FORUM

Darren Hesketh wrote a piece for issue 8 (Dec. 2006) featuring his Museum of Amusements at the Candle Workshops, Cheshire. Here are the pictures published in that issue of the magazine.

Unfortunately, I've not yet had a chance to visit Darren's collection, but if you're in the Chesire area this is well worth a visit as he has a large and varied selection of machines.

In issue 14, I featured Joe Pettit's incredible collection at the Bones Lane Antiques Centre, Battlesbridge, Essex. This is a relatively small collection, but an absolute must - particularly if you like working models. Joe has some absolute classics here!

Here are some of the pictures published in issue 14

And here's another picture published in issue 14, one of two beautifully engineered model engines Joe has at Battlesbridge, both believed to have been recased for coin-operation by Charles Ahrens.

Please click on the image to enlarge - the detail is incredible.

Stuart Dale has undertaken a grand tour of the British Isles this year, and has visited a number of vintage slot sites, including me down in Brighton and Clive Baker's arcade on Southport pier. Stuart wrote a piece on Chris Parcell's 'Old Penny Memories' in Bridlington, which appeared in issue 37. Here are the pictures, plus a couple of extras that I was unable to publish due to space limitations.

Stuart continued his grand tour of British vintage slot venues in issue 38, with a report on his visit to Arreton Barns on the Isle of White. Here are the pictures as published in the magazine. plus a couple more.

Stuart Dale wrote a piece for issue 43 on his Valentine's day visit to Darren's old-time penny arcade at the Candle Workshops. Here are the pictures, including the image on the front cover of the magazine - the fortune teller, thought to be a 1930s Coin Operating Co. machine.

Stuart Dale has been vintage penny arcade visiting again, this time the arcade at Peter Williamson's Merrivale model village, Great Yarmouth. I first featured Peter's arcade way back in issue 4, so it was good to be able to publish Stuart's report over fours years later in issue 47.
Here are the pictures as published in the magazine, including one of a large collection of kiddie rides which did not make it in the magazine due to space limitations.

Is Chris Parcell's arcade at Bridlington still open?

Hi, Chris had hoped to keep the arcade running, but he was forced to close at the end of the last season not long after I did my visit , I think that row of buildings he was in is due for redevelopment, Stuart.

Thanks for the info.
Is there a list of penny arcades or places that have old arcade machines?

If you look in the archive section on the site there's a list of locations there..

The Grabber wrote:Thanks for the info.
Is there a list of penny arcades or places that have old arcade machines?

Hi Grabber, just for the record, I sold my building at 2 Marlborough Terrace due to problems with access. It would have cost too much money to convert it to be disabled-friendly. All the collection is in storage and I hope to be back with a bigger and better venue in 2011. Look forward to seeing my old customers again. Chris Parcell.

Hi Chris, That's good news , will you be back in Brid or don't you know yet? Stuart.

Best of luck Chris - hope you find a good building soon.

Today has been a long day for me, I set off from home, London at 6am, got stopped on the M25 with a crash then carried on to Southport, Merseyside to visit Clive and Ross Baker at the arcade they run on the pier there.
It took me four hours drive and I parked next to the pier at 10am, all day parking £2.50 (in case this might help someone), anyway got breakfast in Mc Donalds, also next to the pier and walked on to the pier to find an old weighing scales advertising the penny arcade at the end of the pier.
A couple of minutes later, I walked into the arcade that was quite busy at 10.45am.
I played a few machines and had a general walk around and found Clive filling and emptying machines. He has four mutoscopes, all good reels, an Ahrens Marksmen - very good to play, Gypsie fortune teller in oak case, Ahrens Palmist, Ruffler and Walker Grand National and many other wall mounted machines. I will post some pictures soon,. I left just before 2pm and on the way out of Southport met at least ten miles of traffic trying to get into the town on country roads, got back home at 7.45pm due to lots of car crashes and road works with no one working on them. It's well worth a visit - lots of machine to play and the other half of the arcade is a cafe, so it's easy to get a coffee or a sandwich. Weather was great - full blue English summer sky, only one or two clouds, light wind and Blackpool in the distance across the bay.
Bye for now, the grabber.

slotalot wrote:Hi Chris, That's good news , will you be back in Brid or don't you know yet? Stuart.

Hi Stuart, Hope to stay in Brid., but would consider any good site in my area - will keep you posted. Chris.

The Grabber wrote:Best of luck Chris - hope you find a good building soon.

Thanks Grabber.
Chris.

After a few months rest, Stuart has been Vintage Penny Arcade visiting again. He wrote an interesting report for issue 53 about a place I had never heard of - Bygones, in Torquay, which he visited after the Coventry auction last year. It’s one of those places with lots of Victorian street scenes and period shop displays. They also have a very impressive collection of Vintage Penny Slot machines.

Here are the pictures:

Stuart’s been out and about again, this time visiting Bygone Times, in Lancashire (just up the road from Botany Bay). Like Botany Bay, Bygone Times is an old converted Mill now selling antiques and collectables – and like Botany Bay, it also has an old penny arcade!
The arcade has been run by Clive Baker for some time, but has recently been taken over by Darren Hesketh. Darren is still using some of Clive's machines, but is gradually introducing more of his own.

Here are the pictures that were published in Issue 57, plus some extras:

Stuart Dale (our regular roving vintage penny arcade reporter) gave an account in Issue 70 of one of his recent visits, this time to Weston-Super-Mare. There is a small, but very impressive collection of vintage machines to be found at the Weston-Super-Mare museum. This is another of Clive Baker’s sites, and the machine line-up includes Ahrens two-player Football, Ahrens Palmist, Laughing Sailor, American Execution working model and a very rare Chinese Crystal Gazer fortune teller. Here are the pictures: