Alton Towers

For the eponymous Chetwynd-Talbot seat supporting this amusement park see History of Alton Towers

Alton Towers Resort

Resort Logo
Location	Alton, Staffordshire
Status	Theme Park Closed Resort Complex Open
Slogan	Escape to the Alton Towers Resort
Operating season	Theme Park March–December Accommodation Year-round Alton Towers Waterpark Year-round Alton Towers Hotel Spa Year-round Conference Centre Year-round Enchanted Forest Tree Top Quest Year-round Extraordinary Golf Year-round
Attendance	1.925 million (2015)
Area	910 acres (370 ha)
Attractions
Total	40+
Roller coasters	9
Water rides	1

Alton Towers Resort, commonly referred to as Alton Towers, is a theme park, water park, and hotel complex in Staffordshire, England. It is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group. The site opened in 1860 with flower shows and garden tours until a theme park was built on the site, opening in 1980.

The park currently operates nine roller coasters among other major attractions including Nemesis, Oblivion, Congo River Rapids, Runaway Mine Train, Hex - The Legend of the Towers, Thirteen, and The Smiler. In 2016, Air was rethemed as Galactica, as the "world's first roller coaster dedicated to virtual reality".

Alton Towers Hotel opened in 1996, it was the first onsite accommodation to be built at the resort. It was followed in 2003 by the Caribbean-themed Splash Landings Hotel with an adjoining water park. A development of woodland lodges was completed in 2015, as the Enchanted Village. The resort also includes conference facilities, crazy golf and a high ropes course.

On most days, the theme park operates between 10am and 5pm, however operating hours can change based on expected attendance. The park hosts special events throughout the year, such as concert nights, a Scarefest event for Halloween, and an end-of-season fireworks display.

History

Main article: History of Alton Towers

Entrance to Alton Towers, with the monorail behind

The Alton Towers estate was a former seat of the Earl of Shrewsbury. Following its sale in 1924 a group of local businessmen formed Alton Towers Ltd and began to restore the gardens as a tourist attraction. In the 1950s this included the operation of a fairground, and by the 1970s included a boating lake and chairlift.

After millionaire property developer John Broome married the daughter of majority shareholder Denis Bagshaw in 1973, he bought out the controlling stake in Alton Towers. Over the next few years he laid the foundation for the modern theme park by installing various permanent rides and developing areas of the grounds in progressive stages. In the 1980s Broome marketed the park by installing a major new ride every year - including Corkscrew, Pirate Ship (now The Blade), Alpine Bobsleigh, The Flume and The Black Hole.

With Broome in financial troubles having acquired the former Battersea Power Station for development as a tourist attraction, in 1990 the park was purchased by The Tussauds Group, which itself was owned by Pearson Group. The change of ownership heralded an era of sustained investment and aggressive marketing based around the US theme park model epitomised by Disneyland, involving the development of major family-oriented attractions such as Runaway Mine Train (1992), The Haunted House (1992, now Duel), Toyland Tours (1994) and Peter Rabbit and Friends On Ice (1994), alongside state-of-the-art, high-intensity rides such as Nemesis (1994, Europe's first inverted roller coaster). However, Tussauds subsequently reoriented the resort's business strategy towards the teenage market with the introduction of Oblivion (1998, a B&M Dive Coaster) and Air (2002, now Galactica, a B&M Flying Coaster), both marketed for their innovative 'World First' ride elements and restoring, to a degree, the youth credibility it had established in the 1980s. Ride designer John Wardley was behind the concepts and layouts of the major attractions in the 1990s that brought success to the themepark.

2005 saw the acquisition of Alton Towers by the investment group Dubai International Capital (DIC) when it purchased Tussauds for £800 million. The Tussauds Group was then bought by Merlin Entertainments in March 2007 for over £1billion from DIC, placing Alton Towers under their control. In July 2007, the resort and park was sold to Nick Leslau and his investment firm Prestbury who now lease the park back to Merlin Entertainments to operate on a 35-year lease.

Rides and attractions

Roller coasters

Name	Picture	Opened	Type	Status	Height Min.	Manufacturer	Park section	Notes
Galactica		2002 (2016)	Steel virtual reality flying	Operational	1.4m	Bolliger & Mabillard VR imagery created by Figment Productions.	Forbidden Valley	The world's first Bolliger & Mabillard flying roller coaster, and from 2016 onwards, the world's first virtual reality dedicated roller coaster. Formerly known as Air.
Nemesis		1994	Steel inverted	Operational	1.4m	Bolliger & Mabillard	Forbidden Valley	Europe's first inverted roller coaster. Voted 9th best roller coaster in the world in the 2013 Mitch Hawker steel coaster poll.
Oblivion		1998	Steel dive	Operational	1.4m	Bolliger & Mabillard	X-Sector	Dubbed as world's first vertical drop roller coaster yet its dive angle is not 90°, it is the world's first Dive coaster however.
Rita		2005	Steel accelerator	Operational	1.4m	Intamin	Dark Forest	A launched roller coaster involving a race car succumbing to the powers of a supernatural forest.
Runaway Mine Train		1992	Steel mine train	Operational	0.9m	Mack Rides	Katanga Canyon	A powered mine train roller coaster. The oldest roller coaster in the park following the removal of the Beastie in early 2013.
Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure		2015	Steel	Operational	0.9m	Zamperla	CBeebies Land	A new model of a children's coaster from Zamperla. Opened as part of a CBeebies Land expansion.
Spinball Whizzer		2004	Steel spinning	Operational	1.2m	Maurer Söhne	Adventure Land	A spinning roller coaster located in Adventure Land.
Thirteen		2010	Steel Family Drop	Operational	1.2m	Intamin	Dark Forest	The world's first vertical free-fall drop roller coaster.
The Smiler		2013	Steel Infinity	Operational	1.4m	Gerstlauer	X-Sector	Holds world record for most track inversions (14).
SW8		2018	Wooden	Under Development	Unknown	Great Coasters International (Rumored)	Mutiny Bay	The UK's first wooden rollercoaster in 22 years.

