Alton Towers

Alton Towers is Britain's best known theme park. It is based north of the village of Alton in Staffordshire, on the site of an old mansion by the same name.

History of gardens

Alton Towers in 1880

As an example of the Mixed Style of Humphrey Repton's gardens, Alton Towers' garden was begun, ca. 1814 by the eccentric 15th Earl of Shrewsbury, of whom J. C. Loudon (who was consulted on design features of which there were many) relates that he consulted every artist, only to avoid 'whatever an artist might recommend'. Loudon's published criticism remains history's wittiest pan of preposterous garden design since Alexander Pope.

Alton Towers grew into a collection of gardens: a Swiss Cottage, a Stonehenge, a Dutch garden, a Pagoda Fountain, said to be based on the To Ho pagoda in Canton, Lysicrates' Choragic Monument from Athens (a feature in English gardens since the 1760s), domed glasshouses (originally gilded), even a fairly large Matterhorn as a backing to one of England's earliest Alpine gardens.

The first garden gnomes were introduced at Alton Towers, in punishment for which the rides and slides of the modern Theme Park add to the eccentricity of a nobleman's fancy whose parkland, 'the work of a morbid imagination, joined to the command of unlimited resourses' (according to Loudon) is now also occupied by a hundred acres (400,000 m²) of 'sensational rides and attractions'.

Modern theme park

Alton Towers was purchased by The Tussauds Group in 1990. In 2005 It was brought up when the DIC investment group purchased The Tussauds Group. Today it is notable for its extreme rides, including Nemesis, a roller coaster in which people hang with their legs dangling down (or up as the case may be), and Oblivion, the world's first vertical drop rollercoaster. The oldest rollercoaster at the site is Corkscrew built in 1980, a ride with two inversions which many riders find uncomfortable due to its rough track. Billed as the first of its kind, Air is a rollercoaster, unusual in that finders find themselves suspended horizontally facing down, as though flying. This is known as a flying roller coaster. Inside the towers is the ride Hex, a surreal attraction which is based on a myth surrounding the towers and their history.

The latest attraction at Alton Towers is Rita - Queen of Speed, a ride themed around racing. It opened on 1 April 2005 and reaches 100 kilometres per hour in just 2.5 seconds.

Guests can stay at one of two hotels on the site. When Cariba Creek, a waterpark, was first built, only hotel residents could visit. However, non-residents can now also use the water park with payment of an admission fee [1].

Rumours are rife that a so-called "Project Dolphin" is being planned for the park, which will represent a massive investment in Alton Towers (where and when this money is being invested is currently unknown, however).

Project Dolphin is Alton Towers plan to change with the public's needs for extreme entertainment. This could involve moving into completly different relms of entertainment, from extreme golf to ice climbing which are both listed by the Towers as possibilities, along with many more. With DIC rumoured to be investing around £48 million in the towers next year, guests can possibly expect to see some vast improvements.

Due to a recent court battle with local residents, Alton Towers is starting to have problems with their end of session fireworks display. However, the towers is still fighting hard to keep them running. The court battle ended in October 2005 leaving Alton Towers with the permission to stage three of the five firework and laser displays. The park now has a noise abatement order inplace meaning that it cannot exeed 40 decibels to nearby neighbours.

Park Guide

The park is split into several themed areas. In order clockwise they are:

Towers Street

Towers Street is the first area that visitors to the park encounter, themed as a town street, which leads to views of the gardens and the tower. The street contains several shops, including the Towers Trading Co., which sells official park merchandise. Also in the area is the first Skyride station. The Skyride is a cable car system which visitors can use to reach other areas of the park.

Merrie England

An area themed around medieval England. Rides include spinning tea cups and The Flume, a log flume themed around bathtime, with riders sitting in bath tubs. Also in the area are several gaming sideshows, such as hoop-tossing and basketball hoops, in which prizes can be won. Several food outlets provide food, with the Courtyard Tavern also serving alcohol, as the park's only pub.

Katanga Canyon

Rides include the Runaway Mine Train (an electric coaster) and the Congo River Rapids. Both are classic well-established rides in the park and meet in a tunnel where the screams of the Runaway Mine Train meet the cheers of the River Rapids. The area hosts Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut stalls with a shared indoor seating area. There is a shop located at the exits of the two rides called Katanga Cargo, hosting much strange and wonderful ancient tribal themed mechandise as well as the photo stalls for the rides.

