THE sights and sounds of a bygone age are delighting visitors at two Mid Cheshire attractions this summer thanks to the passion and dedication of one vintage arcade enthusiast.
Darren Hesketh, from Wigan, has spent more than 30 years restoring and preserving mechanical amusement machines dating from Victorian times through to the early 1970s.
His collections can currently be seen at Hopley House Farm Shop and visitor attraction in Wimboldsley, near Middlewich, and at the Anderton Boat Lift.
A third exhibition is also on display at the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port.
For families looking for something different during the school holidays, the exhibitions offer a chance to experience arcade entertainment as previous generations knew it.
Many of the machines still work using their original coinage. Visitors can even buy old pennies at the venues and use them to play the exhibits.
Darren, 59, is widely regarded as one of Britain's leading experts on vintage arcade machines.
In 2005 he published the acclaimed book Penny-in-the-Slot Automata and the Working Model.
Despite his expertise, he says his fascination began with simple childhood memories.
"I've always been fascinated by them," he said.
"When I was a child in the 1970s, you could still find them at the seaside and on piers and places like that.
"I'm not sure why I bought my first one. Something must have triggered those childhood memories in me."
Although he was brought up during the era of video gaming, it is the charm and craftsmanship of mechanical machines which continue to fire his imagination.
He occasionally includes a video game in his exhibitions, but most of the collection focuses on traditional mechanical amusements, including automata, and optical illusion exhibits.
"When I bought my first one, I stripped it down into bits and the restoring side went from there," he add.
"I'm self-taught, though my dad was an engineer.
"When you're an enthusiast, you're halfway there. When you want to do something, I believe you can move mountains."
Restoring the machines is a challenge he relishes.
"It wouldn't be for everybody, but I really enjoy," he said.
"Some of them have had a really hard life, so it is quite nice to see them brought back to life."
While many historic arcade machines now sit in private collections, Darren has always wanted people to enjoy his.
"I never wanted to hide mine away," he added.
"I've always wanted them to be exhibited in public and used."
Building the collection has become increasingly difficult over the years.
"I used to advertise for them in the Exchange and Mart, but they're much harder to get hold of nowadays."
Among the attractions at Hopley House are Bozo the bobbing clown, a nostalgic Noddy Puppet Show, vintage flickball machines, and traditional mechanical cranes stocked with sweets and prizes.
Visitors can also try their hand at the notoriously difficult Steer-a-Coin machine, explore a haunted house working model, enjoy a 1960s multi-player ice hockey game, and test themselves on a classic personality tester.
For Darren, preserving the machines is about more than collecting antiques.
Every restored exhibit offers visitors the chance to experience a piece of Britain's leisure history and enjoy the simple pleasures that entertained generations before the digital age.
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