Ride statistics

Name	Height	Length	Top speed	Max vert. angle	Inver- sions	Trains on ride	Riders per train	Designer
Galactica**	66 ft (20 m)	2,760 ft (840 m)	47 mph (76 km/h)	40°	2	3	28 (7 rows 4)	John Wardley
Nemesis*	43 ft (13 m)	2,349 ft (716 m)	50 mph (80 km/h)	40°	4	2	32 (8 rows of 4)	John Wardley
Oblivion*	65 ft (20 m)	1,223 ft (373 m)	68 mph (109 km/h)	88.8°*	0	7	16 (2 rows of 8)	John Wardley
Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure	21.3 ft (6.5 m)	469.2 ft (143.0 m)			0	1	14 (7 rows of 2)
Rita	68.9 ft (21.0 m)	2,099.8 ft (640.0 m)	62.2 mph (100.1 km/h)	53°	0	2	20 (10 rows of 2)	Werner Stengel
Runaway Mine Train	36 ft (11 m)	1,000 ft (300 m)	22.4 mph (36.0 km/h)	29°	0	1	46 (23 rows of 2)	John Wardley
Spinball Whizzer	56 ft (17 m)	1,476 ft (450 m)	38 mph (61 km/h)	80°	0	8	4 (2 rows of 2, back to back)	Werner Stengel
The Smiler**	72 ft (22 m)	3,840 ft (1,170 m)	53 mph (85 km/h)	50°	14**	5	16 (4 rows of 4)	John Wardley
Thirteen*	65 ft (20 m)	2,480 ft (760 m)	42 mph (68 km/h)	70°	0	3	20 (10 rows 2)	John Wardley
SW8	72 ft (22 m)						24 (12 rows 2)

Key: * = record holder upon opening; ** = current record holder (January 2016)

Flat rides

Name	Picture	Type	Status	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Additional information
Enterprise		Huss Enterprise	Operational	1984	X-Sector	HUSS	A classic Huss enterprise.
The Blade		Swinging ship	Operational	1997 (1980)	Forbidden Valley	Huss Rides	A zero gravity swinging ship, themed to resemble a piece of discarded shrapnel thrown from Nemesis's pit.
Twirling Toadstool		Wave swinger	Operational	2009	Cloud Cuckoo Land	Zierer	A wave swinger for families, featuring a large toadstool.

Water/Dark rides

Name	Picture	Type	Status	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Notes
Battle Galleons		Splash Battle	Operational	2008	Mutiny Bay	Mack Rides	A Mack Splash Battle ride, allowing riders to shoot at other ride boats and guests on land with mounted water guns.
Congo River Rapids		Rapids ride	Operational	1986	Katanga Canyon	Intamin	An Intamin rapids ride around the perimeter of Katanga Canyon, interacting with the Runaway Mine Train throughout its layout. Refurbished 1992.
Duel - The Haunted House Strikes Back!		Dark ride	Operational	1992 (2003)	Gloomy Wood	Mack Rides	A dark ride through a haunted house. Rides are equipped with laser guns to shoot the scenery and gain points.
Hex - The Legend of the Towers		Walk-through/ Madhouse dark ride combination	Under Refurbishment	2000	The Towers	Vekoma	A walkthrough attraction based on the legend of the chained oak. Concludes with a Madhouse attraction in the ride's Vault area.

Children's rides

Name	Picture	Type	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Additional information
Driving School		Driving Attraction	2006	Cloud Cuckoo Land	Peugeot	A children's car driving attraction. Currently closed.
Frog Hopper		Mini drop tower	1999	Cloud Cuckoo Land	Zamperla	A mini drop tower for children.
Galloper's Carousel		Carousel	1991	Cloud Cuckoo Land	Bertazzon	A children's merry-go-round ride.
Heave Ho		Rock 'n' Tug	2008	Mutiny Bay	Zamperla	A rocking and swinging boat ride.
Marauder's Mayhem		Tea Cups Ride	1986	Mutiny Bay	Mack Rides	A tea cups ride re-themed to resemble barrels of gunpowder. Rethemed in 2008.
In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride		Boat ride	2014	CBeebies Land	Mack Rides	Boat ride taking in sights of In The Night Garden. Rethemed Riverbank Eye Spy.
Get Set Go TreeTop Adventure		powered monorail ride	2014	CBeebies Land	Premier Rides	Riders travel through the tree tops in their own vehicle above CBeebies Land.
Postman Pat's Parcel Post		Convoy Ride	2014	CBeebies Land	MSI	An interactive car ride based on the CBeebies programme Postman Pat.
Numtums Number Go-Around		Carousel style attraction	2014	CBeebies Land		A carousel style attraction featuring the Numtums.
Charlie & Lola's Moonsquirters & Greendrops		Walkthrough	2014	CBeebies Land	Merlin Ent. Studios	An indoor interactive attraction based on the CBeebies programme Charlie and Lola.
Justin's House: Pie-O-Matic Factory		Playhouse	2014	CBeebies Land	Merlin Ent. Studios	An interactive indoor play area based on the CBeebies programme Justin's House.
Nina's Science Lab		Activity Centre	2014	CBeebies Land	Merlin Ent. Studios	An indoor educational science attraction based on the CBeebies programme Nina and the Neurons.
Mr Bloom's Allotment		Gardening Area	2014	CBeebies Land	Merlin Ent. Studios	An indoor show and attraction based on the CBeebies programme Mr Bloom's Nursery.
Something Special Sensory Garden		Senses Trail	2014	CBeebies Land	Merlin Ent. Studios	An outdoor sensory garden based on the CBeebies programme Something Special.
Tree Fu Tom Training Camp		Play Area	2014	CBeebies Land	Merlin Ent. Studios	An outdoor play area based on the CBeebies programme Tree Fu Tom.
Wobble World		Play area	1993	Cloud Cuckoo Land	Tussauds Studios	An indoor bouncy castle play area, refurbished 2009. Currently closed.

Other attractions

Name	Picture	Type	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Notes
Ice Age: The 4D Experience		4D Cinema	2012	Cloud Cuckoo Land	SimEx/IWerks	4D Cinema licensed by 20th Century Fox, located in Cloud Cuckoo Land Theatre.
Haunted Hollow		Walkthrough	2007	Gloomy Wood	Tussauds Studios	Themed walk way from Gloomy Wood to Mutiny Bay
Monorail		Monorail	1987	Links entrance plaza and hotels	Von Roll Habegger	Monorail system to transport guests from the resort hotels & car parks to the theme park entrance. Trains refurbished in 2008 by AV and multimedia company, Sarner, with different themes added for each of the 8 trains, including the jellybean and daisy designs. Trains were originally used at Expo 86 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Sharkbait Reef		Sea Life Centre	2009	Mutiny Bay	Merlin Entertainments Studios	Large aquarium themed to a shipwreck that follows a similar layout to the Chessington Sea Life Centre which opened a year before at Chessington World of Adventures's Zoo
Sky Ride		Cable car	1987	Links different areas in the park	Poma	Cable car used to transport guests around the theme park giving views of the gardens. Was damaged by fire in 2007; refurbished in 2009; damaged again by fire 21 July 2009; Rebuilt for the 2010 season.
The Gardens		Garden	1860	The Towers		Large Garden located within the valley with structures located around.

Past rides

Past roller coasters

Attraction	Opened	Closed	Relocation
Corkscrew	1980	2008	Display feature at theme park entrance (decommissioned)
Black Hole	1983	2005	Furuvik Zoo, Sweden since 2011
Thunder Looper	1990	1996	Hopi Hari, Brazil since 1999
The Beast	1988	1997	Salitre Magico, Colombia since 2010
The Beastie	1983	2010	SBNO during 2011 and 2012 then removed.
Alton Mouse	1988	1991	Idlewild and SoakZone, Pennsylvania, United States since 1993
4 Man Bob Coaster	1985	1991	Last operated at Loudon Castle, Scotland, UK in 2011
Mini Apple Coaster	1982	1997	Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, England, UK since 1998

Main Past Attractions

Attraction	Opened	Closed
Around The World in 80 Days	1981	1993
Doom & Sons	1981	1991
The Flume	1981	2015
Toyland Tours	1994	2005
The Haunted House	1992	2002 Now Duel
Submission	2001	2013
Dynamo	1993	2003
Aquarium (Unrelated to Sharkbait Reef aquarium)	1974	1994
Boneshaker Formerly Energizer	1995	2003, SBNO until 2004
Ripsaw	1997	2015
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride	2006	2015, currently SBNO
Nemesis: Sub-Terra	2012	2015, currently SBNO

Other notable past rides

3

Alton Towers Theme Park

The Alton Towers Theme Park is divided into ten themed areas: Towers Street, Mutiny Bay, Katanga Canyon, Gloomy Wood, Forbidden Valley, Dark Forest, Cloud Cuckoo Land, X-Sector, Adventure Land and CBeebies Land. The theme park is also home to the historic Towers and Gardens. The SkyRide cable car system travels between Towers Street, Forbidden Valley and Cloud Cuckoo Land and takes in views of the gardens.

The park's maximum capacity at any one time is set at 28,000 guests. According to the TEA attendance report, the park was estimated to have attracted 1,925,000 people in 2015, a 25% decrease on 2014's figure of 2,575,000. The park has cited The Smiler's crash in June as the main reason for the park's large decrease. The decrease demoted Alton Towers to Britain's 2nd most visited theme park after Legoland Windsor and the 12th most visited theme park in Europe. In 2014 it was Britain's most visited theme park and the 9th most visited theme park in Europe. The launch of the Thirteen rollercoaster saw the theme park attract 3 million admissions in the 2010 season.

Timeline of park areas

1980	1981	1984	1986	1990	1992	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2008	2009	2010	2014
Ingestre Centre		Aqualand			Katanga Canyon
					Merrie England							Mutiny Bay
Springfield Centre		Fantasy World								X-Sector
Talbot Centre		Festival Park									UG Land			Dark Forest
	Talbot Street				Land of Make Believe				Cred Street				Cloud Cuckoo Land
			Towers Street
			Kiddies Kingdom					Adventure Land
								Storybook Land							CBeebies Land
				Britannia Farm	Safeway Farm		Old MacDonalds Farmyard
				Thunder Valley		Forbidden Valley
					Gloomy Wood

Gallery

• 
  Towers Street
  View of The Towers
• 
  Mutiny Bay
• 
  Katanga Canyon
• 
  Gloomy Wood
  Exterior of Duel
• 
  Dark Forest
• 
  Cloud Cuckoo Land
  Galloper's Carousel and Twirling Toadstool
• 
  Forbidden Valley
  Nemesis theming
• 
  X-Sector
  Enterprise and Oblivion
• 
  Adventure Land
  Spinball Whizzer roller-coaster

Towers Street

Opened in 1986, Towers Street is the first area that visitors to the park encounter. Themed loosely as a town street, it leads to views of the gardens and the Towers across the lake in the distance. Along the pathway are the park's jumping frog fountains and a lawn where seasonal events take place. The first SkyRide station is located nearby, which is a 1048 m long cable car transport that opened 1987, and was refurbished 2009. The monorail moves guests from the three on-site hotels and the water park to the theme park; it opened 1987 and was refurbished in 2008. In this area during the hour before the park's daily closure, departing guests are entertained by three people wearing police costumes, two of them riding Segway-like vehicles which play party music and the third standing with an old-fashioned megaphone that is unused, and a man riding a miniature ship while dressed as a sea captain.

Katanga Canyon

Themed as an African village; created in 1992 and incorporated existing rapids ride. Rides include the roller coaster Runaway Mine Train and Congo River Rapids. Both are well-established rides in the park whose ride tracks share a tunnel. Congo River Rapids is a river rapids ride that opened 1986, as The Grand Canyon Rapids, and was refurbished in 1992. A 735 m long wild river rapids ride down the Congo River that lasts six minutes. Despite the gentle nature of this ride in comparison to a log flume, riders still may receive a soaking since other guests are offered the use of pressurised water jets aimed at the ride at the price of £1.00 for ten shots. Runaway Mine Train is a steel sit down powered coaster that reaches a speed of 22 mph (36 km/h) on a 1000 ft long track (305 m) and height of 36 ft (11 m); height limit 90 cm. Opened in 1992 by Mack Rides, it was designed by John Wardley.

