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77-467: Hollycombe Steam Collection has a chair-o-planes adapted from a bomb damaged roundabout in 1944. A Chair-O-Planes premiered in Germany in 1972, designed by Zierer and built by Franz Schwarzkopf , brother of Anton Schwarzkopf . In 1974 the first portable unit debuted under the same partnership. Since then Zierer has built about 200 units. Other manufacturers have followed creating their own versions of

154-454: A company voluntary arrangement (CVA) in relation to a debt of £2.9m owed to Arrowgrass. This amounted to the original £600 000 owed as a secured loan, plus unpaid compound interest and charges. At a meeting on 23 December 2015 the company's creditors agreed to accept the CVA, allowing the company more time to pay off its existing debts. Sands Heritage representatives at the meeting promised that

231-410: A Chair-O-Plane called Archelon, which was themed to the extinct species of turtle of the same name. Chessington World of Adventures is home to a monkey-themed Chair-O-Planes, named the "Monkey Swinger", that squirts water at riders. This formerly had a theme based on Billy Whizz of The Beano . Paultons Park is also home to a Chair-O-Planes called "The Sky Swinger". This ride opened in 2008 and

308-520: A Roller Disco & Diner, Amusement Arcade, Vintage Pin Ball Arcade, Dreamland Emporium and The Octopus's Garden. The running agreement between Sands Heritage and Thanet District Council involved the former taking out a 99-year lease of the freehold property owned by the council as a result of the CPO, while the council remained responsible for certain aspects of repair and maintenance including as regards

385-456: A business could be sold as a going concern in March 2017, after the 2016 summer season. However, this was rendered improbable by their half-yearly report to creditors (December 2015 to June 2016) when they revealed that operating losses during the period were over £1m or about £41 000 per week. They warned that losses were continuing, factors cited being bad weather in early summer and the failure of

462-515: A cutting. It reaches the top and bends to the left. The fairground is then on the left and the woodland gardens is on the right. It then heads into another cutting before a 360-degree loop onto an embankment. It runs parallel with a five-inch gauge line into the two-platform station. The collection has over 30 different steam engines of various types. 51°03′26″N 0°46′53″W  /  51.0571°N 0.7813°W  / 51.0571; -0.7813 Dreamland Margate Dreamland Margate

539-401: A day destination. However, the investment by Bembom Brothers indicates that this was not regarded as an appreciable threat to Dreamland at the beginning of the 1980s. More immediately serious was the opening of much larger amusement parks closer to London, on expansive sites and with ample vehicle parking. Thorpe Park opened in 1979, and Chessington World of Adventures in 1987. At this time,

616-500: A new headline attraction in the form of the Anton Schwarzkopf -designed 'Looping Star' roller coaster. The name change lasted until 1990, when it reverted to Dreamland. Other changes they made included ceasing evening hours and charging for admission, rather than per ride. They also introduced many new 'high-tech' rides that updated the park and made it, by the late 1980s, one of the top ten most visited tourist attractions in

693-405: A number of fairground organs and a range of side stalls. The farm includes a wide range of vintage steam-powered farm equipment including ploughing engines , a threshing machine , a baler , and a stationary steam engine driving small machinery through a line shaft . The sawmill is used to cut much of the wood used on-site and is powered by a large semi-portable Robey steam engine. Close by

770-544: A smaller roller coaster, the Joy Wheel, Miniature Railway, The Whip, and the River Caves. A ballroom was constructed on the site of the skating rink in 1920, and in 1923 Iles built his variety cinema on the site. (In 1926, he was also responsible for the building of Margate's lido on the seafront.) Between 1920 and 1935 he invested over £500,000 in the site, constantly adding new rides and facilities and culminating in

847-432: A steam fair comprising rides originating from the 1870s and later. Rides are built and operated on a seasonal rotation to allow the volunteers of Hollycombe Steam Collection opportunity to maintain and restore the collection. The rides include a Tidman three-abreast Golden Gallopers roundabout , a single steam yacht, and a razzle dazzle (a grand aerial novelty ride with a rotating and tilting movement). S. Fields Steam Circus

