St James' Park

[RS]

could copy the old Bainbridges ufo restaurant as a blueprint for the new St James’ Park. Stilts high enough to clear the old terrace but not so high as to leave the atmosphere. 

[Cookie1892]

6 hours ago, OpenC said:

Not sure where that started, always assumed it was Grainger Street or Grainger Market but i was never sure.  Charlie's and Woody's in Alnwick were where it was at for the north Northumberland gamer of the early 21st century.

 

 

 

 

 

We always used to get games released early in there

 

If you told them HMV were selling the new fifa or medal of honour etc they would sell you it a few days early

 

Halcyon Days

[TRon]

14 hours ago, TomYam said:

I think you're both right. Eldon Square was hugely important to Newcastle and was a real shot in the arm for the local economy.

On the other hand, it could have been designed more sympathetically - particularly with regard to retaining all 3 sides of Old Eldon Square.

 

 

It was a state of the art shopping centre of it's time, and everyone loved it. So this is hindsight obviously, but newer shopping centres have roofs which allow light in which makes the experience far nicer. I haven't been there in ages, but pretty sure some of the newer sections of Eldon Square have incorporated this.

[TomYam]

33 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

It was a state of the art shopping centre of it's time, and everyone loved it. So this is hindsight obviously, but newer shopping centres have roofs which allow light in which makes the experience far nicer. I haven't been there in ages, but pretty sure some of the newer sections of Eldon Square have incorporated this.

True. Also, it's worth mentioning that if Eldon Square hadn't been built, John Hall's Metro Centre would have had a devastatingly negative impact on Newcastle's shopping scene. Not that he'd have cared, of course. 

Eldon Garden is a different matter altogether as it always seemed overkill, was never successful and - worst of all - brought about the destruction of the unique and countercultural Handyside Arcade. I have no doubt that had The Handyside lived on into the 1990s it'd have been renovated and be a magnet for the young and leftfield to this day. 🥲

 

[pinkeye]

7 minutes ago, TomYam said:

True. Also, it's worth mentioning that if Eldon Square hadn't been built, John Hall's Metro Centre would have had a devastatingly negative impact on Newcastle's shopping scene. Not that he'd have cared, of course. 

Eldon Garden is a different matter altogether as it always seemed overkill, was never successful and - worst of all - brought about the destruction of the unique and countercultural Handyside Arcade. I have no doubt that had The Handyside lived on into the 1990s it'd have been renovated and be a magnet for the young and leftfield to this day. 🥲

 

 

There is a Facebook page for people to share memories of Handyside Arcade.  As a Yoof I spent so much time mooching about in the vintage clothing shops and the record / magazine places.  

[RS]

52 minutes ago, pinkeye said:

 

There is a Facebook page for people to share memories of Handyside Arcade.  As a Yoof I spent so much time mooching about in the vintage clothing shops and the record / magazine places.  

I can smell the patchouli oil (or hippy juice as us trendy’s called it) from here!

[OpenC]

Could it be..? @Charlies

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 11 hours ago by OpenC

[Kid Icarus]

Thought exactly the same.  

Charles? Is that you? Chucky?

 

Charlie if that's you, I still don't forgive you for not letting me buy Perfect Dark just as you were closing.

[Charlies]

Just don’t hate me for selling Japanese Pokémon cards at an inflated price, ok?

[Charlies]

Used to sell “pirated” games also if I remember correctly 

[TheHoob]

10 minutes ago, Charlies said:

Just don’t hate me for selling Japanese Pokémon cards at an inflated price, ok?

 

My dad must have been livid when me and my brother decided we wanted to start collecting Japanese cards for no fathomable reason that were like a tenner a pack  let us do it as well bless him. 

 

 

Edited 10 hours ago by TheHoob

[OpenC]

Man it was such a great shop and such a great time. Japanese CD soundtracks with those pointless spine cards you had to keep

 

I was going to move this to Newcastle in general chat but it seemed a bit sombre. Makes a change for the SJP thread

 

 

Edited 10 hours ago by OpenC

[Charlies]

Used to sell the police scanners as well so you could listen to the radios  unique shop to say the least 

[OpenC]

 

I was reading about it on Reddit before, apparently there were two in the Greenmarket at some point. Don't remember that, just the classic upstairs in the corner one. But aye, it was an absolute godsend in a world dominated by fucking Electronics Boutique and capital letters Game, and seemed to inspire loads of other little places which was great

[Sima]

Charlie’s II was on the Clayton St side upstairs a few years later.  

[Colos Short and Curlies]

There used to be a decent little games shop in the Metro, corner of the red mall I think

[Holloway]

6 hours ago, pinkeye said:

 

There is a Facebook page for people to share memories of Handyside Arcade.  As a Yoof I spent so much time mooching about in the vintage clothing shops and the record / magazine places.  

spent hours in the Kard bar late 70s looking through the punk new releases, great vibe in the arcade,hairies and punk types. That was where the early editions of the Viz were sold, one of our mob had the first edition,worth quite a few quid nowadays

[bobbydazzla]

15 minutes ago, Colos Short and Curlies said:

There used to be a decent little games shop in the Metro, corner of the red mall I think

Maughan’s Micro Computers ? 

[Colos Short and Curlies]

5 minutes ago, bobbydazzla said:

Maughan’s Micro Computers ? 

thats the bad boy

[bobbydazzla]

Used to knock about with one of their kids as a youngin, had all the best computer games and also completed his Panini sticker album every season 

[Cclay]

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/slow-decline-final-demise-newcastles-23654696

[Jonas]

Whenever I see old Eldon pics I always think they could easily have made earth scenes on the original Total Recall there.