Mechanical Memories Magazine

Issue: 2009-October - Issue 38

Discount Copies of
'Pennies by the Sea'
exclusive to MMM readers!
Signed copies of
'Pennies by the Sea: The Life and Times of Joyland
Amusements, Bridlington' by Nick Laister
are available for all readers of MMM.
Pennies by the Sea is the first book to be released on the phenomenon of the
seaside amusement arcade, based around the history of what was one of
Britain's largest - Joyland Amusements in the East Yorkshire seaside resort of
Bridlington.
Written by a leading authority on the coastal amusement and tourism industry,
this authoritative and comprehensively researched book is a rags to riches tale
of how a glove seller from Sheffield market turned a collection of buildings on
Bridlington seafront into a palace of fun with slot machines, fairground rides and
amazing sideshows.
It also explores life in this most extraordinary of worlds, based on interviews with
people who worked at Joyland and other arcades in Bridlington from the 1930s
to the present day. Enter a wonderful world of long days, colourful lights and
enormous innovation, an insight into a way of life that once existed at seaside
resorts up and down the country but has now largely disappeared.
The book is available at £11.99, which is £2 off its recommended retail price. To
order a signed copy, please send a cheque for £14.98 (which includes £2.99
postage and packing) made payable to 'Joyland Books' to:
Mechanical Memories Magazine Offer
Joyland Books
Southcombe Farm
Southcombe
Chipping Norton
Oxfordshire
OX75QH
@joylandbooks.com
Page 9
First Impressions
By Stuart Dale
It was holiday time once again and this year we decided to return to the Isle of Wight,
and for me the highlight of the holiday was going to be a visit to the Arreton Barns craft
village. Yes you guessed it.. .. they have a vintage penny arcade! I have been to Arreton
Barns before and at that time they only had a handful of machines, but I had been told
that they now had a very impressive collection. Anyway, the day of the visit finally
arrived and as we made our way along the A3056 from Sandown to Arreton, I started to
imagine the type of machines I might see. As the coach turned in to the car park, I made
one final check of my camera, yes all was ok and the battery was fully charged.
We got off the coach and set off in the direction of the Dairyman's Daughter (don 't
worry .... that 's the name of the tea rooms ) and as we passed under the wooden archway I
spotted the vintage arcade to my right. As I walked through the doorway, my heart
started to sink. I looked round the arcade, which in itself was fine , but half the machines
were repro's and working on new 2p coins.

Page 10

Download Page 9: PDF File | Image

Download Page 10 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.