New Art Deco style architecture in Hunstanton

Edgewater Apartments in Hunstanton, Norfolk have been created in a nice Art Deco style.

We're big fans of Art Deco style, design and architecture, so it was nice to see the new building on the seafront while visiting Sunny Hunny.

Signs of the coronavirus pandemic times

On this day in 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.

Six years ago already. Blimey.

Later that month - on the 23rd March 2020 - the UK effectively ceased 'normal operations' as the country was put into lockdown.

Once we were allowed out photographed as much Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic and Social Distancing signage and notices as we could to document the times.

A Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council coronavirus sign in Cheadle Hulme, England in April 2020. The first covid sign I photographed and posted on social media

There was certainly a real variety of warnings, instructions and directional signage to do with social distancing.

Covid-19 signs at The Happy Shopper on Page Hall Road in Sheffield, England in October 2020

I documented a number of aspects of the coronavirus pandemic on my blog and social media while it was taking place.

A 'Social Distancing World Champion' floor decal in Chesterfield, England in August 2020

As a marketing and communications professional, one of my areas of interest was the huge variety of official & unofficial warnings, instructions and directional signage there was around covid and social distancing.

Escalator Social Distancing stickers at an M&S in Chesterfield, England in August 2020

You can view over 1,800 of the signs at the links below:

• Covid-19 signs 1
• Covid-19 signs 2
• Covid-19 signs 3
• Covid-19 signs 4
• Covid-19 signs 5
• Covid-19 signs 6
• Covid-19 signs 7
• Covid-19 signs 8
• Covid-19 signs 9
• Covid-19 signs 10
• Covid-19 signs 11
• Covid-19 signs 12
• Covid-19 signs 13
• Covid-19 signs 14
• Covid-19 signs 15
• Covid-19 signs 16
• Covid-19 signs 17
• Covid-19 signs 18

It's still possible to see Covid-19 Coronavirus signage as 'ghost signs' today and I reckon the remnants of the pandemic will be visible for many years to come.

Social distancing at an abandoned Blockbuster Video store (itself a remnant of another era) in Manchester, England in June 2020

Related blog posts:

• Signs of the coronavirus pandemic times
• Minigolf in the time of Coronavirus

A video shop shopfront

Spotting a 'video shop' in Watford.

I spotted this nice shop sign for GTV TV & Video on St Albans Road in Watford, Hertfordshire on my recent visit to the town.

I wonder how many TVs and VCRs get rented out in 2025?

TGJones in Stockport

TGJones is now open in Stockport.

The rebrand of the former WHSmith shop in Stockport has taken place.

TGJones has opened its store in the Merseyway shopping centre in Stockport, Greater Manchester.

The new TGJones in Stockport town centre is now also home to a Toys R Us!

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 earlier this year WHSmith shops have been undergoing a rebrand to the new name of TGJones.

As the shop in the Merseyway looked when it was still a WHSmith in July this year

WHSmith on the high street, and travel stores.

There were around 500 high street WHSmith shops, and another 580 travel stores in the UK. The WHSmith shops at railway stations, service stations and airports etc. are not affected by the rebrand as they were not part of the sale.

Toys R Us at TGJones and WHSmith.

As well being inside the rebranded TGJones shops, the relaunched Toys R Us brand can be found in sections of some travel hub WHSmith stores.

Toys R Us returned to the UK shopping scene with an online presence in 2022 and with concessions opening inside some WH Smith shops in 2023. There are currently 95 Toys R Us stores open nationwide.

The shelves were still being filled on my visit

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.

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.

Find out more.

Visit the TGJones, Toys R Us and WHSmith websites for more information on the brands and their locations.

Related blog posts:

• TGJones
• Toys R Us
• WHSmith
• Retail
• Stockport
• Merseyway

Links:

• TGJones
• Toys R Us
• WHSmith
• Merseyway

The Oasis Beach Pool Pyramid in Bedford

Did you know there's a pyramid in Bedford?

I didn't until fairly recently! Crazy really as we lived in Bedfordshire for many years, and visited Bedford quite often.

A look at the Oasis Beach Pool Pyramid in Bedford.

The Oasis Beach Pool in Bedford opened in 1991. The site is currently up for sale with Bedford Borough Council offering a long leasehold basis for leisure use, with all activities at the venue ceasing from the 3rd November 2025.

Not one but two pyramids there.

There are actually two pyramids on the site, with a smaller second pyramid home to Camrider Motorcycle Training Bedford.

