Standing in snow looking at a car park.

[badpenny]

Heading South down the North East coast of Enger-land we sought refuge in a small town in a bay on the coast.
Next morning we walked out and admired the next crop of wind turbines awaiting harvesting.

No that's not me, far too handsome!

The next thing we noticed about Redcar was that although it was a Saturday only 2/3rds of the shops were open. Those shops were Family Solicitors/Lawyers "Want a divorce or to sue someone? We'll destroy the bastards for you!". Also in the Main Street were 3 Tanning Shops, 8 Hairdressers and 4 Manicurist-Tattoo-Body Piercing Salons. It was sad to notice that even the Charity Shops were going bust. A very lively demonstration was occurring by the Clock Tower with a petition against DWP Sanctions (I approved). The population were extremely friendly and chatty, a bit orange (3 Tanning Shops remember?) but very friendly and chatty.

As we were walking around we saw evidence of somebody famous, somebody I'm sure we've all heard of ....?
I'm referring of course to Samuel Plimsoll The Inventor of Trainers The Blue Plaque claims he was inspired to do this half way up the back wall of what was once Marks & Spencer but is now a Mail Order Returns Shop - "Nothing over a Fiver".

A bit further along we espied another plaque telling us there was a pier here once. This reminded me of an article I once read Safe Clicky to slotalot's website
http://www.slotmachines.bravehost.com Which had centered on Redcar and Oliver Whales. Oliver Whales was famous for Fun City, Building & supplying a host of Penny Machines to the industry and having a Grand Daughter for Stuart to interview in Birmingham.
Understanding that the site of "Fun City" is now a a car park we stood in the snow gazing at the small car park close to the site of one of the piers. We imitated (under our breaths) the rattle-whizz of a ball bearing on a spiral track. And then we noticed another small car park a few hundred yards up, so we went there and did it again just to be sure.
In an attempt to solve the mystery of the Redcar-parks we started to enquire of the locals.
Astonishingly everyone we asked had never heard of Oliver Whales, however Stuart Dale was very familiar to them.

I predict in another 50 years someone will go to Redcar to enquire about a slot collector who turned up one day harassing the locals about some bloke called "Good Old Whats His Name" and then disappeared never to return.

BP

[bod]

Generally the folk up here in the North East are a friendly lot (I moved up from the Midlands almost 40 years ago and decided to stay) but with the recent closure of the steelworks in Redcar you were pretty lucky to find anyone at work on any day of the week. The orange colour isn't from the tanning shops, it is rust.

You mentioned that you couldn't find the old piers. That's because you weren't looking in the right place! Redcar has moved on from the old fashioned piers jutting out over the water. Any crappy seaside resort can have those... Instead, in line with new Health and Safety guidelines, Redcar has built the first pier in the country that doesn't actually go anywhere near the water. Yes folks, Redcar was thrilled to announce that it had beaten the rest of the UK to build the country's very first VERTICAL PIER. Now, to the rest of us it might just look like a small tower on the promenade across the road from the amusement arcades, but with an amount of spin normally reserved for government departments it was announced that this was in fact the first of its kind, and Redcar fully expects every other seaside resort with an ounce of self respect to follow its lead and join the latest craze for vertical piers.

I, for one, can't wait to visit the plethora of new vertical piers that I'm sure are being planned around the country at this very minute.

You can be forgiven if you didn't feel brave enough to experience this latest adrenaline rush, but I hope while you were in Redcar you were wise enough to stop by at Pacito's ice cream parlour for a lemon-top! A speciality of this short stretch of the coast from the Tees down, with no redemption available from any known God for any mortal failing to try one. If I'd known you were in Redcar on Saturday I'd have braved the blizzards to come down and buy you one - I only live in Durham, a short husky trek away at this time of year.

I hope you enjoyed your weekend up North, not sure why you found yourself in Redcar though - maybe time to buy a new satnav?

[coppinpr]

Not to be outdone by those ground breaking Northerners (I'm guessing Redcar is considered "the North", I personally shut all the car windows and lock all the car doors when I cross the Thames as I consider, as all Southerners rightly do, that the Midlands starts at Kilburn), we have now just completed the countries' longest vertical pier, in Brighton. At least I think it's a vertical pier, it's been built right next to the ruins of the old West Pier (destroyed by fire several times until the insurance finally paid up). They might be planing to lower this new thing into the water but I doubt it. They should though, because it's the most useless white elephant ever built at a sea side resort. Having cost millions you can walk into the giant saucer that surrounds it which then slowly rises to a great height allowing the passenger a terrific view of ...the empty sea in one direction or the South Downs (which are a massive two miles away) in the other. True, the sea will not be empty for long as the countries' largest wind farm will be visible in a year or so, but that's another matter. Then of course there are the many misty and foggy days we get at the South coast. On those days you will not even be able to see the ground. This is, in fact, the most pointless money loser ever built as a tourist attraction, on a day when you have nothing else to do in Brighton (that's every day after you have visited Jerry's arcade) you MIGHT pay about £10 to to go up the thing but your wouldn't do it twice unless you were really bored. It's in the un visited part of the town and will not encourage that area to get any better. It has cost millions and serves NO purpose. Come to sunny Brighton and reach for the stars...yeh right!!

[moonriver]

You forgot to mention the numerous betting shops BP, which is the primary reason the arcades (both costal and inland) have either gone or are on their knees financially.

Each bookie is really a gaming centre , each with 4 machines with 35 different games to play on each machine . Possible to gamble UP TO £100 in a single spin. Every day a new game is uploaded (remotely) and customers are offered free game contests to 'experience the game'. Programmed by the operator the new games pay disproportionately higher on free play than normal play. Open 9am until 10pm , complimentary hot and cold drinks and snacks provided.

How would traditional amusement arcades compete with that?

From 1997 until now despite much lobbying to correct the unfair advantage the bookmakers were given, plus the crippling new Gaming Commission licence fees imposed to support it, and the duty slapped on amusement with prize machines 5p play upwards they have killed the golden goose that was the amusement industry, reduced every costal arcade to operate on 2p coins and crushed the chance of re-investment in new and innovative games that used to be made for each new season. Good old Gordon Brown.

ps hands off tanning salons!

[moonriver]

Speaking of which even industry leaders Nobles have just sold out their entire estate of arcades , more than 85 sites, except Brighton ( Palace) Pier and Coral Island, Blackpool, which is perhaps an indication of how much the industry has been affected. They have decided to invest in London steak houses.

[badpenny]

Thank you all for your contributions Chaps.

We did in fact espie the spectacular vertical pier, and I thank you for clarifying what it actually is. We'd come to the conclusion it was an unraveling Helter-skelter. Or perhaps a piece of modern art demonstrating what happens if you throw a handful of toilet rolls into a gale.

Trying to be kind about it I commented to a barmaid that I was sure it'd be nice when they took the scaffolding down, only to be told that they were hoping to get the scaffold up asap in order to tack back on the curly bits around the back that came loose in the last gails ...... ooops!

As for work it is the scourge of the Gambling Classes. However you're right Redcar does have a fair few bookies. I saw one that had a better food menu than the cafe next door to it, plus it advertised 50 free spins for new customers. It's very short sighted to have bundled arcade amusements in with hard core gambling, but then again that was always the objective of past governments going back to the early 1900s.

It was interesting to notice there is a fishing fleet but no harbour. All fishermen seem to own a tractor so they can drag their boats out and keep them in a car park two roads behind. Also a cursory glance at the boats failed to find one that would pass the Boat Safety Certificate that's compulsory for me keep my narrow boat on a 4 feet deep canal/sewer yet these hardy souls head out to sea in them!

What was I doing there? What takes a slotty half way across the country on a sleety, snowy Winter day with a bundle of grubby fivers clenched in his equally grubby hand?

[pennymachines]

Reminds me of an article I read yesterday: The Rise and Fall of Amusement Arcades Huffington Post, 03/06/13

We'd come to the conclusion it was an unravelling Helter-skelter.

Now that would have been fun. The world's tallest* (and ugliest) helter skelter. Wasted opportunity!

*Oh, hang on - they're building that in tourist-starved London...

[treefrog]

Show us your treasures BP, or sell them to me

Wish I had the time to actually stop at a seaside town and ponder what was once there, I just seem to get in and get out when visiting or collecting, all too much in a rush.

[badpenny]

To be honest TF I used to be the same, if I wasn't driving I seemed to feel guilty I wasn't doing something. Then suddenly (I promise) you reach an age where you need to stop and think "Why am I here again?" or "What am I supposed to be doing?" Billy Connolly once said when you reach 50 never turn up the chance for a piss and never trust a fart, he was right! And I've found when you hit 60 you should stand still every time you actively think, not because it helps you to think clearer it's more to do with preventing yourself from stepping under a bus.