Gloomy Wood

The Gloomy Wood is a small, ghosts-and-monsters themed area home to Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back!. The ride used to be a normal haunted house ride, but in 2003 it was modified; given laser guns and a scoring system to make it more eye-catching and exciting.

Forbidden Valley

Themed around a post-apocalyptic landscape, with huge rocks and rusty chunks of metal scattering the area. One of the major rides is Nemesis, an inverted roller coaster based around a monster. At the far end of the valley is an "oasis", with calmer colours and plants, where the ride Air, a Bolliger and Mabillard flying coaster, is located. There is also Ripsaw, a top spin ride, and The Blade, a swinging-ship style ride, as well as a Skyride station. This part of the park is not viewable from most of the theme park areas. There are better views available from the monorail and the carpark.

Cred Street

Home to the BBC's Tweenies, Cred Street is aimed at the younger audience of Alton Towers. There is a wide selection of bouncy castles and ball pits in the Tweenies Play Pen, as well as ice cream shops, sweet shops and a Tweenie's Store. There are also traditional rides such as Carousels and more modern rides such as a frog hopper and a ginger bread car tour. The final Skyride station is located at the area's edge.

Toyland Tours used to be located next to Cred Street. It was recently closed for a retheme which will transform the ride into Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. Similar to Toyland Tours, the new ride will use boats and the slightly modified ride system. The extensive theme will be based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and will include a pre-show and post show. The ride is set to cost in the reigion of 2 - 4.5 Million Pounds.

The Towers

The towers are what gives the park its name, and is an ancient mansion house in which the family who owned the estate lived. Visitors can wander around a limited area of the towers, which also features a spooky maze during the Halloween period. Added for the 2000 season was Hex - the Legend of the Towers, an indoor swing ride which made use of the history of the towers, in particularly the legend of a curse which stated that whenever a branch from a specific tree fell, a member of the Earl's family would die.

There is currently a 1.1 million pound project in place to restore the oldest parts of the castle. What will happen to the space when restored is currently unknown, however new rides or tours of the castle are both possibilities.

X-Sector

A futuristically-themed area, X-Sector contains the park's innovative Oblivion ride, a rollercoaster in which riders are said to experience a 90 degree drop (actually 87.5 degrees). The extra-wide roller coaster cars are held danging over the edge for a few seconds before plunging downwards into a big hole amid mist, and then re-emerging into a heavily banked turn leading back into the station. It was the first vertical drop coaster in the world and was manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard. It's official name is a diving machine.

Also in the area are the Enterprise and Submission thrill rides, and the Black Hole rollercoaster, which features a spiral lift and is entirely indoors, in the dark. This ride closed for the 2005 season however, and is currently standing but not operating. The park is looking for a buyer for the ride.

Adventure Land

Adventure Land is aimed at visitors between five and ten, and is mainly made up of climbing frames, slides, swings and similar equipment. There are two rides: The Beastie, a small, child-friendly rollercoaster, and Spinball Whizzer, a pinball-themed spinning coaster.

Storybook Land

Storybook Land is aimed at the youngest visitors, and is themed around fairytales and other children's stories. It boasts Squirrel Nutty's Ride, a track-based ride which includes story-telling elements, and an ice show that changes every few years.

Old MacDonald's Farm

Themed around a traditional farm, this area contains a small petting zoo as well as a few rides for younger visitors, which include Doodle Doo Derby, a farm-themed carousel, and Riverbank Eye Spy, a recently rethemed boat ride.

Facts and Figures

• The monorail is from Expo 86 which was held in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• The theme park is home to the world's first vertical drop roller coaster, Oblivion, as well as Nemesis, Europe's first inverted rollercoaster and Air, one of the world's first flying rollercoasters.

Related links

• List of British Theme Parks

External links

• Official Alton Towers Website.
• Alton Towers Almanac (unofficial guide).
• Towers Times
• Alton Towers Magic
• Towers Nerd - Detailed unofficial guide with a unique approach!
• Brief garden history.
• TP:UK Unofficial Alton Towers Guide.
• UK Theme Parks Blog.