I remember the sense of excitement and wonder these places held for me as a kid....... My parents would give me a bag full of (old) pennies and I would spend hours in the arcades in Southend........ Sadly, my fascination has waned over the years
I miss the old fashioned wheel em in machines, the table football and air hockey tables..... also those little mechanical scenes in glass cabinets, where you put your (old) penny in a slot and turned the handle to see the scene come to life. We'll not mention the what the butler saw machines. Oh and those mechanical bagatelle machines where you pulled the trigger and sent large silver balls whirling around a metal maze trying to get them in a prize winning hole in the middle of the maze. I could go on..... but those who remember will remember and those who don't will probably think I've lost the plot.
Modern arcades are all a bit hi tech, plastic and flashy for me these days.
Super shot! The story is very bitter sweet. I enjoyed the read as we didn't have many places like this (that I knew of) and my era must have been between now and then as I could only imagine most of what you spoke of. The conclusion in the end, sadly, rang true. Wonderful job.
With you all the way. Penny one-arm bandits with real spring-loaded handles and three wheels that ground to a halt with a satisfying, ratchety clunk. Not a Hold or a Nudge in sight. Pre video-age driving games where you had to steer a Corgi car on a bit of wire over a rolling canvas road. Happy days indeed.
Brilliant shot . We always used to go to the Arcades at Southend too when we visited my Auntie in south London and we'd have a day out at the seaside. She and my Mum loved to gamble a few pennies on a wet afternoon just for a bit of fun - then we'd go for chips! That was back in the 60s. Happy times! This photo is a definitie fav - I think its great
