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

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.

Puttstars Mini Golf at Hollywood Bowl Leeds

There's a Puttstars Mini Golf course at the Hollywood Bowl in Kirkstall, Leeds.

The recently refurbished Hollywood Bowl tenpin bowling centre in Kirkstall, Leeds is now home to a 9-hole Puttstars mini golf course too.

Puttstars Mini Golf in Rochdale. Visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in June 2021

The course is the second Puttstars to open in Leeds. There's also a Puttstars Mini Golf venue at The Springs retail and leisure park.

Check out the Puttstars website for more information.

Crazy Golf at Glebe Park in Bowness-on-Windermere

Playing the Crazy Golf course at Glebe Park in Bowness-on-Windermere.

We managed to have a game on the Crazy Golf course at Glebe Park in Bowness-on-Windermere during our short break in the Lake District earlier this summer.

In our round on the 9-hole Crazy Golf course Emily won with a resounding 26 to 33 scoreline.

The course became the 567th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, having previously been visited in 2012.

Check out the Glebe Park website for more information.

New Crazy Golf at Clarence Pier in Portsmouth

A new Crazy Golf course has opened at Clarence Pier in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

The Putt Hutt is an 18-hole indoor Crazy Golf layout and opened at Clarence Pier today (Saturday 5th August).

Check out The Putt Hutt website for more information.

The new course is next door to Treasure Island Adventure Golf, the first place we played crazy golf back in 2006 on what would become our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

It'll be interesting to play The Putt Hutt on our next visit to Portsmouth and Southsea.

Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf in Barry Island, Wales

A look at the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course in Barry Island, Wales.

Thanks to our friend and minigolf rival Jam Trubridge for sending us these photos of the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course in Barry Island, Wales earlier this year.

Barry Island Adventure Golf

Barry Island Adventure Golf

We played the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in August 2009. 

I last played the Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf course in May 2019.

Minigolf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

A look at the miniature golf courses at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside, Cumbria.

Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

We had a nice long weekend in the Lake District in June where we revisited some courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf and Pitch N Putt at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside is home to a Crazy Golf course and a Pitch N Putt layout.

Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

We last visited Ambleside on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in April 2012 when the location was also home to a Putting layout. That has been replaced by Croquet.

Croquet at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

The Pitch N Putt looks like a nice tricky layout and the views and location are very pleasant indeed.

Pitch N Putt at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

From the archives: The Swingers Club Mini Golf in Las Vegas

A look back at The Swingers Club Mini Golf in Las Vegas.

On the 8th of September 2011 while on our holiday in Las Vegas Emily and I visited The Swingers Club - a bar within the Plaza Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas - that was home to a 9-hole Mini Golf course!

The course was the 268th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Swingers Crazy Golf in Las Vegas

A new Swingers Crazy Golf venue is opening in Las Vegas, USA in 2024.

The new Swingers Crazy Golf location will be at MGM's Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Swingers Crazy Golf Las Vegas will be home to five Crazy Golf course spread across three floors.

Visit the Swingers Crazy Golf website for more information.

Swingers Crazy Golf began as a pop-up in London, England back in 2014 where it now has two permanent locations. You can also find Swingers Crazy Golf courses in New York City and Washington DC.

Swingers Crazy Golf in London on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit in 2019

Mini-Golf at Legoland Windsor

A new Mini-Golf course is opening at Legoland Windsor.

The 9-hole indoor Mini-Golf course will be the world's first to use Lego theming.

The attraction at Legoland is due to open in October.

Visit the Legoland Windsor website for more information about Legoland Adventure Golf.

Legoland Windsor was previously home to an outdoor crazy golf course - called 'Mole-in-One Mini Golf' - but that layout closed in 2013.

New Crazy Golf course in Towyn

A new Crazy Golf course is opening in Towyn, North Wales.

The 12-hole Crazy Golf course is located at the Old School House on Towyn Road.

The outdoor Crazy Golf course will have a castle-theme to it.

Visit the Crazy Golf Towyn Facebook Page for more information.

We've played Crazy Golf in Towyn before - sadly that course was turned into a car park a few years ago!

It'll be nice to swing by Towyn again on our next visit to the North Wales coast.

Mini-Golf plans for Hillsborough Park in Sheffield

There are plans to create a Mini-Golf course at Hillsborough Park, Sheffield.

It'll be another new location to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour if it's created.

Golf It! at Hogganfield Park in Glasgow

The new Golf It! centre in Glasgow opens today (Saturday 5th August).

The venue has been created to appeal to golfers and non-golfers alike and features three Adventure Golf courses, a variety of Pitch & Putt, putting greens, and a large driving range.

Golf It! has been created by the R&A.

Visit the Golf It! website for more information.

A Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford

Finding a Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford.

A Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford (May 2023)

While having a wander around Stafford earlier this year my eyes were drawn to this ghost sign on the front of a building on Princess Street in the town centre.

A Woolworths ghost sign in Stafford (May 2023)

The insides of the former Woolies

The old Woolworths shop location had been home to Sports Direct in more recent times

Other former Woolworths shops

It's fun seeing old & lost brands, ghost signs and retail relics. I took a look at the ghost signs on a former Woolworths store on Blackpool promenade in September 2021.