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924-415: A system of levers to pitch and roll as though at sea – a direct antecedent of the contemporary ' flight simulator ' rides. In 1893 a large skating rink was built. Shortly after this, the park gained some notoriety as the venue for the murder of a sex-worker by the local circus strong man. Sanger died in 1911 during a scuffle arising from the attempted murder of a friend (although Sanger himself may have been

1001-475: Is Liphook in Hampshire . The collection includes fairground rides, a display farm, two railways, and the woodland gardens . The collection dates to the late 1940s when Commander John Baldock decided to preserve some steam traction engines that were rapidly disappearing from British life. By the early 1960s, he had acquired a significant collection of road vehicles and began collecting fairground rides. In

1078-525: Is a Zierer model. Butlins is home to three Chair-O-Planes, one at each site, located at Butlins Minehead , Butlins Bognor Regis , and Butlins Skegness . Butlins Minehead is home to a Zierer Wave Swinger, and the other two resorts manufacturers are unknown. Most of the traditional-style swing carousel rides in North America are found in amusement parks, as well as at many seasonal fairs and carnivals. They are usually made by Zierer (which calls

1155-473: Is a little patchy but is thought to have been built in Germany in the 1920s and imported to Britain with a blank canvas. It's generally the case that British roundabouts run clockwise, whereas their Continental and American counterparts run anti-clockwise. The Chair-o-Plane certainly runs the right direction to be a British-built ride, but it may have been adapted by an early owner. Adventure Island has

1232-589: Is a play on the Italian name for Swing-Rides ( Calcinculo "kick up the arse"), and refers both to the ride and to the blows and setbacks that girls receive during adolescence. Hollycombe Steam Collection The Hollycombe Steam Collection is a collection of steam-powered vehicles, amusement rides, and attractions in South East England. It is based in West Sussex , but the closest town

1309-545: Is an amusement park and entertainment centre based on a traditional English seaside funfair located in Margate , Kent, England. The site of the park was first used for amusement rides in 1880, although the Dreamland name was not used until 1920 when the park's Grade II* listed (particularly significant building of more than local interest) Scenic Railway wooden rollercoaster was opened. The number of amusements at

1386-483: Is the engine from the paddle steamer Caledonia . There are two railways: narrow gauge and miniature . A third standard gauge line formerly operated but is now abandoned; further detail below. John Clarke Hawkshaw planted over a million trees on the Hollycombe estate from the 1880s, so it is a Victorian garden in origin. Planting continued into the 20th century and then, after a long pause before and after

1463-669: Is the first of its kind in Norway with double seats. The Swedish name for Swing ride is Slänggunga or Kättingflygare . At Gröna Lund , Stockholm , a swing ride with the name "Eclipse" can be found. With its 121.9 metres (400 ft), it shares the "world's second tallest" title with SkyScreamer in Texas, North America. The biggest amusement park in the Nordic countries is Liseberg , in Sweden's second largest city Gothenburg . Liseberg

1540-568: Is the home of a Swing ride named " Slänggungan ". Loudoun Castle Theme Park in Scotland claimed that its moon-shaped ride, "The Plough", was the largest Chair-O-Plane in the world. The Plough was originally called Apollo 14 and was owned by the Bembom family, operating in their Ponypark Slagharen in the Netherlands during the late seventies. It had gondolas travelling around the outside of

1617-460: Is the location of Cedar Point . In John Updike 's short story "You'll Never Know Dear How Much I Love You" he mentions a WhirloGig. At the end of the Lilo & Stitch: The Series episode "Short Stuff", Experiment 297, a crab-like alien who was accidentally enlarged by his creator Jumba Jookiba 's growth ray and given the name "Shortstuff", has the ability to swivel his body from the waist up. He

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1694-560: The Oktoberfest and traveling funfairs . But swing rides are also common in amusement parks . Most of the German swing rides are from Zierer. Some of these include: In Italy , most swing rides travel with fairs . The ride is called " Seggiolini volanti " ("Flying chairs") or " calcinculo ", which literally means "kick in the bottom". Two people sit in contiguous seats, and the one sitting behind kicks or pushes their partner higher in

