Lost Blockbuster Video store in Prescot, Merseyside

A look at the old Blockbuster Video store in Prescot, Merseyside.

The former Blockbuster Video shop on Church Street in Prescot is now Partyworld, but the old QuikDrop box is still in place with visible branding.

Another 7 years late fee

If you look closely you can also see that the original Blockbuster sign is underneath the Partyworld sign.

Another Lost Blockbuster. It's good to see the Partyworld shop trading in its place though

Can you see the blue and yellow branding?

The old and the new - we didn't know Prescot had links to Shakespeare before our trip there. The crane is part of the building work of the new Shakespeare North Playhouse

Quite a sight to see a Blockbuster Video QuikDrop box AND social distancing measures in the same place!

I wonder how many letters get posted in the QuikDrop box by mistake

QuikDrop

Retail archaeology

It's always nice to see remnants of old brands and ghost signs when they are hidden in plain sight.

Since we found the remains of Blockbuster Video near us in Fallowfield, Manchester we've been looking to see if there are any other former branches still showing signs of the brand. We've found a Blockbuster Video Express in Colne, as well as remnants in Cheadle Hulme and Marple.

The second narrowest street in England

Finding the second narrowest street in England.

You can find Stone Street off Eccleston Street in Prescot town centre

We always enjoy finding odd, obscure and interesting things on our travels and while in Prescot, Merseyside we checked out a number of the plaques to find out more about the people and places in the town.

Stone Street is only 28 inches wide

We hadn't expected to find the second narrowest street in England there though. What a claim to fame.

The street isn't wide enough to socially distance on

Other narrow streets

The narrowest street in Britain is Parliament Street in Exeter, Devon which measures 25 inches at its narrowest.

The narrowest street in the world is Spreuerhofstraße in Reutlingen, Germany. That street measures just 12.2 inches at its narrowest!

Other narrow things

While on holiday in Scotland in 2014 we visited the Isle of Cumbrae and the seaside town of Millport where we stumbled upon The Wedge - the world's narrowest house at 47 inches wide.

I've also been to The Piece of Cheese Cottage in Hastings. That dwelling lays claim to being the only three-sided cottage in England and the second smallest cottage in the country.

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?

Carpet Golf by Turner Research (1970)

From the Crazy Golf Museum's board game shelf - Carpet Golf by Turner Research (1970).

Have you played this game before?

Do you have a favourite miniature golf board game?

New Adventure Golf course planned for Lower Hyde Holiday Park

There are plans for a new Adventure Golf course to be built at Lower Hyde Holiday Park in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.

Visit the Lower Hyde Holiday Park website for more information about the Parkdean site.

We've enjoyed our visits to the Isle of Wight on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and look forward to returning. There are a number of other new minigolf, crazy golf, grass putting and adventure golf courses on the island we're yet to play.

Parkdean Resorts operate 67 holiday parks in the UK, a number of which are home to miniature golf courses.

We visited the Crazy Golf course at Parkdean's Looe Bay Holiday Park in St Martins, Cornwall on our tour of the South West of England in June 2015.

A colourful Crazy Golf course

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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.

Lane7 opening in Leicester

A new Lane7 indoor bowling, minigolf and street food venue is opening at Leicester Central Station.

Lane7 will be opening a new venue in Leicester city centre in October.

The site at Leicester Central Station will be home to tenpin bowling, indoor crazy golf, arcade games, street food and more.

Visit the Lane7 website for more information.

We've been to Lane7 in Newcastle upon Tyne and played the crazy golf course there. We were last there a year ago yesterday!

We're looking forward to checking out the new Lane7 venue in Leicester on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

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Louis Tussauds House of Wax in Great Yarmouth

A look back at Louis Tussauds House of Wax in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

In all of my travels around the UK one of my biggest regrets is that I never visited Louis Tussauds House of Wax in Great Yarmouth.

The closest I ever got to going inside

It was the World's Worst Wax Museum!

Look at those star attractions. Bear in mind this photo was taken in June 2011

We've been to the Norfolk seaside resort a number of times over the years but either ran out of time to go in, or found it to be closed or out-of-season.

Sadly Louis Tussauds House of Wax permanently closed in 2012.

Did you ever visit? I'd love to know if it really was as bad as people say.

Orpheum Mini-Golf in Memphis, Tennessee

A look at the pop-up minigolf course at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Lion King

Many thanks to our friend, team-mate and minigolf rival Jon Drexler for sending us some photos from his visit to play the new pop-up minigolf course set up at the Orpheum theatre in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Memphis The Musical

Orpheum Mini-Golf is a 9-hole socially distanced Broadway-themed course and is set-up on the stage of the theatre.

The view from the stage

It's a nice use of the theatre space during the pandemic and a way to connect with old and new audiences.

What a place to play some minigolf

The Orpheum Mini-Golf course opened this month and is open Thursday to Sunday. The 'show' runs until 15th November.

Hamilton

We love seeing miniature golf course pop-ups and unique layouts. The Orpheum Mini-Golf course certainly ticks those boxes. I really like the look of the Hamilton hole above.

Les Misérables

The green on Les Misérables

Memphis the Musical

Wicked

The Phantom of the Opera

The Colour Purple

Chicago

Fiddler on the Roof

Visit the Orpheum Mini-Golf website for more information, opening times, booking details and prices.

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Crazy Golf at Thornton Abbey Maze

There's a new Crazy Golf course at Thornton Abbey Maize Maze in Lincolnshire.

This year the maize maze layout at the farm is golf-themed!

Visit the Thornton Abbey Maze website for more information.

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Identifying the stars of The Windmill Theatre in Great Yarmouth

A look at the stars of The Windmill Theatre in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

We replayed the Crazy Golf course at The Windmill Theatre in Great Yarmouth back in 2011.

Grazy Golf!

One of the holes added since our first play of the course in 2007 was the Stars of the Windmill hole, which features a Wall of Fame showing all the stars that at one time or another performed at the Windmill Theatre.

How many stars can you identify?

Here are the answers

The Crazy Golf course at The Windmill Theatre in Great Yarmouth was one of the first indoor minigolf courses to open in the UK.

Outside the course in 2011

The number of indoor minigolf courses has boomed in the last decade. When we first visited The Windmill Theatre course in 2007 there was one other indoor minigolf course in the UK. That one is also still there and can be found at Manning's Amusements in Felixstowe, Suffolk  

Visit The Windmill Theatre Adventure Golf's Facebook Page for more information.

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Jubilee Films video shop in Ashton-under-Lyne

A look at the Jubilee Films video shop in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Video, DVD and Laser Disks!

While doing some grocery shopping in Ashton-under-Lyne we took a look at the old Jubilee Films video shop on Old Street.

Jubilee Films closed its doors in 2013, the same year as Blockbuster

 

I wonder how many Laser Disks (sic) were still being rented or sold before the shop closed its doors for the final time?

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.