Gloomy Wood

Gloomy Wood is a small, haunted house themed area containing the ride Duel - The Haunted House Strikes Back!. The ride was originally a standard ghost train ride named The Haunted House from 1992–2002. However, the ride was upgraded in 2003 with laser-based plastic guns fitted to shoot LED lights scattered around the ride in order to deactivate scares. Each player's shooting score is recorded a digital display in the ride car to encourage competitive play.

In 2007, a path cutting through the woods was added to Gloomy Wood, named Haunted Hollow. The pathway follows part of the route formerly used by the old scenic railway, linking from Mutiny Bay to Gloomy Wood. Haunted Hollow includes tombstones, statues and other features, some of which interact with guests using sound effects.

In July 2015, Nitrogenie opened and replaced the old Waffles and Ices. It is a new way of making ice cream using liquid nitrogen. It is located outside the entrance to Duel.

Forbidden Valley

Theming and signs in Forbidden Valley

Forbidden Valley is set in a frightening post-apocalyptic landscape, with large rocks and rusty pieces of metal and machinery scattering the area with waterfalls coloured red to look like blood. A SkyRide station also serves this area of the park, and there is The Edge: Video Arcade.

One of the major rides is Nemesis; designed by John Wardley and opened in 1994. Nemesis is a steel inverted coaster that reaches a speed of 50 mph (81 km) with four inversions (corkscrew, zero g-roll, loop, barrel roll). Nemesis is regarded as one of the most well-designed roller coasters in the world in roller coaster polls. It features an ancient, malevolent, alien creature which was incorporated into a different ride: Nemesis: Sub-Terra – an indoor drop tower that opened 2012 and closed in 2015.

Once in the area, and continuing the apocalyptic theme, was the Ripsaw flat ride. Ripsaw was a Huss Top Spin ride with a water element which opened in 1997, resembling a piece of shrapnel supposedly thrown from the alien creature's pit. It was removed in the 2015 winter closed season. The Blade is an older Huss Pirate Boat featuring a pendulum blade. It opened in 1980, and was relocated to the area in 1997 from Fantasy World.

Galactica is a flying coaster from B&M that opened in 2002, originally known as Air. Air was themed around an oasis and was sponsored by Cadbury's Heroes until 2007. Air was re-themed as Galactica for 2016, and the surrounding oasis was rethemed to a futuristic area, alongside the ride. To create an immersive experience for riders, those who choose to go on the ride will wear a Virtual Reality headset which will give the illusion of riders travelling though space by displaying a virtual environment in the headsets which will be perfectly synced to the existing movements of the ride as it completes its course. A new coffee shop "Coffee Lounge" opened up in the area for March 2016.

In May 2016, the 'Rollercoaster Restaurant' opened, offering a new dining experience where guests have their food delivered by roller coaster track. The restaurant is open daily from 10am - 10pm. It is available to guests without theme park admission after the park has closed.

Adventure Land

Adventure Land is a small family area featuring Spinball Whizzer; based on a pinball machine in which the car is the ball whizzing around the machine. The ride was previously known as Sonic Spinball until the name change in 2016 when a contract ended with SEGA after 5 years. The ride is a Maurer Söhne spinning roller coaster, in which riders sit in cars that can spin on their base whilst travelling at speed around the track.

X-Sector

View of Oblivion

X-Sector is themed as a sinister government experiment facility, which is controlled by the "Ministry Of Joy". The area has an Orwellian undertone and features elements of psychosis.

The area contains three thrill rides, two of which hold world records. The steel sit down dive coaster Oblivion which was manufactured by bolliger & mabillard, opened in 1998 as the world's first roller coaster with a vertical (88.8°) drop. The extra-wide cars are held suspended over the vertical edge for three seconds before plunging into darkness, playing on the fear of being forgotten. It was designed by John Wardley, as was the second roller coaster in the area, The Smiler. The Smiler is a Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster which opened in May 2013 and holds the world record for most inversions on a roller coaster (14 inversions). Enterprise is a standard HUSS Enterprise model which opened in 1984, spinning riders 360 degrees and giving the illusion of defying gravity.

Previous rides in X-Sector include The Black Hole, which was a Jet Star 2 coaster enclosed in a tent and was replaced by The Smiler. Energizer (also known as Boneshaker) was a swinging gondola flat ride and replaced by Submission, a Chance Double Inverter which was itself dismantled in early 2014.

Mutiny Bay

Mutiny Bay's pirates

Mutiny Bay is a pirate-themed land, which re-themed Merrie England in 2008, is aimed at families.

Attractions in Mutiny Bay include: Battle Galleons, a large interactive "Battle Galleons" water ride where guests sit in pirate boats that travel through a water channel, while soaking other riders with water cannons, which replaced the Splash Karts. Also in the area is the rocking boat ride, Heave Ho. The teacups ride was re-themed to become Marauders Mayhem, where rotating gunbarrels replaced the tea cups. The Flume was a log flume ride that opened in 1981 and rethemed in 2004 to bath tubs. At one point it was the longest flume ride in the world at 886 m. But, in February 2016, Alton Towers announced that The Flume would not reopen, with its last day of operation being Saturday 10 October 2015.

In 2009, a new Sea Life Centre, Sharkbait Reef, opened in the location previously home to the 3-D Cinema. This includes designated "touch pools" for interacting with underwater species and a 10-metre ocean tunnel. The attraction is one of the most heavily themed Sea Life Centres to open worldwide. In April 2010, a live webcam was installed to allow internet users to watch one of the tanks, which can be accessed via the official website.

Cloud Cuckoo Land

Driving School attraction in Cloud Cuckoo Land

Cloud Cuckoo Land is aimed at the younger audience of Alton Towers, and is themed with bright colours incorporating oversized flowers and toadstools, as if in a fantasy garden. There are shows at the theatre, and as of 2012 the Cloud Cuckoo Land Theatre is the home of Ice Age: The 4-D Experience. There are rides in the area especially suited for children such as Frog Hopper, Galloper's Carousel and a Wave Swinger ride called the Twirling Toadstool originally located in UG Land. A SkyRide station is located nearby, which was refurbished for the 2010 season.

Other attractions in the area, which are currently closed include an indoor bouncy castle play area called Wobble World, The Alton Towers Driving School gives children the opportunity to ride their own miniature electric cars around a British style road network. There is also Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride, based on the Roald Dahl novel. The dark boat ride opened in 2006, and is an 11-minute fantasy journey that replaced Toyland Tours, which in turn replaced the original boat ride Around the World in Eighty Days.

Dark Forest

The Dark Forest opened in March 2010; replacing UG Land which opened in 1999. Dark Forest is themed as a supernatural area of woodland that has been disturbed by recent excavation of an ancient burial ground. Among the three main attractions are Crypt Games. The new ride for 2010 was unveiled as TH13TEEN, a steel sit down partly indoor coaster themed as a haunted crypt. It features the world's first freefall drop on a roller coaster, and a drop into total darkness. The ride replaced the Corkscrew; the park's original roller coaster. Along with Thirteen's opening, the surrounding land was rethemed into the Dark Forest with refurbished outlets and game stalls to fit the theme. Rita, an existing roller coaster, was also altered, with new station and train designs to look 'engulfed' by the supernatural forest. Rita is a hydraulically launched steel sit-down coaster that reaches a top speed of 62 mph (100 km).

CBeebies Land

Main article: CBeebies: CBeebies Land

CBeebies Land is based on the BBC children's TV channel: CBeebies. The area is the newest addition to the Theme Park and opened on 24 May 2014. The area includes rides, shows and interactive experiences based on programmes from CBeebies, including In the Night Garden and Postman Pat. Attractions in the area are: In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride, Postman Pat's Parcel Post, Get Set Go Treetop Adventure, Something Special Sensory Garden, Nina's Science Lab, Numtums Number Go-Around, Charlie & Lola's Moonsquirters and Greendrops, Justin's House: Pie-O-Matic Factory, Mr Bloom's Allotment and Tree Fu Tom Training Camp. Shows at the Big Fun Show Time stage include: Mike the Knight, The ZingZillas and Nina and the Neurons. Octonauts Roller Coaster Adventure opened in 2015 and is now the park's children's roller coaster after the departure of The Beastie.

The Towers and Gardens

Main article: History of Alton Towers § Stately home and gardens

The Towers

Main historic house

The Towers are the ruins of Alton Towers stately home and are the source of the park's name. They belonged to the Talbot family as a stately home until 1924 and largely designed by Augustus Pugin, also noted for his work on the Palace of Westminster. The Towers are now in a state of disrepair following decades of neglect. The ruins are open to the public during most of the open season. However, some areas are closed off as part of a £1.1 million project in place to restore the oldest parts of the Towers. Key areas of The Towers include the banqueting hall, the chapel, conservatories, and Her Ladyship's Gardens.

Hex – The Legend of the Towers, a walk-through dark ride based within the ruins themselves, opened in 2000. The finale to the ride is a Vekoma Madhouse located away from the real Towers but themed as a secret vault. The storyline is based on a local legend about the chained oak tree, located in a nearby forest, and makes use of the history of the Towers. It draws its theme from the legend of the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury who was said to be cursed by a beggar woman to suffer death every time a branch falls from an old oak tree.

During the park's Halloween 'Scarefest' event a temporary scare maze, Terror of the Towers, operates within The Towers and has done yearly since 2002. It takes guests through a tour of the ruins and uses live actors, lighting, mist and sound effects to add atmosphere. The attraction won the 2009 London Screamie Awards for 'Best Seasonal Attraction/Maze'.

The Gardens

Gardens created by the eccentric 15th Earl of Shrewsbury

Near the garden entrance is a cenotaph to the 15th Earl, a marble bust with an inscription reading "He made the desert smile". Landmarks include a Chinese Pagoda Fountain, The Swiss Cottage, Miniature 'Stonehenge', a Greek Choragic Monument, and orangeries.

Alton Towers Waterpark

Main article: Alton Towers Waterpark

Alton Towers Waterpark

The Alton Towers Waterpark, formerly known as Cariba Creek, opened alongside the Splash Landings Hotel in 2003. It is a large, part indoor and part outdoor waterpark themed as a tropical Caribbean lagoon. The waterpark features several fast slides, a lazy river, a giant tipping bucket and many other water features. Also located here are two food & drink venues: Adventures Cave and Ice Cream Shack. Unlike Chessington Zoo at the also Merlin operated Chessington World of Adventures Resort, a separate ticket is needed for Waterpark access as it is not included with the theme park entrance price.

Attractions include Lagoona Bay, which is the main tropical pool, with water cannons, geysers and waterfalls. The Little Leak is a paddling pool for young children with two small slides and interactive pipes to play with, while Wacky Waterworks Treehouse is a wooden 'treehouse' with water cannons, and other interactive features to squirt passing people with.

The largest ride in the area is the water coaster The Master Blaster, with uphill sections similar to the Master Blaster at Sandcastle Water Park, Blackpool and Nucleus at Water World, Stoke-on-Trent. The Master Blaster is a high speed water flume that contains sharp turns, drops and dark sections, and has a view of the entire waterpark.

Other rides include Rush & Rampage, twin racing slides where riders experience wide turns. This attraction requires rubber rings. Lazy River (Calypso Creek) is a slow-moving water circuit, taking riders underneath spraying water jets and tipping buckets of water. Rubber rings are available. The Tipping Bucketis a very large container is filled with 1000 litres of water and then intermittingly tips its contents over people standing below. Flash Floods is tiered outdoor pools with two slides leading to the middle pool and three leading to the bottom. Other swimming pools include Volcanic Springs, and indoor heated hot pool, and Bubbly Wubbly Pool, an outdoor heated pool & whirlpool.

Resort accommodation

The fountain at the entrance to Alton Towers Hotel

Alton Towers Hotel

The Alton Towers Hotel opened on 10 April 1996 and is themed to the eccentric fictional character Sir Algenon Alton and his travels. The rooms are decorated in a quirky English style with pictures of Sir Algenon's inventions. The hotel is four star and has 180 rooms. The hotel was the first phase in a plan to turn the theme park into a multi-day resort.

The Alton Towers Hotel is currently undergoing a phased refurbishment to theme each floor to a different setting. So far, the plan has produced the Moon Voyage Bedrooms.

Splash Landings Hotel

The Splash Landings Hotel is the newer of the two hotels, which opened in 2003. The hotel has a relaxed Caribbean theme and is attached to the Alton Towers Waterpark. It is also four star and it has 216 rooms with a choice of six room types, Family of 4 'Beachcomber' room, Family of 6 'Beachcomber' room, The Ice Age Suites, The Pirate Suites, Interconnected Family of 4 'Beachcomber' room and, Interconnected Family of 3 'Beachcomber' Room. The interconnected rooms are all on the ground floor and the family of 3 rooms are also disabled accessible. The rooms are numbered in the ranges of 1101 to 1159, 1201 to 1259, 1301 to 1359 and, 1401 to 1459, there are a few room numbers that are not used due to the shape of the hotel, these are 27, 29, 31, 33 and 35 on each floor

Enchanted Village

The Enchanted Village is made up of 120 lodges and 5 secluded treehouses set in the fictional Enchanted Forest woodland. Situated next to the Alton Towers hotel, it features new recreational activities, such as various playgrounds for children and an archery range, which is available to use at no extra cost. The site is also home to "The Crooked Spoon" restaurant, and also an additional shop which sells alcohol and outdoor activity toys.

The Enchanted Village opened to the public on 18 April 2015.

CBeebies Land Hotel

On July 27, 2016, Alton Towers announced the addition of a 76-room extension to the Alton Towers Hotel themed to CBeebies characters. There will be 42 standard rooms themed to the CBeebies Bugbies and another 34 premium rooms themed to different CBeebies shows, such as Something Special and Swashbuckle. The rooms will feature many child-friendly features, such as steps up to the sink and children's toilet seats. Within the hotel, there will be CBeebies-themed shows and entertainment which run every day of the year. The hotel is set for a Summer 2017 opening.

Recreation

Alton Towers Spa

Alton Towers Spa is part of the Alton Towers Hotel and opened in 2004. It includes relaxation and treatment rooms and an adults only swimming pool.

Extraordinary Golf

Opened in 2007, the Extraordinary Golf mini-golf attraction is themed to different rides and attractions at the park, some of which, are from the park's history. Extraordinary Golf is located to the west of the Splash Landings Hotel.

Enchanted Forest Treetop Quest

Opened May 2015, the Enchanted Forest Treetop Quest is a high ropes course near the Enchanted Village. The attraction opened shortly after, and accompanies the Enchanted Village development. There is also a low ropes course.

Future developments

In July 2009, the Alton Towers Resort outlined a 10-year development plan for the park (2010–2019), the aim being to increase visitor numbers, in particular multi-day guests. The plan showed an option for a third hotel or new accommodation of some sort over the coming years. This was later revealed to be a log cabin development, The Enchanted Village. The plan also highlighted areas for development, as well as suggesting the possibility of a new park entrance nearer to the hotels, which could act as a second entrance or replacement to the existing one in Towers Street.

In April 2015, the Alton Towers Resort submitted an application for a new restaurant in the Forbidden Valley area of the park. The proposed catering location will be similar to the FoodLoop restaurant at Germany's Europa-Park The new restaurant will be located in an extension to the Air Shop building.

In August 2015, Alton Towers submitted a planning application for the construction of a third hotel next to the Alton Towers Spa. Although the plans are an altered version of the originally submitted extension to the Alton Towers Hotel, the plans indicate that the development is an entirely separate hotel. The plans show four floors, including a new restaurant, bar, entertainment area, and sunken garden landscaping. This was later confirmed to be the new CBeebies Land Hotel in July 2016.

For the 2016 season, Alton Towers have announced a reduced operating calendar. On some weeks during term time, the park will close on Tuesday and Wednesday. Additionally, the fireworks event will now take place over two days, instead of three.

In April 2016, Alton Towers submitted a screening opinion request to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. The request came attached with a layout of a roller coaster to be situated on the site of The Flume, with a new Smokehouse restaurant occupying the old station building of the ride. Furthermore, banners were erected around the site advertising 'SW8', and a ground breaking new ride experience.

Towers Loving Care

Towers Loving Care is a scheme that Alton Towers are running from 2016-2018. The program includes upgrades to rides, re-painting, relaying paths, removal of rides and new themed music. The 2015-2016 winter season saw various developments, including partial track and station re-painting of Nemesis, significant upgrades to the Dark Forest area, and the introduction of new music across areas of the theme park.

To coincide with the scheme, the resort launched a Twitter account which showcases daily images of what occurrences have taken place under the project.

Secret Weapon developments

Alton Towers has established a tradition of giving code names to future major attractions, using the letters SW, followed by a number. As the SW stands for "Secret Weapon", these rides are known as the park's "Secret Weapons".

The convention was briefly dropped while the park (and its parent Tussaud's Group) was owned by Dubai International Capital, before being reinstated on its incorporation to the Merlin group. As the only major coaster built in this era, 2005's 'Rita' is not included in the Secret Weapon series.

The Secret Weapon rides are:

Code Name	Ride	Opened	Operating Status
SW1 & SW2	SW1 was a pipeline roller coaster roller coaster intended to be located on the Nemesis site and was originally going to be themed around a secret military facility. John Wardley rode the prototype of SW1 but stated "it was very slow and rather boring". And that it was very energy inefficient which meant that for a given lift height it couldn't go very far and due to height restrictions for roller coasters in the park the project was scrapped. The project was then revived as SW2, and to fix the problem of the lift height they decided to dig into the ground to create a canyon for the roller coaster to be built in. But Arrow Dynamics were having problems with the prototype, and Wardley decided that it was still too slow and boring, so it was scrapped and development on SW3 (Nemesis) was started.	N/A	N/A
SW3	Nemesis	1994	Operating
SW4	Oblivion	1998	Operating
SW5	Galactica (opened as Air)	2002	Operating
SW6	TH13TEEN	2010	Operating
SW7	The Smiler	2013	Operating
SW8	SW8 is a proposed wooden roller coaster situated on the site of The Flume. Plans for SW8 were added to the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council website in April 2016.	2018	Under Development

Events

Prior to the main open season, Alton Towers usually holds the February Half-Term event. For the event the Alton Towers theme park has opened with selected rides. However, the event has been cancelled for 2016; with the exception of Sharkbait Reef which will be open for Pirate and Princess Week held at the hotels. Cook and Line, from the Swashbuckle program on CBeebies, will provide entertainment for the event.

Scarefest

Scarefest is the resort's largest annual event. It celebrates Halloween with a number of temporary scare maze attractions, costumed characters and extended opening hours. Rides and areas are lit with coloured lighting at night, with rides continuing to operate after dusk. The Scarefest event has been running since 2007, although the park started celebrating Halloween with decoration several years before and has operated the Terror of the Towers scaremaze since 2002.

Season(s) active	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
12	Terror of the Towers					Terror of the Towers
2					Room13
3						Field of a 1000 Screams
4							The Boilerhouse
4									Carnival of Screams
3											The Sanctuary
1														The Haunting of Molly Crowe
2														Sub Species
1															Altonville Mine Tours

  – Previous Scarefest attraction.   – Current Scarefest attraction.

Seasonal Scarefest attractions as of 2016

• Terror of the Towers – What Lies Within, the signature maze situated inside the Towers themselves, first introduced in 2002. A new format was introduced in the 2009 Scarefest event, along with the new tagline "What Lies Within" replacing "Bloodfest Banquet". Visitors queue outside in Her Ladyship's Gardens, and the attraction itself starts in the derelict Conservatories. Batches of guests watch a short video showing two men exploring the Towers for ghosts. The video then cuts short, and guests enter the Towers to find the men. At certain points in the maze, the bodies of the two men are each seen hanging from a noose. Visitors become lost in the lengthy corridors and themed scenes in the Towers, with live actors pursuing them in every room. The finale to the attraction is a maze-like walkway that winds around actors in cages, with strobe effects.
• Altonville Mine Tours: Uncover the Legend of the Skin Snatchers, the brand new for 2016, live action horror maze, set in the baron town of Altonville. A family of inbred hillbillies are outcast due to their hideous disfigurement and warped way of life. Through desperation they begin capturing townsfolk, before removing their skin and stitching it into their own in a hope that this may finally give them the beauty they so desire.
• Sub Species: The End Games, a live action horror maze returning in 2016, which will push the boundaries of Scarefest’s mazes with multiple routes. A post-apocalyptic, sewer dwelling community have been infested by a species from another world. In order to survive, they appease the creature’s hunger by sacrificing innocent people from the surface. However, over time, insanity has twisted the feeding ritual into a sick contest. Your demise is now their entertainment. Let the death race begin!
• Dark Apocalypse Scare Zone, a scare zone which was first introduced for the 2015 event and returning in 2016. A deadly virus has spread across Forbidden Valley. The infected show signs of highly aggressive behavior and rapid physical decomposition. Phalanx control has quarantined the area however, a recent security breach has questioned their ability to contain the virus and keep society safe.
• Freak Show Scare Zone, A travelling side-show of circus rejects has descended upon the Alton Towers Resort. Dare you walk amongst the freakishly fascinating misfits, desperate for your undivided attention? This scare zone is new for the 2016 event.
• House of Monsters, a family interactive maze, new for 2016. This attraction is set in the Wobble World building. An online Vlogger has turned into somewhat of a modern-day Monster hunter after his investigations have led him to believe that fictitious monsters actually exist and live in a Haunted House. He hasn’t the nerves to go alone so has asked his online followers to join him on a daring mission to the supposedly abandoned house. Will you join him on the mission, what will you find? Will you discover that Monsters have a good side too?

Past seasonal Scarefest attractions

• Terror of the Towers. The first incarnation of this long-running annual scare maze was introduced in 2002, and was located in the Towers ruins themselves. Many scenes from the original maze are still used. Visitors walked through the long, winding corridors of the Towers, through themed scenes while being pursued by live actors. The finale featured a winding pathway around actors behind fences, who lunged towards visitors, accompanied with heavy strobe effects. For 2003 it was restructured and given the tagline and theme "Bloodfest Banquet".
• "TH13TEEN: After Dark" has an enhanced queue line for Alton Towers' newest roller coaster, using fog and lighting effects as well as live actors. This attraction did not return for 2012.
• Terror of the Towers – Bloodfest Banquet was a new version of the Terror of the Towers scare maze, running from 2003 to 2008. It retained much of the original version, but featured new scenes that included scripted dialogue from the several characters, and a new storyline was added. The strobe maze finale was moved to another point in the maze and replaced by a new ending, in which visitors become trapped in a small room with cages on every side, as actors reach for them through the metal bars for almost a minute. Every year, Terror of the Towers kept changing slightly with revised scenes and new scares. However, for the 2009 Scarefest event, Terror of the Towers was once again completely rethought, with the tagline "What Lies Within". The new incarnation drops the scripted scenes and characters; meaning it is similar to the original Terror of Towers of 2002. The whole layout for the maze was also reversed, with what was previously the entrance becoming the exit.
• Room 13 was first introduced in 2006 and was located in the conference room of the Alton Towers Hotel. It was only available to guests of the hotel, who were led around the maze as many live actors appeared to scare them. Room 13 had positive reviews and returned in 2007, but was replaced by The Boiler House in 2008.
• Field of 1000 Screams was first introduced in the 2007 Scarefest event and was the first maze at Alton Towers not situated inside a pre-existing building. The Field was located entirely outdoors in a moderately sized field of maize, which had to be planted especially for the event several months earlier. It purported to be a fictional village called Altonville that had become overrun by zombies. Visitors walked down a long pathway cut through the corn, and encountered characters and scares along the way, before the finale took place. The Field of 1000 Screams did not return for the 2010 event.
• Haunted Hollow Live was first seen in 2007 and consisted of several sinister, costumed actors performing along the Haunted Hollow walkway in Gloomy Wood. The attraction was similar to Duel Live, which was introduced the year later. Haunted Hollow Live returned for the 2008 Scarefest event, but was cancelled for 2009.
• Duel Live was first introduced in the 2008 Scarefest event. Throughout this period, the park's haunted house dark ride, Duel, became host to this attraction, which included live actors situated around the ride circuit. Duel was available to ride normally until 12 pm, when the laser guns and LED targets were switched and the actors took their positions. This was changed in 2009, when Duel Live took place throughout the whole day and many more actors than the previous year were present. Duel Live was aimed at the family audience, and included such features as new music playing throughout the ride (instead of the usual Duel theme music), as well as a butler or maid who would welcome you inside the house. The attraction was changed slightly for the 2010 season and featured the park's Scarefest mascots.
• Skelvin's Haunted Adventure was a newer version of Duel Live, introduced in 2010, and took over Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back! throughout Scarefest. As in previous years, the attraction included live actors situated at different points around the ride. The laser guns and LED targets were switched off during this time. The ride featured the Scarefest mascots, notably the character of "Skelvin".
• The Boiler House was a scare maze first introduced in 2008, and was situated next to the Alton Towers Hotel. Originally, the scare maze was set in an abandoned industrial facility and featured live actors in make up. This was changed in 2009, when a new storyline was added. The scare maze later featured the fictional "Hamble Twins" serial killers hiding in the industrial building, and visitors have to escape them as they are chased through the scenes. Visitors queued outside, past a van labelled "Alton News 24", from which television screens play news reports on the activity of the serial killers. Guests then walk through a covered walkway, which hides the marquee that the maze is contained in from view. Once inside, a man appears and warns guests about the dangers of coming inside. The murderers then appear and kill him, before chasing visitors away. Each of the Twins are played by two different actors wearing the same grotesque, latex mask. They appear at different points in the maze, creating the illusion that one character is in several places at once. Dim lighting and scent effects are heavily used. For the 2011 Scarefest, The Boiler House moved along with the Carnival of Screams to the X Sector, where they both shared the old Black Hole tent. After three years it did not return for the 2012 season.
• Carnival of Screams was a scare maze that debuted for the 2010 Scarefest event. During its debut it shared the same temporary building as the Boiler House. John Wardley contributed to the development of Carnival of Screams, which was entered through a large clown face with horrific features. For 2011 it and the Boiler House were relocated to the X-Sector area. The maze is a mixture of humor and serious scares, and the music used is the former Toy Land Tours attraction theme music warped for dramatic effect. From 2012 onwards, the attraction was situated opposite the hospitality suite, with the exit inside the Goal Striker unit. In 2013 and its final incarnation, the maze gained a theatrical ending involving a knife thrower.
• The Sanctuary was new for the 2012 Scarefest event and returned in 2013 and 2014. The attraction was set in a research facility operated by "The Ministry of Joy". Alton Towers released the following description at the time: "Lost your Smile? Then check yourself in for a refreshing check up at The Sanctuary. After being closed for new patients for almost 50 years The Sanctuary, The Ministry of Joy’s earliest establishment, is now holding important trials searching for ‘Advocates’ for its 2013 project." It was revealed to be part of marketing for The Smiler roller coaster, which opened in 2013.
• Scary Tales Scare Zone was a walk through scare zone that ran for the 2014 event. The attraction setting revolved around fairy tale stories that were rewritten in a nightmarish manner.
• The Haunting of Molly Crowe, a multi-sensory maze set in the Towers ruins. The maze was based on the old and abandoned house of Molly Crowe, who was last seen engulfed in flames in the cellar of her house, emitting a scream of non human origin. This ran for the 2015 event.
• Nox:Infernus Scare Zone, a scare zone which ran for the 2015 event, set in the Dark Forest. The underworld rises again - Will you join the Cult or face the end of the world as we know it?

Fireworks

For the last days of the season, Alton Towers host firework displays, these have been running annually since the 1990s on the Great Lawns. The displays were considered disruptive by some local residents, which led to formal complaints. Two local residents decided to take the theme park to court regarding this issue. The court issued Alton Towers with a noise abatement order in October 2005 which restricted the theme park to three shows a year, previously five, with noise readings not exceeding 40 decibels outside the park. In 2006, the display was rebranded as Electric Towers, but then discontinued. However, the fireworks and laser show was reinstated in 2010 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the theme park and has returned to being an annual event.

Other events

During the closed season months Alton Towers holds regular Swashbuckling Pirate Weekends. The event entails pirate themed activities in the Splash Landings Hotel and the waterpark. The theme park's Sharkbait Reef aquarium also opens for the event.

During December, the Santa's Sleepover event takes place. Both resort hotels are decorated for the event and a pantomime takes place. The Alton Towers Theme Park also opens for Christmas with a small number of rides open as well as a Santa's Grotto. The event is largely aimed at children. In 2015, the theme park permitted entry to non-hotel guests for the first time.

Incidents

Main article: Incidents_at_European_amusement_parks § Alton_Towers

There have been several incidents. In June 2015 sixteen people were injured on a 'Smiler' ride and two needed leg amputations. The operators were fined £5M for breaking safety regulations.

Conservation Area restrictions

Alton Towers is set in a Conservation Area, which puts a restriction on the height of any ride or building development in the park. It has been agreed with the local council that no buildings should be built above the tree line and if so should be disguised to fit the landscape; this can be seen on the ride Rita, where part of the track is camouflaged to fit in with the trees.

Noise pollution is also a problem for the park due to the close proximity to the villages of Alton and Farley and the town of Cheadle. There have been several cases where Alton Towers have been taken to court over the noise levels emitted from the park and have been served noise abatement orders in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Court cases

On 3 May 2012 a couple from the local village of Farley won the rights to a full High Court trial on the amount of noise generated by the park. The couple have been in a legal battle with the park for nearly a decade, and during this period succeeded in a noise abatement order on the theme park which led to the audio from the top of the Oblivion drop being removed, and Alton Towers having to limit the amount of annual fireworks displays to only three a year.

Stephen and Suzanne Roper, who live only 100 yards from the park, say that their lives have been made a misery by the noise of the screams as well as fireworks displays and music. They launched their legal fight in 2002, but after years of wrangling, their claim for an injunction and damages was thrown out in January 2011. Judge Mr Justice Hickinbottom later overturned that decision, bringing the claim back. This now paves the way for a full court hearing. The Ropers will seek an injunction forcing the park owners to close or relocate some rides and an order forcing them to pay damages for noise suffered from 1998 to the present.

Gallery

Main gallery: Alton Towers Resort at WikiCommons

See also

• Incidents at European amusement parks
• List of theme parks in the United Kingdom

External links

• Official website
• Lost Heritage: full architectural history of the house
• "Description of Theme Areas". Archived from the original on 1 October 2009.
• 1930 film of Alton Towers
• Heraldry at Alton Towers
• Alton Towers: Before it was Famous (on themagiceye at Joyland)