The Def Guide to Zzap!64

Ever wondered what the old Newsfield offices look like today? Then you're very sad - get a life!

Seriously, I went to the Ludlow food and drink festival yesterday, and took a few pics...



The King Street offices. I was never there - I joined after Newsfield had moved to Case Mill - but I believe the reason for the move was that expansion demanded an extra fire escape, and the Ludlow Civic Society objected as it would block the view of the church.



Case Mill, looking a little tatty these days. As you can see, it's still a vet's. Or at least some of it is - I believe more than one company rents office space here now.



Another shot of Case Mill, this time from Temeside. Back in the day, the windows were full of Crash and Zzap! posters.

Excellent!
Thanx very much!
Have you talked to Roger & co, or 'the mayor'?

_________________
Once again I emerge from beneath a massive pile of paper which makes my desk groan to bring you the world’s most amazing posts.

Damn Rob, he stole our exclusive about trips to all the ex Zzap offices!!

p.s. Ian, can I nick those photos for displaying on the site somewhere?

Sure - feel free. I'll take a look at what I have in my photo album sometime and see if I have anything more contemporary for you too.

I didn't see Roger or Oli, but I chatted briefly to Graeme Kidd. I met Carl Rowley too - remember him? He was on the Nintendo mags and was production manager for a while, but I believe he did the odd review or comment for Zzap!

Yes! He was a Zzap! reviewer for one issue 83 I think. What is Carl doing now?

Working for Graeme, funnily enough. He's customer services manager for The Ludlow Sausage Company (http://www.theludlowsausage.co.uk), and also designs web sites for Graeme's other business, Townscape(http://www.townscape.co.uk).

Now, here, I'm thinking, "Ah, that's probably one of those painfully clever names for a creative-design firm" when, in fact... it is a sausage company!

_________________
Waiting patiently (vainly) for the Def Guide to CU Amiga...

Graeme Kidd - The Sausage King of Ludlow!

_________________
Contributor to Def Tribute to ZZAP!
Compilation64 - http://compilation64.zzap64.co.uk/
Crazy about the C64? - www.lemon64.com
Amiga Anguish? - www.lemonamiga.com

I got that issue 1 when I went back to collect my stuff the day after it all went pear shaped for Newsfield (Part 1), saw it and liberated it. A fair trade as I found out afterwards that my Lynx game Blue Lightning was still in my drawer at work so I never got that back. Pity, I liked that game.

Saw a Super Nintendo but decided that was a bit harder to liberate!

Somewhat off topic but my Lynx still works as well! Ahead of its time it was. We used to play multi player Lynx in the lunch break when we weren't playing Kick Off 2 or trying to complete Lemmings. Playing multi player Lynx Slime World really showed who your friends are. On a final poignant note, when it all went wrong at Newsfield, me, Phil and Stu went to Phil's house and played one last multi player game of Slime World before the parting of the ways. I probably won.......?.....

Funnily enough, my little lad likes playing Slime World now. The Circle is Complete......

Nice to see the PSP has a similar battery life to my Lynx. Near 15 years on and we still can't get decent battery lives for colour hand helds!?!

_________________
Robin 'Pig in a Poke' Hogg
Ex ZZAP!

oooops. Wrong forum!!!!!!!!!! That email above should have been in the Ebay Issue 1 message thread.


To make amends, the Case Mill site looks a bit sad, paint peeling and all.
I can't believe Victoria Wine is still there, thought they had gone under.

I remember staying late one night at the original offices above V. Wine and someone must have locked up and forgot about me. I went to go and set the burglar alarm off! I nipped down to Roger's home, popped a note through the door apologising and went home. Worried me as it wasn't long after I started

I still worked some late nights anyway after that, probably out of love for the job more than anything.

_________________
Robin 'Pig in a Poke' Hogg
Ex ZZAP!

The Lynx was a great machine alright, and was still the most advanced handheld until the Gameboy Advance, more than 10 years later!! The GameBoy Colour was probably on a par with the Lynx. The short battery life and the size probably didn't help its sales. Oh and of course since it was being marketed by Atari...

Hi Robin - long time, no see

Case Mill's just not the same without our Oli Frey posters in the windows either.

Remember the magazine room we were all in at the end of Newsfield, with the fire escape bolted shut? If ever there was a fire, we'd have melted.

I've never been to Ludlow but that first photo makes me want to - what a fantastic looking place! Gotta love the the overhang of that building on the right of the photo. Makes a nice change from the usual faceless rows of buildings we're used to in British towns these days!

_________________
Kick Monkey Ass at the Mean Machines Archive! - http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk

Hi Ian,

I don't recall doors getting welded shut in the last days of Newsfield. What a way to go though. Was that incident after Newsfield got going again when Europress bought them out (if it was Europress). I had gone by then.

So many memories lost as old age creeps up on me!!!?!!

_________________
Robin 'Pig in a Poke' Hogg
Ex ZZAP!

It was definitely Newsfield. I remember you making a wisecrack about it at the time. It was my first day on the job, which is probably why it stuck in my mind.