If you look a little further between the two pyramids you can see the Tesco Extra store is also topped with a pyramid!

More lesser-known UK pyramids.

Check out this thread on Twitter/X from the Twentieth Century Society for more examples of lesser-known pyramids in the UK.

Pyramid hunting.

I enjoy seeing and discovering different and interesting examples of architecture. And living in Stockport we have a myriad of intriguing buildings. Most notable of which is possibly the Stockport Pyramid! It's a striking sight and clearly seen by thousands of people passing by on the M60 and railway lines each day. The Stockport Pyramid is 37m tall. And, by some reckonings, is the 16th tallest pyramid in the world!

How tall is the Bedford Pyramid?

I'd be interested in finding out how tall the Oasis Beach Pool Pyramid in Bedford is, and how it compares in size to the Stockport Pyramid.

Links:

• Bedford Borough Council
• Oasis Beach Pool at Better Leisure
• Camrider Motorcycle Training Bedford

Related blog posts:

• Pyramid
• Pyramids
• Bedford
• Architecture

The Watford Pyramid

A look at the pyramid in Watford town centre.

Watford Pyramid was built in 1985 and was designed by Arthurell and Kirkland Architects to be home to a Blockbuster Video store!

The front of the pyramid (or should that be pyramids?)

The shop - located at 161-165 High Street, Watford - is now home to a Cotswold Outdoor store.

A view from the side

More lesser-known UK pyramids.

Check out this thread on Twitter/X from the Twentieth Century Society for more examples of lesser-known pyramids in the UK.

The other side of the pyramid

Pyramid hunting.

I enjoy seeing and discovering different and interesting examples of architecture. And living in Stockport we have a myriad of intriguing buildings. Most notable of which is possibly the Stockport Pyramid! It's a striking sight and clearly seen by thousands of people passing by on the M60 and railway lines each day.

The rear of the Watford pyramid

The Watford Pyramid was doubly interesting to me as it was a) a pyramid, and b) a former Blockbuster Video store - another area of study of mine.

How tall is the Watford Pyramid?

I'd be interested in finding out how tall the Watford Pyramid is, and how it compares in size to the Stockport Pyramid.

Links:

• Arthurell and Kirkland Architects
• Cotswold Outdoor Watford
• Twentieth Century Society

Related blog posts:

• Pyramid
• Pyramids
• Watford
• Architecture
• Blockbuster Video

Happy Shopper shops

Looking back at our visits to Happy Shopper shops since 2020.

We felt very nostalgic during the coronavirus pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.

Emily's first job was at a Happy Shopper in Ipswich and I remember seeing the Happy Shopper shops and branded products a lot when I was growing up in Oxfordshire back in the 1980's and 1990's.

We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.

The Happy Shopper branding was changed in the year 2000 and I think it lost a lot of its charm and individuality. Many of the former Happy Shopper shops have since been rebranded as Premier shops. Including this one we visited in Sittingbourne, Kent back in 2022.

This Happy Shopper shop in Sittingbourne has since rebranded to Premier

Visiting a fully branded Happy Shopper shop is like stepping back in time

Since spotting the old shop in Preston we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more.

The most recent Happy Shopper shop we visited was S & A Singh on Sydney Street in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. There are still a few others in London and the south of England we need to get to.

Here's a list of posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:

• Preston
• Sheffield (Sharrow Lane)
• Sheffield (Page Hall Road)
• Ilkeston
• Hitchin
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Ashwellthorpe
• Ormesby St Margaret
• Lowestoft (2011)
• Lowestoft (2021)
• Wisbech
• Sittingbourne
• Burton-on-Trent 1
• Burton-on-Trent 2

You can view my YouTube Playlist of Happy Shopper shop videos here.

Abandoned Crazy Golf in Victoria Park, Glasgow

A look back at a derelict minigolf course at Victoria Park in Glasgow, Scotland.

We visited Glasgow back in May 2009 and one of the courses we found there was this abandoned 18-hole outdoor Crazy Golf course in Victoria Park.

Even 16 years on it's still one of the strangest courses we've seen on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The course was in a distinctive amphitheatre layout and is laid out in a fair bit of space.

Looking for further information about the course doesn't reveal too much more information. It was built in the 1970's but has been derelict since the 1980's!

The approach to the course area

A view from the back of the course

We wonder if any readers have memories of the course being open, and perhaps playing it?