We saw a Woolworths ghost sign in Nuneaton in May 2022 too. That was a nice surprise!

Like the Blackpool store, the Nuneaton shop site had also most recently been a Poundland and a TJ Hughes.

We also saw these old Woolworths trolleys in use at Bolton Market last year!

The last Woolworths shop in the UK closed in January 2009. Every so often remnants of the brand become visible again.

We visited the Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent in September 2020. That store still had the signage in place and we'd originally spotted it while driving through the town the previous November.

We took a look at an old Woolworths store in Brunstane, Edinburgh in August 2011. That was a Big W Woolworths store at The Jewel retail park. It's long gone now.

You can however still see an old mosaic tile logo at the former Woolworths on Stamford Street Central in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.

There's a nice Woolworths ghost sign on an Art Deco building on Abington Street in Northampton.

Interestingly, there's a playable Woolworths Pick n' Mix Crazy Golf hole at the Teezers Retro Golf course in Coventry!

Minigolf book - The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing

Check out my minigolf marketing ebook - The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing.

Created after years of playing, promoting and consulting the ebook gives players, courses, federations, associations and clubs a guide to the world of marketing.

You can see the reviews, read a sample, and buy The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing from Amazon.

Glory Holes Golf in Derby

There's a Glory Holes Golf venue in Derby.

Our friend and minigolf rival Jam Trubridge sent us this photo of a sign for the - now open - Glory Holes Golf course in Derby earlier this year.

This was a sign at the adult themed crazy golf course while it was under construction in February this year

There are now Glory Holes Golf venues in Nottingham, Derby, Sheffield and Lincoln.

Happy National Watermelon Day

It's National Watermelon Day!

Today is the day for my annual excuse to post this photo of one of my all time favourite niche business shopfronts.

Logman Ltd - a business on Caledonian Road in London that specialises in watermelons

Tandy in Stockport

Finding a Tandy ghost sign thanks to The Power of Parker!

A recent post in the excellent Tandy UK (InterTAN Ltd) Facebook Group alerted me to the fact that there's a ghost sign from an old Tandy shop in Stockport. A fellow group member had spotted in the background of a scene in the new BBC comedy The Power of Parker. The show is set in Stockport in November 1990.

Tandy lives on!

The store used to be at 111 Prince's Street. It's now home to a Betfred.

The former Tandy shop in Stockport as it is today

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire back in 1996 where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names.

Over the years I've found a few more remains of the brand on the UK high street.

A RadioShack Tandy sign at a shop in Whitstable, Kent (September 2012)

It's crazy to think this Tandy signage has been hidden in (relatively) plain sight in my new hometown!

A Tandy ghost sign in Stockport

Related blog posts:

• Tandy
• Tandy in Hitchin (June 2021)
• Lost Shops - RadioShack in Saint Annes on the Sea (August 2020)
• Long Lost High Street Shops - Tandy (July 2020)
• Tandy in Hitchin (January 2019)
• RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes (June 2017)

The old Toys R Us at St James Retail Park in Northampton

A look at the old Toys R Us store at St James Retail Park in Northampton.

Earlier this year we had a short break to visit friends in Northampton and while there had another look at the old Toys R Us shop at St James Retail Park on Towcester Road.

Toys R Us at St James Retail Park in Northampton (April 2023)

We've since heard that Home Bargains are soon to move in to the premises.

Take a look at my blog post with a few more snaps of the location as it looked in June 2021.

I worked in the Gipsy Lane Toys R Us store in Luton, Bedfordshire back in the year 2000.

Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. It's interesting to see that there are still remnants of the original brand on some retail parks in the UK. 

Toys R Us returned to the UK earlier this summer, as the brand can now be found in some branches of WH Smith. We haven't been near to any of the new version stores yet. It'll be interesting to see what they're like.

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

• 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

Crazy Golf in Seahouses, Northumberland

A look at the Crazy Golf course in Seahouses, Northumberland.

Thank you to our friend and minigolf rival Jam Trubridge for these snaps of the Crazy Golf course in Seahouses, Northumberland from his visit last summer.

Crazy Golf in Seahouses, Northumbria

Crazy Golf in Seahouses, Northumbria

We played the Crazy Golf course at The Bunker on Seafield Road in Seahouses, Northumberland on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in April 2012.

Minigolf book - Tilting at Windmills: How I Tried to Stop Worrying and Love Sport

We spotted another copy of Tilting at Windmills: How I Tried to Stop Worrying and Love Sport by Andy Miller while in Kendal on our recent trip to the Lake District.

If you haven't read the book it's well worth picking up.

Tilting at Windmills: How I Tried to Stop Worrying and Love Sport

Required reading for every minigolfer!

It was the first book I read about crazy golf and one of the reasons I got into playing competitive minigolf on the UK tournament circuit. I joined the British Minigolf Association back in 2006 and made my debut in the 2007 season.

Check out Andy Miller's website for more information.

Street Golf in Paignton

There's an urban themed mini golf course in Paignton, Devon.

Many thanks to our friend and minigolf rival Jam Trubridge for letting us know about Street Golf in Paignton. It's an indoor urban themed mini golf course.

Another location for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.