A look at Stopfordian Pubs during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Four years ago today we photographed The Kings Tap on Station Road in Cheadle Hulme. It became the first of 265 pubs, bars and clubs we visited in the borough between April and the 4th of July when the first coronavirus pandemic lockdown ended.
Pub number 1 - The Kings Tap on Station Road in Cheadle Hulme. A lovely Art Deco building. We'd never seen it shuttered before the lockdown
We visited each of the pubs while on our daily outdoor exercise between Wednesday 1st April and before pubs were allowed to reopen with social distancing measures on Saturday 4th July.
It gave us something to do during the lockdowns and it was interesting to see the variety of architecture, different signage, parts of the town we haven't been to for a long time and other parts of the area we've never been to. I documented the pubs on Instagram using the #StopfordianPubs tag.
At the 265th pub on our lockdown 'pub crawl'. Not a drop was drunk on our daily walks in April, May, June and July
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.
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:
Three years ago today we photographed The Kings Tap on Station Road in Cheadle Hulme. It became the first of 265 pubs, bars and clubs we visited in the borough between April and the 4th of July when the first lockdown ended.
Pub number 1 - The Kings Tap on Station Road in Cheadle Hulme. A lovely Art Deco building. We'd never seen it shuttered before the lockdown
We visited each of the pubs while on our daily outdoor exercise between Wednesday 1st April and before pubs were allowed to reopen with social distancing measures on Saturday 4th July.
It gave us something to do during the lockdowns and it was interesting to see the variety of architecture, different signage, parts of the town we haven't been to for a long time and other parts of the area we've never been to. I documented the pubs on Instagram using the #StopfordianPubs tag.
At the 265th pub on our lockdown 'pub crawl'. Not a drop was drunk on our daily walks in April, May, June and July
One of the pubs we missed during the first lockdown was the Arden Arms at Bredbury!
The Arden Arms in Bredbury
We knew there was an Arden Arms in the town centre (pub #51), but as the Bredbury location is right on the border with Denton in Tameside it completely slipped off our radar.
The sign of pub #266 on our travels
We rectified the matter on Saturday though as we took our day's outdoor exercise at Hulmes Wood and walked back across the border into Stockport to snap the Arden Arms.
With lockdowns continuing during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic let's take another look at The Big Mini Golf Bucket List we created back in March.
Just because your local miniature golf course may once again be closed over the coming months doesn't mean you can't keep up with your putting practice and have some crazy golf fun at home.
Back in March we put together a minigolf bucket list with ideas and suggestions of things to do in the world of miniature golf.
The Big Mini Golf Bucket List
1. Create a minigolf hole at home.
2. Go even further and build an entire crazy golf layout in your home or garden.
3. Play a minigolf videogame.
4. Send a minigolf postcard to someone you know (we love sending and receiving postcards!).
5. Write a guest blog post for the Ham & Egger Files.
6. Post about minigolf on social media and use the hashtags #minigolf #minigolfmonday #puttathome and #minigolfbucketlist.
7. Recommend a course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.
8. Play an online minigolf game.
9. Visit Minigolfnews.com.
10. Read a book about minigolf.
11. Watch and share a minigolf video online.
12. Download a minigolf app ready for when you can hit a course again.
If you have any other ideas of your own to add to the bucket list please do let us know.
A look at a piece of Invader street art in Manchester.
It was nice to have a walk round Manchester again for the first time in a while on Saturday.
One of the best free-to-do activities in the city centre is to look for street art. There's plenty of it about.
Space Invaders
Manchester is the site of an Invasion by French street artist Invader. He created 47 pieces of mosaic tile art with a total points value of 970 back in 2004.
You have to look in a wide-range of places to see the Invaders
Over the years some of these retro video game inspired pieces have been damaged, removed or stolen. While some have been lost entirely because the building they were on has been demolished!
Luckily some of these lost Invaders have been replaced.
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.
A look at the pubs of Stockport during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
Pub number 1 - The Kings Tap on Station Road in Cheadle Hulme. A lovely Art Deco building. We'd never seen it shuttered before the lockdown
We've spent some of our new-found outdoor exercise time during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown visiting the pubs of Stockport.
Pub number 73 - The Crown Inn on Heaton Lane in Stockport town centre
It's been interesting to see the variety of architecture, different signage, parts of the town we haven't been to for a long time and other parts of the area we've never been to. I've been documenting them on Instagram using the #StopfordianPubs tag.
Pub number 222 - The Bull's Head Hotel in High Lane, Stockport. Our daily walks around the town took us to the borough's canals on a number of occasions
This is us outside pub number 265 - The Nursery Inn in Heaton Norris on Friday 3rd July 2020.
At the 265th pub on our lockdown 'pub crawl'. Not a drop was drunk on our daily walks in April, May, June and July
It was the last of all the pubs in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport we visited on our daily outdoor exercise between Wednesday 1st April and before pubs were allowed to reopen with social distancing measures on Saturday 4th July.
Pub number 185 - The Crown in Hawk Green, Marple, a part of the borough we never knew existed before our walks began
We saw a real mixture of pubs, bars, club and social clubs, along with a few lost and closed pubs. There were also some new pubs getting ready to re-open post-lockdown.
Ideas to while away the hours, days, weeks and months of lockdown.
In these unprecedented times there is a huge amount of change taking place in our daily lives. With the playing and watching of sports and games taking a big hit.
Just because your local minigolf course may be closed over the coming few months doesn't mean you can't keep up with your putting practice and have some crazy golf fun.
As we're practicing safe social distancing we won't be heading out to a minigolf course until given the all clear to do so, but in the meantime we've put together a minigolf bucket list with ideas and suggestions of things to do in the world of miniature golf.
