Dreamland Margate
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| Dreamland Margate | |
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| Dreamland shortly before its closure in 2005 | |
| Location | Margate, Kent, England |
| Owner | The Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company |
| Opened | 1920 |
| Closed | 2005 |
| Previous names | Bembom Brothers White Knuckle Theme Park |
| Operating season | currently closed |
| Rides | 1 total |
Dreamland Margate is an amusement park located in Margate, Kent, England. It is currently owned by Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company (MTCRC) and is closed to the public. MTCRC along with The Dreamland Trust are currently redeveloping the site as the world's first amusement park of historic rides; the centrepiece of which is the Scenic Railway; the oldest roller coaster in the UK and a Grade II Listed Structure[1].
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[edit] History
In the late 1800s, the Dreamland site was owned by a Mr George Sanger and was home to the 'Hall By The Sea' indoor attraction and gardens. In 1880 small amusement rides were installed on the site and in 1893 a large skating rink was built. Sanger passed away in 1911 and the site was purchased from his estate in 1919 by John Henry Iles.
Iles renamed the site to Dreamland and initiated work on the construction of the Scenic Railway in 1919; and also bought other rides common to the time to the park including a smaller roller coaster, the Joy Wheel, Miniature Railway, The Whip and the River Caves. A ballroom was constructed on the site of the Skating Rink in 1920 and in 1923 Iles built his Variety Cinema on the site. Iles built a replacement cinema near to the entrance to Dreamland in 1934, called the Dreamland Cinema which stands to this day[2].
In the 1970s the park was expanded when the gardens were removed and in 1981 the site was purchased by the Bembom Brothers. The Bembom Brothers owned several other amusement parks in Europe and renamed the site Bembom Brothers White Knuckle Theme Park[3]. This name change lasted until 1990, when it was reverted to Dreamland[4]. The Bembom Brothers sold the site to Mr Jimmy Godden who had previously operated Rotunda Amusement Park at Folkestone and Ramsgate Pleasure Park at Ramsgate.
Dreamland was closed to the public in 2005 and all of the rides apart from the Scenic Railway were removed from the site. The Scenic Railway had been granted Grade-II listed status in 2002 along with Dreamland Cinema. Part of the Scenic Railway was destroyed by fire after an arson attack on April 7 2008[5].
[edit] Future
The Scenic Railway forms the focus of the rejuvenation of Dreamland as an amusement park of historic rides as overseen by the Dreamland Trust. This will see the Scenic Railway repaired and restored and new trains built or acquired. On 16 November 2009, the Dreamland Trust was awarded a grant by the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport to restore the Scenic Railway and to develop the former Dreamland site as necessary for rejuvination[6]. Some historic rides from other parks have already been donated to the Dreamland Trust for installation at Dreamland, including the Junior Whip which stood at Pleasure Beach Blackpool, Blackpool, UK
[edit] In popular culture
Dreamland was the subject of a 1953 documentary film, O Dreamland. It was also visited by characters in the 1989 Christmas special of BBC Television sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. Some of the rides seen in the sitcom can now be found renamed and repainted at Loudoun Castle Theme Park in Scotland. It was also the filming location for the 2007 film Exodus. This park featured prominently in the 2000 film Last Resort, about a young Russian immigrant seeking asylum in England.
[edit] References
- ^ "Oldest rollercoaster given listed status". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1853517.stm. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
- ^ The Prince's Regeneration Trust: Dreamland, Margate Conservation Statement
- ^ 1989 Bembom Brothers White Knuckle Theme Park Flyer. Archived Copy
- ^ 1990 Dreamland White Knuckle Theme Park Flyer. Archived Copy
- ^ "Dreamland rollercoaster blaze 'probably started deliberately'". Kent Messenger. 2008-04-07. http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kol08/article/default.asp?article_id=39861. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
- ^ http://www.savedreamland.co.uk/|accessdate=2009-11-11
[edit] External links
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