1771-426: The 'HemingwayDesign' team were appointed as designers of the envisaged new Dreamland in 2012. This includes the creative vision for re-imagination and branding. An additional £10m in private funding was invested in the re-opening of Dreamland by the commercial operators chosen to run it, Sands Heritage Ltd. These funds were used to introduce a collection of 17 additional rides to create the amusement park, as well as

1848-571: The 1940s Caterpillar ride , King Solomon's Mines wooden roller-coaster (formerly of Frontierland, Morecambe and later moved to Pleasureland Southport), workings from the Ghost Train and River Caves, the Hall of Mirrors, Mistral, Haunted swing and the Skyride (Chairlift ride). The Junior Whip which stood at Blackpool Pleasure Beach was also donated. Wayne Hemingway , his wife Gerardine, and

1925-583: The Arlington House site. In 2019 the park reported experiencing its most successful year since reopening, with more than 700,000 visitors across the year, and announced a new programme of events for its 100th anniversary in 2020. In August 2019, the park unveiled a seven metre inflatable sculpture of Tina Turner's head, created by Cool Shit, in celebration of the 2019 Turner Prize exhibition being hosted in Margate. On 6 March 2017 Gorillaz announced

2002-678: The CEO of Dreamland, Eddie Kemsley, resigned. A creditors' meeting held in August 2016 revealed that creditors were owed £8.34m, with Sands Heritage having an overall balance sheet shortfall of £14m (£10m of which reflected the investment made by Sands Heritage themselves). An auditors' report to Thanet District Council in December that year revealed that several of these creditors were small local businesses with little hope of any repayment. The administrators initially expressed their hope that Dreamland as

2079-558: The Chair-O-Planes, including Zamperla , Chance Rides , Grover Watkins, Bertazzon , Preston & Barbieri , Vekoma , and Sanoyas Hishino Meisho . In the late 2000s, Austrian manufacturer Funtime developed the world's first tower swinger, known as the Star Flyer . Mondial followed with their WindSeeker , resulting in a lawsuit between the two companies. Zamperla also sells a Vertical Swing. The Prater Turm located in

2156-472: The Dreamland sign on the front tower has been refurbished with LED lighting and shines brightly at night. The defunct cinema was sold by MTCR, by then renamed DreamlandLive Ltd. This was before the result of a court appeal by this company to stop Thanet District Council taking possession of the theme park under a compulsory purchase order, served in June 2011. The CPO was approved in August 2012. The success of

2233-544: The Genting Outdoor Theme Park closed since 1 September 2013 to make way for the world's first 20th Century Fox World , which was completed by 2021. The Metalocalypse episode "Motherklok" features a Wave Slinger. A Chair-O-Planes is featured on the cover of Dave Matthews Band 's 1994 album Under the Table and Dreaming . The liner note credit lists the site of this photo as Sandusky, Ohio , which

2310-617: The Hall, the former 'Mere', was turned into pleasure gardens with a mock ruined abbey, lake, statues and a menagerie – as well as sideshows and roundabouts. Animal cages and Gothic walls on the present Dreamland western and southern boundaries (now listed Grade II) date from this time. The main purpose of the menagerie was to act as a breeding and training centre for animals used in Sanger's travelling circus. The first amusement rides were installed as early as 1880 when 'Sea on Land' machines were installed. Passengers sat in 'boats' that were made by

2387-569: The Kent Coast Railway) completed this terminus in 1866, but no public service was ever offered. The junction faced Ramsgate, so a local Margate-Broadstairs-Ramsgate train service was envisaged. Dreamland's remote origins as an entertainment venue date from the same year, when London restaurateurs Spiers and Pond opened a restaurant and dance hall in the unused railway terminus on the Mere causeway. Not being very successful, this 'Hall by

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2464-412: The Sanger era, an ice rink and zoo. Much of the planting of the pleasure gardens dating from the 1870s survived until the 1970s when the gardens were removed and the rides expanded. 1976 saw the debut of a revolutionary new ride, the 'Orbiter', unveiled by travelling showman and Dreamland lessee Henry Smith, a ride which went on to become highly successful in other amusement parks and travelling fairs around

2541-618: The Save Dreamland Campaign in attracting public awareness led to the establishment of the Dreamland Trust, a registered charity, in 2007 to co-ordinate a re-opening project. A total of £18m in public funding was subsequently awarded to the project, to restore, preserve and maintain the listed structures, which included the Scenic Railway, menagerie cages and some of the internal building spaces. This money