The Big Mini Golf Bucket List
1. Create a minigolf hole at home
2. Go even further and build an entire crazy golf layout in your home or garden
3. Play a minigolf videogame
4. Send a minigolf postcard to someone you know
5. Write a guest blog post for the Ham & Egger Files
6. Post about minigolf on social media and use the hashtags #minigolf #minigolfmonday #puttathome and #minigolfbucketlist
7. Recommend a course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
8. Play an online minigolf game
9. Visit Minigolfnews.com
10. Read a book about minigolf
11. Watch and share a minigolf video online
12. Download a minigolf app ready for when you can hit a course again
If you have any ideas of your own to add to the bucket list please do let us know.
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Once the world is back open for business we're looking forward to getting out and replaying some of our favourite courses, playing at the last of the courses on our original 'to visit' list and visiting new courses.
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We've been playing minigolf seriously for 14 years and grew up playing the game on holidays and trips to the seaside around the UK.
We were in town yesterday evening to attend a wonderful performance of A Christmas Carol at the Garrick Theatre. On our wander from Redrock to the theatre we spotted there's a new Stockport Frog outside the Merseyway shopping centre!
The new Christmas frog in Stockport town centre
Totally Stockport, the team behind Stockport's Business Improvement District (BID), organised Stockport's Giant Leap art trail consisting of 22 decorated giant frog sculptures dotted around the town centre during the summer.
It was a nice surprise to see the Christmas frog in town.
Nobody managed to complete ALL 19 items, but the top four who came closest to completing the checklist and so win a free game with us, either at their local course (if we're in the area), or at one of our local courses (if they're in the area), are:
1. Putt Putt Bros (USA)
2. Andy Collins (USA)
3. The Putting Penguin (USA)
4. Putter Madness (UK)
Summer in the Northern Hemisphere began on the 21st June and ended on the 23rd September. During that time we challenged minigolfers worldwide to complete the 19 activities on the Summer Mini Golf Checklist:
1. Play at five different minigolf courses
2. Score par or better on a course
3. Compete in a miniature golf tournament
4. Score seven holes-in-one
5. Play a game of Pitch & Putt miniature golf
6. Play at a Pirate Adventure Golf course
7. Play a course with a Jungle-theme
8. Play a dinosaur-themed course
9. Play three windmill obstacles
10. Play at a space-themed course
11. Read a book about minigolf
12. Play a portable or pop-up course
13. Play at an indoor course (it doesn't have to be on a rainy day)
14. Play a course on a pier
15. Find and post a minigolf postcard
16. Post about minigolf on social media and use the hashtags #minigolf and #summerminigolf19
17. Play three loop-di-loop obstacles
18. Play minigolf at a garden centre
19th hole – Win a FREE GAME on a Lucky Last Hole!
The French street artist known as Invader has invaded London, Manchester and Newcastle. On our trip to the World Transplant Games in Newcastle last weekend we were able to add to our tally of Invaders spotted.
Clockwise from top left - NCL_21, NCL_19, NCL_20, NCL_14, NCL_25, NCL_05 and NCL_06
There were originally 25 Space Invaders in Newcastle and Gateshead. Made during the INVASION of Newcastle in 2006. One has since been destroyed. We've found the remaining 24, with seven of these 'Newcastle Invaders' over the border in Gateshead.
NCL_05
NCL_06
NCL_14
NCL_19
NCL_20
NCL_21
NCL_25
You can find them at Gateshead Interchange, on the approach to the Sage Gateshead and at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.
To date I've managed to find 120 Invaders, worth 3040 points on the Flash Invaders app. At the time of writing I'm ranked 13640 in the ever-changing world rankings. Emily is 34485. The person at the top of the leader-board has found 2544 of them!
As we're BIG fans of minigolf and the summer we've created a Summer Mini Golf Checklist containing 18 fun minigolf 'things to do' to get as many people playing the great game as possible.
1. Play at five different minigolf courses
2. Score par or better on a course
3. Compete in a miniature golf tournament
4. Score seven holes-in-one
5. Play a game of Pitch & Putt miniature golf
6. Play at a Pirate Adventure Golf course
7. Play a course with a Jungle-theme
8. Play a dinosaur-themed course
9. Play three windmill obstacles
10. Play at a space-themed course
11. Read a book about minigolf
12. Play a portable or pop-up course
13. Play at an indoor course (it doesn't have to be on a rainy day)
14. Play a course on a pier
15. Find and post a minigolf postcard
16. Post about minigolf on social media and use the hashtags #minigolf and #summerminigolf19
17. Play three loop-di-loop obstacles
18. Play minigolf at a garden centre
19th hole – Win a FREE GAME on a Lucky Last Hole!
We hope you enjoy ticking off the activities on the Summer Mini Golf Checklist wherever you are in the world.
The first three people to complete the Summer Mini Golf Checklist 2019 will win a free game with us, either at their local course (if we're in the area), or at one of our local courses (if they're in the area).
On Monday I managed to see two of the latest reactivated Invader street art pieces in Manchester.
The French street artist Invader visited Manchester in 2004 and put up 47 pieces of mosaic tile art with a total points value of 970. They look superb.
This Mario Invader is one of my favourites
Over the years some have been damaged, removed and stolen. While some have been lost because the building they were on was knocked down!
That was the case for MAN_15.
The new MAN_15 on a new building in Manchester city centre
A closer look at MAN_15
Invader has invaded 78 cities around the world, putting up 3779 pieces in total.
The reactivated Invader MAN_46. It's probably in the grubbiest location in Manchester
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