I was utterly fascinated by 360° cameras the very first time I discovered them around 10 years ago. Of course many people are attracted to them for their video capabilities and the fact that you can just shoot and then frame it to the view you want afterwards in post production. Whilst this was also a major factor in my love affair with this type of camera I was also attracted to the concept of taking a photograph and being able to get any angle I want after the fact. What do I mean by that? Take a look at the three photographs below.

Believe it or not those 3 photographs are actually the same shot and that’s what fascinates me with this type of camera – endless possibilities. Of course in the early days when the techology was new the image quality was pretty diabolical to be honest and only really useful for social media where people don’t really pixel-peep. The other way you can use these cameras is by uploading an equirectangular image (that’s how it actually shoots) and then people can ‘mouse around’ the view interactively but that became a bit of a fad and not many social media platforms support it although Facebook does.

As the technology matured the image quality got better and better and now finally, with the Insta360 X5, I think it’s amazing and I could easily use the shots professionally. The previous X4 was great but low light was an issue which has now been improved in the latest iteration of the camera.

With all of that in mind I took the camera for it’s first photography test to a disused petrol station on the A43 in Northamptonshire, England. Having checked Ordinance Survey maps I spotted a public footpath running along the back side of it so we could get to on foot easily from the marina, a 20 minute or so walk.

I also decided to film the whole vlog using the same camera to see how the video quality held up too – you can judge that for yourselves by watching the full video at the bottom of this blog post. I would say pay close attention to the indoor footage – I was quite shocked at how the camera handled low light as that has always been the problem with consumer grade 360 cameras.

I actually discovered the disused petrol station by accident a few years back when I spotted it from my drone whilst shooting some video of the marina. We’ve often heard noise coming from that direction and a few nights ago I could hear a drum kit and curiosity got the better of me so I threw up the drone to take a look and low and behold there was a band practising on the forecourt! That was the first real look I got of the site so I just had to take a closer look hence this post and associated vlog.

So what’s the story behind the petrol station?

With the A43 Blisworth Bypass in Northampton approved in 1985, plans were soon drawn up for a new dual-sided service area at the northern end of the route. The bypass officially opened on the 21st May 1991, and a southbound filling station was eventually built and opened in late 1994 as a Fina site. By summer 1996, no northbound side had materialised and no restaurant or hotel had been added to the southbound site despite planning consent still being available and despite an additional entrance being provided next to the southbound forecourt.

OK Diner submitted plans to add one of their diners to the southbound site in July 1986. The landowner also proposed adding a 50-bed hotel in 1997, as well as a restaurant and lorry park, but none of these were ever added. Despite the threat of closure, the forecourt continued to trade on well into the new millennium, with the site becoming a Total filling station in 1999 following their merger with Fina.

Land adjacent to the site was later being sold for a potential restaurant development in Summer 2003, but by early 2004 the site had closed and its slip roads blocked off. The building still remains as of 2025, but is in a horrifically dire condition, surrounded by litter and debris from constant fly-tipping.

Take a look at the photographs and video below and perhaps even subscribe to my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorvlogger