70-626: Nickelodeon Land is the current children's park in Pleasure Beach Resort , England. It opened on May 4, 2011 and is in the place of Beaver Creek which closed on September 5, 2010 after Amanda Thompson announced that the Pleasure Beach would be working with Nickelodeon to open a new and modern children's theme park. Retheme of the previous 'Bradley Beaver's Pirate Ship Ride' Pleasure Beach Resort Pleasure Beach Resort , formerly known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach ,
140-399: A telephone mast to be placed at the top of the tower. This contract allowed the company to have their mast on the tower for 20 years, meaning that the "Polo Tower" could not be taken down until the contract expired. Frontierland began to close in 1998, after 92 years of operation. The demolition of the park was due to take three seasons to complete, with the back of the park going first. As
210-461: A Swedish Match Company. However, after Bean's death, the couple returned to Blackpool, where decisions regarding the future running of the Pleasure Beach were in discussion. Leonard up until that point had not had any active involvement with the Pleasure Beach whatsoever, however on a mutual agreement with his wife, it was agreed that Thompson would take over the running of the Pleasure Beach and have full responsibility for all its affairs. His first move
280-543: A boating pool was built for boat rides. This was Bean's final investment before he died of pneumonia in 1929, having spent 33 years shaping and developing what would become one of the most significant amusement parks in the world. Following his death, his only daughter Lillian-Doris inherited the Pleasure Beach business. Lillian-Doris Bean married Leonard Thompson, an Oxford Natural Sciences graduate and businessman in 1928. The Thompsons lived in London where Leonard worked at
350-543: A contract with Viacom , owners of the American-based Nickelodeon brand to open Nickelodeon Land , a 4-acre area situated within the main park. Nickelodeon Land was a £10 million redevelopment of the parks' previous children's area Beaver Creek which closed in 2010. Notable changes include a complete retheme of the Rollercoaster which reopened under the new alias Nickelodeon Streak and
420-478: A director of the park for over 15 years, took over the whole Pleasure Beach business. Nicholas Thompson became the deputy managing director and Fiona Giljé (née Thompson), a fundamental architect, became a senior company director. Amanda had previously risen to prominence as the founder and president of Stageworks Worldwide Productions , which produced numerous stage shows at both the Pleasure Beach and international venues. Like her father and grandmother, Amanda
490-577: A failure with the rides braking system. Twenty-one were taken to hospital. On 11 August 2009, two trains on The Big Dipper carrying a total of 32 guests collided, resulting in 21 people requiring treatment for injuries ranging from whiplash and broken noses to cut and bruises. On 14 June 2011, a train on The Big One stopped abruptly, causing a few minor injuries to the occupants. One person was reportedly taken to hospital suffering from whiplash. On 24 October 2014, 58-year-old Robert Sycamore accompanied his 13-year-old nephew on The Grand National coaster. When
560-455: A first drop of 205 ft (62 m) and the longest roller coaster in Europe, with a track length of 5,497 ft (1,675 m). The park was the first in Europe to introduce a fully inverting steel coaster, Revolution and is the last remaining park in the world to still operate a Steeplechase roller coaster. The Grand National is one of only five Möbius loop coasters still operating (and
630-403: A giant pile of rubble. The park's entrance was sealed off using construction fences and the park remained in this state until 2007. In 2007, the back section of the park became home to three outlet units which had been constructed by Morrisons supermarket. The outlets opened in 2008 and have remained open since. The construction of the outlets meant the removal of the trees which once surrounded
700-517: A profit for several years. This move coincided with the closure of Pleasure Beach's Log Flume, Drench Falls and resulted in the introduction of Infusion , the park's first new roller coaster in 13 years. Infusion was relocated from Pleasureland, where it had operated under the name of Traumatizer since 1999, and was built on the site of the Log Flume. In 2011, the Thompson family signed
770-427: A ride vehicle on the 'Space Invader' roller-coaster. He was reported to have possibly panicked on the dark ride and unfastened his seatbelt. Following an investigation, police were confident that the death was accidental. The ride closed in 2008 and has since relocated to Brean Leisure Park , operating from 2011 as Astro Storm . On 31 August 2000, 23 people were injured, when two trains collided on The Big One due to
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#1732780577704840-516: A water cannon capable of shooting water up to 100 feet into the air. A 12-hole course situated on the former Flagstaff Gardens on the promenade. Opened in 2008. A museum of oddities built across two floors and based on Ripley's Believe It Or Not . Situated along Ocean Boulevard. Interactive horror maze, situated towards the north end of Ocean Boulevard, adjacent to the entrance to Pleasure Beach. Opened in June 1998. A large ice rink situated towards
910-495: A £12 million hypercoaster . One ride which had stood at Blackpool for over ten years was in the way of these plans. With the construction of the Big One due to start in late 1992, the "Space Tower" was designated for removal. So, in 1993 Frontierland received the "Space Tower", a 150-foot (46 m) gyro tower . The ride was initially going to be placed at the back of the park but with the sponsorship from Polo Mints secured,
980-417: Is a second Moroccan-themed function room named The Attic . The basement area of the building is taken up by another licensed bar named The Horror Bar and an interactive horror maze named Pasaje del Terror . Outside The Casino building towards the left of the main entrance is a second theatre named The Globe . The main park can be accessed via a number of turnstiles, each staffed by a security ambassador at
1050-594: Is an amusement park situated on Blackpool's South Shore , in the county of Lancashire , North West England . The park was founded in 1896 by A. W. G. Bean and his partner John Outhwaite. The current managing director is Amanda Thompson . The park is host to many records, including the largest collection of wooden roller coasters of any park in the United Kingdom with four: the Big Dipper , Blue Flyer , Grand National and Nickelodeon Streak . Many of
1120-589: Is bordered by the Promenade, Balmoral Road, Bond Street, Burlington Road West and Clifton Drive, and is situated above Watson Road, which is underneath the grounds and runs under a tunnel bridge in the centre of the park. Guests enter the park by passing under giant metal arches which are illuminated in the evening. The main Ticket Centre can be found on the ground floor of the Casino Building which
1190-410: Is situated to the north of the park, along with a large Gift Shop. The rest of the ground floor space is taken up by a show bar named The Horseshoe and a large Café named W.G Beans . The second tier of the building, known as the penthouse floor is home to a function suite named The Paradise Room and The White Tower Restaurant , a luxury restaurant overlooking the promenade. Above The Paradise Room
1260-575: The Big Blue Hotel and the Boulevard Hotel are situated towards the south end of the park. The park is split up into three sections: North Park, Nickelodeon Land and South Park. The main park is divided by separate themed areas. These are North Entrance Plaza , Heidi Strasse , Bean Street FY4 , The Watson Overpass and South Entrance Plaza . Many of the rides in the park are built over or under other attractions and buildings, making
1330-608: The Ice Drome , a 2,000-seat ice rink. Emberton continued to design for the Pleasure Beach up to his death in 1956. After which Jack Ratcliffe, who had been involved in the Festival of Britain , was brought in to continue the work. Ratcliffe worked for many years at the park, and much of his work can still be seen today. Investments steadily decreased during the Second World War ; however, the park remained open throughout
1400-484: The Loopy Landscapes expansion. The map was created by Scottish game designer Chris Sawyer . It was one of two British amusement parks to be included as a scenario in the game, the other being Alton Towers . Despite his reputation as a leading businessman in the industry, Thompson often found himself in dispute with Blackpool Council over their decision to allow private traders to operate on land opposite
1470-471: The Southport Zoo site hidden in the undergrowth. In 1999, the park began to close the lower section by removing rides such as the " Ghost Train " and "Runaway Mine Train" (originally the "Wild Mouse"), which was later moved to Pleasureland as "King Solomon's Mines". Other ride removals included that of the "Slide", "Train" and various other small attractions. 1999 was also the last year of operation for
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#17327805777041540-431: The "Texas Tornado" wooden roller coaster which had operated for 62 years. The ride remained dormant throughout the last few months of the 1999 season and the first half of the 2000 season until the ride was demolished in late 2000. The year 1999 was the last year that Frontierland operated as a permanent theme park with rides that made it such being demolished, removed or made ‘standing but not operating’. In 2000, most of
1610-410: The "Texas Tornado" roller coaster. The company behind the development has announced plans to extend the outlet village to the front section of the park which, initially, allowed theme park fans to believe that both the "Polo Tower" and "Log Flume" would reopen as part of the development, and speculation was fuelled even further when scaffolding appeared around the "Polo Tower" mid-2008 but the ride's cabin
1680-407: The 1987 season, in an attempt to defeat dwindling visitor numbers. In 2000, Frontierland was officially closed down by Geoffrey Thompson, managing director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach . All of the rides, excluding the "Polo Tower" and " Log Flume " were demolished or dismantled and sold on. The "Rattler" was moved to the Pleasure Beach, whilst "The Wild Mouse" (later called " Runaway Mine Train " for
1750-594: The 2018 Golden Ticket awards, an accolade it has held over a consecutive number of years. The park also operates a Nickelodeon Land and the world's only Wallace & Gromit ride, the Thrill-O-Matic . In 2015 the park introduced Red Arrows Sky Force , a Gerstlauer Sky Fly thrill ride which is the first ride of its kind in the United Kingdom. The latest record is taken by Icon , a multi-launch coaster manufactured by Mack Rides in Germany. Pleasure Beach
1820-566: The Casino Building features a number of function rooms and offices, and the ground floor space is used as the main ticket centre. In 1923, land was reclaimed from the Blackpool seafront, and it was during this period that the Pleasure Beach moved to its 42-acre (17 ha) current location along the promenade. The same year Bean brought in John Miller to design and build the Big Dipper , an out-and-back wooden coaster and shortly afterwards
1890-584: The Gold Mine. Two years later, in 2015, the park teamed up with the RAF to open the Red Arrows Skyforce a thrill ride based on the famous air acrobatic team. In 2018 the park opened Icon , a £16.25 million multi-launched coaster built by Mack Rides of Germany and the first roller coaster to be built at the park in over a decade. In 2019 a second hotel Boulevard Hotel was built on the site of
1960-475: The Pleasure Beach the most densely populated amusement park in terms of ride space in the world. Pleasure Beach is the only private company in the United Kingdom not imposed by planning restrictions; however, attractions over 60 meters (200 ft) in height must meet strict regulations set out by the Civil Aviation Authority . These regulations include the placing of red and white lights at
2030-588: The Pleasure Beach was developed with frequent large scale investments, including The Velvet Coaster , the House of Nonsense , The Joy Wheel and The Whip . Outhwaite died in 1911, leaving most of the remaining business to Bean; however, the Outhwaite family still obtained shares in the park and would occasionally have input into its growth. Following the First World War investment at the park ceased due to
2100-453: The Pleasure Beach, including Spin Doctor in 2002, the Big Blue Hotel in 2003 and Bling , the following year. Geoffrey Thompson died of a heart attack at Blackpool Pleasure Beach on 12 June 2004 while attending a party to celebrate his daughter's wedding. Doris Thompson, MBE OBE died nine days later, on 23 June, the date of her son's funeral. Amanda Thompson, Geoffrey's eldest daughter and
2170-472: The Pleasure Beach. He also clashed with Morecambe Town Council, who would regularly oppose and disrupt his plans to develop the Morecambe amusement park. As a result of his frustration and due to declining attendance, Thompson closed Frontierland in 2000, which had operated for 91 years. Many of the rides were either destroyed, sold or relocated to Thompson's other parks. Further investments followed at
Nickelodeon Land - Misplaced Pages Continue
2240-498: The United States. Using a small static fairground in London's Earls Court for inspiration, Bean added more rides and sideshows to the Pleasure Beach which began to garner the attention of holidaymakers. Bean's aim was to establish a fun park of a relative size that would "make adults feel like children again and inspire gaiety of a primarily innocent character." The first notable attraction of interest to open at Pleasure Beach
2310-660: The business, carrying forward his father's legacy, which was for the Pleasure Beach to always be at the forefront of global amusement parks. He hired Keith Ingham to make extensive alterations to the Casino Building which was re-launched as the Wonderful World Building (since then the building has reverted to its original name of the 'Casino'). Thompson's reign saw the opening of the Steeplechase , Avalanche , Revolution and Ice Blast . His most notable investments include The Big One which opened in 1994 and
2380-538: The company. Here are a selection of the awards and nominations received over the last decade: Pleasure Beach is alleged to be haunted by several ghosts and over the years there have been a number of high-profile paranormal investigations held within its grounds. The most well-known and reported ghost story involves the Ghost Train ride, which is supposedly haunted by the spirit of a former ride operator named "Cloggy". Other stories involve poltergeist activity in both
2450-474: The difficulty in exporting rides from the United States and the next investments would not be until 1922 when The Virginia Reel and Noah's Ark opened. Despite the lack of investment, profits at the Pleasure Beach soared, and the company was noted as being one of the most prolific employers in the north-west of England. Further into the 1920s, Bean invested in the Casino Building . Opened in 1913, it
2520-496: The east of the park. Home to Hot Ice and open year-round. A family hotel "The Big Blue Hotel" with a four-star AA rating, situated adjacent to Blackpool Pleasure Beach railway station towards the south end of Ocean Boulevard opened in Spring 2003. In 2019 a second hotel, the Boulevard Hotel , was built on the site of the former Star pub. The hotel features 120 rooms and 10 suites and is the second four-star hotel to be operated by
2590-439: The end of the century. In 1903, Bean, along with local businessman John Outhwaite, purchased 30 acres of land known as the "Watson Estate" which was used to expand the amusement park in Blackpool. The original Pleasure Beach was built on the sand dunes along the promenade and consisted of a few roundabouts, a Bicycle Railway and several Gypsy stalls. Bean and Outhwaite decided to grow the business after visiting Coney Island in
2660-503: The first companies in the United Kingdom to register with the Government Profit Related Pay Unit. Under this scheme, the company agreed that, where profits exceeded £1 million, 10 per cent would be distributed among the permanent staff according to their length of service. In 2000, a recreation of Blackpool Pleasure Beach appeared in the theme park management video game Rollercoaster Tycoon as part of
2730-665: The former Star Pub . The hotel features 120 en-suite rooms, two restaurants and ten suites. In February 2024 Blackpool Pleasure Beach rebranded as Pleasure Beach Resort. On 6 March 2024, The Big One lost its title as the UK's tallest roller coaster, after 30 years, with the completion of Hyperia at Thorpe Park . Pleasure Beach is situated on a 42-acre (170,000 m ) site along the South Promenade (Ocean Boulevard) area of Blackpool, approximately 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (3.6 km) from Blackpool North Railway Station. It
2800-467: The gift shop under Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine and The Star pub on Ocean Boulevard. The Arena is also said to be the home of a ghostly presence which inhabits the backstage dressing rooms and tractor bay. The park has featured on many paranormal-related TV shows, including Most Haunted and Great British Ghosts and features in many books written on the subject . On 21 July 2000, 11-year-old Christopher Sharrat died after falling from
2870-480: The new-look Frontierland) and the " Chair-o-Planes " were moved to Pleasureland Southport , which later closed down in 2006. Unlike Pleasureland, Frontierland was never resurrected and the site remained wasteland until 2007, when three outlet stores were built. These large outlets were positioned at the back of the park, an area that previously featured the "Stampede", " Teacups " and "Parrots" rides. The Thompson family, owners of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, purchased
Nickelodeon Land - Misplaced Pages Continue
2940-446: The north entrance. A separate entrance towards the south end of the park is available for hotel residents only, and a third entrance is situated towards the east side of the park via The Arena . The park is heavily secured by metal gates; however, these gates are occasionally opened to permit large groups of guests into the park during the peak season. The park has five car parks and a coach park. Blackpool Pleasure Beach railway station ,
3010-520: The oldest), where a singular track "loops" around itself, offering a facsimile out-and-back layout and creating a "racing" effect on two parallel tracks. Sir Hiram Maxims Captive Flying Machine is the oldest amusement park ride in Europe having opened in August 1904. At the cost of £15 million, Valhalla was one of the largest and most expensive indoor dark rides in the world. Designed by Sarner and manufactured by Intamin , Valhalla won "Best Water Ride" at
3080-420: The park began to downsize, the first ride to leave was the "Stampede" roller coaster which had opened at the park in 1988. It was a standard roller coaster found at many parks, and its subsequent location is unknown. The ride was originally from Blackpool Pleasure Beach, where it operated as the "Cyclone". The ride was removed in 1987 to make way for the "Avalanche". Another ride at the top of the park to be removed
3150-442: The park began to shrink, rides were sold and transported all over the world. However, the demolition of Frontierland was never fully completed as the "Log Flume" and "Polo Tower" remained on site. In 2009, the "Log Flume" was removed whilst the "Polo Tower" continued to remain in situ , albeit with its gondola removed, as its only purpose was to fulfil a contract for the positioning of a mobile phone mast at its peak. In 1998, when
3220-488: The park began to trade under the name Blackpool Pleasure Beach . In 1909, Bean expanded the Pleasure Beach business by purchasing a second amusement park up the coast in Morecambe under the name West End Amusement Park , which would later become Frontierland, Morecambe . The success of the Morecambe park led to a third amusement park opening four years later in Southport under the name Pleasureland Southport . Meanwhile,
3290-417: The park decided to give the ten-acre site a complete overhaul. This involved turning the park into Frontierland, which it was hoped would cause guests to flock back to Morecambe. This worked for a few years but once again, numbers dropped, so in 1989, the "Sky Ride" was introduced – a cable car system that would allow people to fly over the park and out over the promenade before turning around and going back to
3360-491: The park in 1936, when it was called West End Amusement Park . The owners, who also owned Pleasureland Southport, which closed in 2006, introduced new rides each year until visitor numbers began to dwindle. A number of tactics were used to save the park, however most failed eventually. Rides such as a 150-foot (46 m) Big Wheel were introduced but were quickly taken down due to neighbour complaints. In 1986, visitor numbers were at an all-time low so Geoffrey Thompson, owner of
3430-498: The posts showing the "Carnforth A6" destination southbound leaving the A6/A601(M) Carnforth Spur roundabout, this was finally covered over with a plain brown patch sometime during 2013 and finally removed during the second half of 2014 – the exact dates of these changes are unknown. A retail park was built on part of the site consisting of three outlets: Homebase , JJB Sports and Next . The retail park
3500-452: The present day. Towards the end of the 2000 season, all the rides, shops and facilities such as toilet blocks were removed. One of the last rides to be removed was the "Sky Ride", a cable car system that took riders from the back of the park, across the front and over to a turnaround on the promenade. The current location of this ride is unknown. By the very end of the 2000 season, only the "Polo Tower" and "Log Flume" remained on site, along with
3570-674: The ride returned to the station, Mr Sycamore was found in the bottom of the carriage with neck and back injuries. It is understood he had an underlying back complaint of spondylitis . Frontierland, Morecambe Frontierland Western Theme Park was a theme park in Morecambe , Lancashire, England, situated on Marine Road West, which operated from 1906 to 7 November 1999, with a final year consisting of only travelling rides in 2000. Frontierland originally operated as West End Amusement Park , Fun City and Morecambe Pleasure Park from 1906 to 1986 before being transformed into Frontierland for
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#17327805777043640-415: The ride was positioned on the front. This resulted in a boost in visitor numbers but nowhere near what Blackpool was about to get from opening their new roller coaster. The "Polo Tower" was the last major investment at Frontierland, however, fans of the park believe that Geoffrey Thompson had no intention of shutting the park down, as in 1993, with the installation of the tower, he signed a contract allowing
3710-447: The rides had been removed with the exception of the "Texas Tornado", which was due to be demolished, the "Polo Tower", the "Rattler" and the "Log Flume". The "Rattler" was later removed from the park and put into storage. It would not be used again until 2004, when it was introduced as the "Big Apple" at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, but it only stayed there for one season. In 2007, it was introduced at New Pleasureland where it has remained to
3780-409: The roller coasters in the park are record-breaking attractions. When it opened in 1994, The Big One was the tallest roller coaster in the world. It was also the steepest, with an incline angle of 65° and the second fastest with a top speed of 74 miles per hour (119 km/h). The ride holds the record as the second tallest roller coaster in the United Kingdom, standing at 213 ft (65 m), with
3850-425: The station. The ride was initially a big success and once again, visitors flocked to the park. In 1991, visitor numbers were back down to their low standard and investment was not being put into the park so freely as two previous attempts had backfired. In 1992, Geoffrey Thompson was about to make his biggest investment ever at Blackpool Pleasure Beach by introducing the 235-foot-tall (72 m) " Pepsi Max Big One ",
3920-932: The top of structures and warning signals and beacons to alert airline traffic. – Rides located in Nickelodeon Land . A seasonal show performed at The Arena (previously the Ice Drome). The show has been running since 1936 and is produced by Amanda Thompson and choreographed by Oula Jaaskelainen . A seasonal adult comedy hypnotism show performed by veteran hypnotist Ken Webster . A Las Vegas-style magic and illusion show performed by award-winning magicians Craig Christian and Elizabeth Best. Performed seasonally in The Horseshoe . A £500,000 half an hourly musical water show designed by Aquatique Show International. It features thirty individual jets synchronized to move to different styles of music, and
3990-583: The use of the formerly defunct Space Invader 2 building which is now occupied by a pizza restaurant. Many of the other rides were either replaced or repainted and renamed to represent the Nickelodeon brand. In 2013, the park worked alongside Aardman Animations , owners of the Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep brands, to introduce Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic , a dark ride which replaced
4060-473: The year to offer solace to the British public. The park returned to prominence between 1958 and 1961 when The Wild Mouse , Derby Racer and Alice In Wonderland opened and over the next few years the scale of investments increased, with the world's longest Log Flume opening in 1967 and The Goldmine opening four years later. The Walt Disney Company visited the park earlier in the decade, and Pleasure Beach
4130-456: Was Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine , a rotary swing ride designed by the British inventor of the same name in 1904. A Mill Chute water ride followed in 1905, which opened under the name The River Caves of the World. Both of these rides are still operational today. In 1907 the park opened its first wooden roller coaster, which was known as The Scenic Railway . It was during this time that
4200-479: Was appointed an OBE for her contribution to tourism. During Amanda's reign, the park has seen vast redevelopment, including a re-branding exercise, as well as the removal of numerous rides including The Whip , Space Invader 2 , Turtle Chase , Spin Doctor , Trauma Towers , Noah's Ark, Black Hole , Bling , Wild Mouse and Superbowl . In 2006, the family decided to close Pleasureland Southport which, despite extensive investment and development, had not turned
4270-697: Was appointed chairman of the business. Their only son, Geoffrey Thompson inherited his father's role and became the new managing director. William Geoffrey Thompson (businessman) was born in Manchester in 1936. He spent most of his early working life administering the New Era Laundries in London before returning to the family business as head of catering at the Casino Building. He married his wife, Barbara Thompson (née Foxcroft) in 1962 and shortly afterwards they had three children: Amanda, Nicholas and Fiona. Geoffrey invested millions of pounds developing
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#17327805777044340-522: Was built alongside the park, which resulted in the closure of the Velvet Coaster. Thompson's next major investment was the construction of the Fun House in 1934 and The Grand National , a Möbius loop wooden coaster built by celebrated coaster designer Charles Paige in 1935. Paige had designed numerous other rides at the Pleasure Beach, including the Rollercoaster , another wooden coaster that
4410-509: Was constructed on the site of The Velvet Coaster in 1933. The success of Paiges' wooden coasters resulted in a complete reprofiling of the Big Dipper in 1936, which was extended towards the south-westerly side of the park. During this time Thompson hired Joseph Emberton , an award-winning architect who was brought in to redesign the architectural style of the Pleasure Beach rides and buildings. He worked on The Casino Building, Noah's Ark and
4480-439: Was designed by local architect, and former Mayor of Blackpool, Alderman Robert Butcher Mather , JP and styled on an Indian palace. The exterior of the building featured a white ferroconcrete façade with white electric lighting, and the interior housed a billiard hall, cinema, restaurant and gift shop. In 1938, it was demolished and replaced with a more modern Art Deco style building, designed by architect Joseph Emberton . Today
4550-505: Was founded in 1896 by Alderman William George Bean after he failed in his attempt to become an advertising man on New York's Madison Avenue. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1897 and opened two separate amusement parks; one adjacent to Euston Road in Great Yarmouth and another in Blackpool, opposite the tram terminus. The Great Yarmouth amusement park failed to generate much interest and so Bean moved to Blackpool full-time towards
4620-481: Was one of a few parks which became the basis for the first Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Walt Disney formed a friendship with Thompson, and the two would regularly inspire one another when developing their respective parks. After many successful years as the managing director of the Pleasure Beach, Leonard Thompson died in 1976, having run the business for 47 years. Following Thompson's death, Doris Thompson
4690-422: Was removed and the tower was partially refurbished. In 2009, the "Log Flume" ride, which had survived ten years after the park officially closed down, was removed from the site leaving the "Polo Tower" as the final element of the former theme park, which was finally removed 17 years after the park's closure. For a few years after closure, there was still a brown tourist sign annotated "Frontierland 7" attached to
4760-516: Was the giant "Teacups" which had been at the park for many years. The "Teacups" were extraordinary in both their size and in the fact that the base was entirely made of concrete and was sunk into the floor so that guests could simply walk onto the ride instead of having to step up onto it. The ride was removed in 1998, with the floor being broken up and the cups being moved to Pleasureland Southport where they were never used. They were disposed of in 2006, when Pleasureland closed down, however some remain on
4830-827: Was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world at the time, and Valhalla which opened in 2000. Geoffrey was actively involved in promoting tourism in the North West of England. He sat on almost all the relevant agencies, including the English Tourist Board and the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions, and was awarded the Order of the British Empire status along with his mother for their contribution to tourism. In 1986, Blackpool Pleasure Beach Limited became one of
4900-624: Was to appoint Oscar Haworth as the General Manager and George Palmer as chairman of the company. Over the next two years, Thompson worked with the Outhwaites to expand the business further, starting with the construction of The Ghost Train which opened in 1930. In 1931 the remaining Outhwaite family sold their share of the park to the Thompsons, who now had complete control and ownership of the business. The following year Watson Road
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