2618-417: The Scenic Railway in mid-June. The Scenic Railway had been restored by Thanet District Council following the arson attack. Unfortunately the right knowledge and expertise had not been available when it was rebuilt, and so it failed a safety test in June 2017. The ride is powered by cable haulage , nowadays a rare form of traction worldwide, and the wrong sort of cables was specified. When TDC tried to rectify

2695-440: The Scenic Railway. On 25 April 2008 the Dreamland cinema's Listed building status increased from Grade II (buildings of special architectural or historic interest) to Grade II* (particularly significant buildings of more than local interest). The cinema, which featured a Compton theatre organ , was closed in 2007 following the opening of a new multiplex cinema at Westwood Cross . The buildings were placed under renovation and

2772-472: The Scenic Railway. Part of the capital raised by Sands Heritage was a £600 000 short-term secured loan from Arrowgrass Master Fund, an investment company based in the Cayman Islands . This company also held 31% of the share capital of Sands Heritage. The park re-opened on 19 June 2015, garnering much media coverage. BBC Radio Kent spent the opening day broadcasting live from Dreamland. There

2849-509: The Sea' was bought by the Reeve family of Margate in 1870 for £3,750, who also gradually acquired the low-lying land at the rear of the Hall. In 1870, circus entrepreneur George Sanger went into partnership to run the 'Hall by the Sea' with Thomas Dalby Reeve, the then Mayor of Margate. After Reeve's death in 1875, Sanger became the sole proprietor of the Hall and the land behind it. This land behind

2926-469: The United Kingdom. In common with other traditional British seaside resorts , Margate's economic base depended on residential holidaymakers staying for several days, usually families holidaying for a week or more. This was supplemented by day-trippers on weekends and public holidays, when the resort could become very busy. With the rise of cheap package holidays abroad from the 1960s, however,

3003-775: The Wurstelprater in Vienna opened in 2010 at a height of 117 metres (384 ft). The Star Flyer , located in Tivoli Gardens , Copenhagen , affords sweeping views of the city's historical centre. The Swing Carousel also located in Tivoli Gardens Copenhagen. Les Chaises Volantes in Walibi Sud-Ouest is a Zierer model from 1987 which was relocated to the park in 1992. In Germany, swing rides are often found on fairs , Volksfests like

3080-542: The air, in order to reach a "tail" suspended beyond normal reach at a point in the ride's rotation. Any individual who manages to grab the tail wins a free ride. Attractiepark Slagharen located the same Chair-O-Plane as Loundoun Castle. Some Swing rides in the Netherlands: The second-largest amusement park within the Nordic countries is Tusenfryd (lit. “daisies”), located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) outside

3157-439: The capital city Oslo, Norway . Tusenfryd features a Wellenflieger called Sverrehusken (“swear the chairs”) that has been in-operation since 1988. Sverrehusken was the first ride of its kind in the Nordic countries. At Kongeparken (lit. ‘the royal park’), located 10 km outside the third-largest city in Norway, Stavanger , is a Wellenflieger named Spinnvidle (“spin-wheel”) that has been in-operation since 2012. Spinnvidle

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3234-428: The closure announcement, Dreamland was sold to Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company (MTCR) in 2005 for £20m. A number of local residents then formed the 'Save Dreamland Campaign'. The campaign proposed to turn Dreamland into a heritage amusement park, consisting of a number of vintage rides and attractions from other British amusement parks. Some rides were obtained by Save Dreamland and placed in storage. Although it

3311-479: The collection continued to expand. The collection's bioscope was damaged in the Great storm of 1987 along with the roof of the then tea room. In the aftermath a Foden timber tractor was used to remove a number of the fallen trees. At the beginning of 1999, a charitable trust took over most of the collection and its operation, funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant. The Edwardian Fairground offers an example of

3388-417: The company as being on the order of £5 million. The major contributing factor for visitor shortfall was the delay of the Scenic Railway project and lack of communication from the management team of Thanet District Council to Sands Heritage, leading to a premature opening when preparatory works were incomplete. This led to an almost immediate closure of seventeen days to complete these, and the Scenic Railway

3465-507: The company, as well as the 99-year lease from TDC and other properties owned freehold by the company. If the figure of indebtedness of £25m quoted by the national media was correct, in May 2017 Arrowgrass had almost complete control of the value of the assets of Dreamland. According to the terms of the security given for the loans, if repayment conditions were breached then Arrowgrass could apply for Sands Leisure to be liquidated and could then claim

3542-699: The construction of the Dreamland cinema complex in 1934. Iles ceased to be a director in 1938 and the business was taken over by his son Eric. Most of the Dreamland site was requisitioned by the Government during World War II , with the park reopening in June 1946. Eric Iles was manager. From 1947, it received investment from Butlins . Three generations of the Iles family – John Henry, Eric, and John – controlled Dreamland from 1919 until its sale in 1968. The new owners, Associated Leisure, introduced many innovations to Dreamland, including squash courts and, in an echo of

3619-421: The debt to Arrowgrass would be repaid over five years - as a secured debt, this took priority over other debts. The insolvency administrators appointed in the CVA were Duff & Phelps . The financial failure was attributed primarily to the number of visitors in the summer season of 2015 being half of what was predicted for the capital structuring of the project. Media reports estimated the cash loss suffered by

3696-537: The equity of the lease of the property in lieu. In 2017, the park hosted 15,000 people at the Demon Dayz festival with Gorillaz . In October 2017 the park exited administration. There has been interest in redeveloping the Arlington House tower block, next door to Dreamland, which is owned by Thanet Council. In 2018, it was reported that any future deal for the redevelopment of Dreamland could include

3773-601: The fastest train journey from London to Margate was just under two hours, and Dreamland has never had any public on-site parking. In 1996 the Bembom family sold the site to local entrepreneur Jimmy Godden , who had previously operated the Rotunda Amusement Park at Folkestone and Ramsgate Pleasure Park at Ramsgate . At this time, most of the rides they owned were relocated. The 'Looping Star (Great America)' went to an amusement park in Budapest together with

3850-427: The intended target), and the park entered an uncertain period as part of the attraction was the charisma of the man himself. In the end, the site was purchased from his estate in 1919 for £40,000 by John Henry Iles , who had already set up theme parks all over the world, including at Cairo , Berlin, Petrograd (now St Petersburg ) and Pittsburgh . Inspired by Coney Island , which he had visited in 1906, Iles renamed

3927-411: The late 1960s, he extended his interests again into preserving railway equipment. Baldock's collection was opened to the public and became a major tourist attraction. Over time the collection grew so large it became impossible for one person to maintain, and by 1984 Baldock decided he would have to close the operation. A society was formed by volunteers to operate the collection. This was successful and

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4004-495: The looping boat ride The Mary Rose . The Looping Star's sister ride made a brief appearance for two seasons at Margate (previously at Camelot Theme park) before leaving again for its current home, Loudon Castle theme park, where it is called the Twist 'n' Shout . After his purchase of the park, Godden was able to secure European and regional grant aid to assist in an initial £3m redevelopment. However, during Godden's tenure many of

4081-511: The major creditor. The Dreamland site was a salt marsh known as the Mere that was inundated at high tide until 1809 when a causeway and seawall were built. In 1846 a railway terminus was built on the present Arlington site for the South Eastern Railway , followed in 1864 by a further terminus, for the rival London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) on the site of what is now Dreamland Cinema. The LCDR (under its subsidiary

4158-424: The matter after the failure, it found that the skills concerned were so specialist that they were rare worldwide and sourcing them was only successful after the summer season was over. The administrators indicated their intention to seek compensation for the failure. Arrowgrass covered the operating losses for the summer season of 2016 with a further loan of £1m, secured on the premises of 49–51 Marine Terrace. This

4235-485: The park increased during the 1960s and 1970s, and in 1981 the site was sold to the Dutch Bembom brothers, who renamed it "Bembom Brothers White Knuckle Theme Park". The name remained until it reverted to Dreamland in 1990. In the early 2000s, the park began to enter into decline, and a number of rides were sold to other theme parks. The park's owner, Jimmy Godden announced in 2003 that Dreamland would be closed and

