster Video store in operation is in Bend, Oregon, USA. We were planning a holiday to Portland this year and would've called in to the store on the trip.

Hopefully it'll still be there when it's once again safe to travel to the USA.

Other lasting signs of Blockbuster

We've seen other remnants of Blockbuster Video on the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Marple and the regular store in Cheadle Hulme. Back in 2013 we also saw the old store in Hastings had been converted into a shop called Bookbuster.

If you know of any other Blockbuster stores or branding still visible do let me know.

'Playing' Blockbuster

Interestingly there is a 'Blockbuster' storefront within another venue. You can find it at Ghetto Golf at the Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham.

Disappearing brands

We've seen traces of a number of old and defunct brands that were big in the 80s and 90s on our travels around the country.

These have included Woolworths in Stoke-on-Trent, Woolworths Big W in Edinburgh, Kwik Save in Barrow-in-Furness, Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Tandy in Hitchin, RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes and Toys R Us in Ancoats and Warrington. I also recently took a look at the Happy Eater restaurant chain.

Urbex - Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield

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

Blockbuster Video lives on in Manchester. In a way.

Kind of.

Lost Blockbuster Video in Oldham

Last month we popped over to Oldham for our daily walk and a look for an old Blockbuster Video store on Ashton Road.

Sadly there were no traces of the brand visible at the former location. Until fairly recently the upstairs windows had retained the Blockbuster branding. Sadly they had been boarded up. Had the store been open I believe the old QuikDrop box is still in place. Next time we're over that way we'll take another look.

Interestingly the new shop in the building has retained a blue and yellow colour scheme and a Square is a kind of Block too

It wasn't all for nought though as we did spot an apt road name on the way back.

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Check out more Blockbuster Video related blog posts

Lester's Independent Trading Co.

What a Del Boy!

It's always fun seeing parody shop signs

Topcuts

Spotted in London on my last trip down to the capital earlier this year.

I haven't got a Scooby Doo

We've seen quite a few things from Scooby Doo on our travels.

Scrappy Doo's in Prestatyn

The Mystery Machine in Skegness

The Mystery Machine in Stockport

Scrappy Doo is one of the dogs on this Muttley Crew sign in Stockport