4312-449: The residential holiday trade progressively collapsed in the 1970s. This meant that footfall at entertainment venues in these resorts, such as Dreamland, declined sharply on summer weekdays while remaining relatively buoyant at weekends. Day-tripper trade at Margate remained substantial, but the loss of holiday revenue meant that the town began to struggle to maintain its infrastructure. This, in turn, started to affect its attractiveness as

4389-753: The ride ‘Wave Swinger’), although some are made by Bertazzon (which calls the ride ‘Swing Carousel’) or Zamperla (which calls it ‘Flying Carousel’ or ‘Lollyswings’). In recent years, many American amusement parks have opened towering (and considerably more thrilling) models, such as the WindSeeker (by Mondial ) or the Sky Screamer (by SNS ). These high-thrill swing rides are normally a minimum of 100 feet (30.48 m) tall, with several even surpassing 200’ (60.96 m). The Texas and New England Six Flags parks have Sky Screamers measuring 400’ (121.92 m). North American swing rides include: Spinner had dismantled when

4466-526: The ride. When moved to Dreamland in England (then called "Bembom Brothers"), it was reconstructed into a Chair-O-Plane and named Heatwave. Leaving Dreamland, it opened in Lightwater Valley in 1998 where it operated until 2003 when Henk Bembom moved Heatwave to his new park, Loudoun Castle, where it was renamed "The Plough" and painted green. The park has been closed since 2010. Until 2016, there

4543-453: The rides were sold off, including the big wheel which had dominated the Margate skyline for two decades but was dismantled and sold to a park in Mexico. In 2003, Godden announced that Dreamland would close down and the land would be redeveloped. A vocal section of public opinion supported continued use of the Dreamland site as an amusement park, along with a government report in 2004. After

4620-466: The site redeveloped , although the listing of the Scenic Railway meant it could not be moved. The site was sold to Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company in 2005, and this company proposed a residential redevelopment. A number of local residents then launched a campaign to restore and reopen Dreamland instead, although final closure was later in the same year. The site then fell into a state of disrepair as objections were raised to redevelopment plans, and

4697-468: The site 'Dreamland' and initiated work on the construction of the Scenic Railway rollercoaster in 1919, having purchased the European rights to the Scenic Railway design from inventor and patent holder LaMarcus Adna Thompson . The ride opened to the public in 1920 with great success, carrying half a million passengers in its first year. Iles also brought to the park other rides common to the time including

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4774-413: The structure, boarding station, storage sheds, and trains were destroyed and had to be removed as irreparable. The physical security of the site was upgraded, and the surviving structure surveyed. Some of the surviving machinery and chassis from the cars were salvaged and stored on site. Another suspected arson attack was carried out on the site on 28 May 2014, but this was confined to a disused building near

4851-516: The train carriages. Member and press previews took place on 16 October 2015. Sands Heritage put in a claim for lost revenue as a result of the delay, which was settled in November with a compensation payment by TDC to Sands Heritage after the delay to opening the Scenic Railway forced the company into administration. On 8 December 2015, Sands Heritage were forced to apply to the High Court for

4928-405: The war years, Clarke's son Oliver planted the one-quarter-mile-long (400 m) Azalea Walk in the mid-1920s, with the new Mollis hybrids from Knaphill. Baldock continued to manage and develop the gardens from the 1950s. The miniature railway at Hollycombe is 7 + 1 ⁄ 4  in ( 184 mm ) gauge. It starts at the station by the saw mill and climbs past crossing gates and through

5005-518: The world. Smith, himself a descendant of George Sanger, also had a Skid, Waltzer, Speedway, Tip Top, and another Orbiter up until the park's change of ownership in 1981. 1980 saw the opening of a 240-seater 148 ft high Big wheel . Dreamland was purchased by the Dutch Bembom Brothers in 1981. They owned several other amusement parks in continental Europe and renamed the site Bembom Brothers White Knuckle Theme Park, bringing in

5082-531: Was a Chair-O-Plane ride at Alton Towers in Staffordshire . Called Twirling Toadstool it was set in a fantasy themed area of the park called Cloud Cukoo Land, it was themed as a giant mushroom. This was formerly themed as a prehistoric dinosaur-type ride and located in an area called Ug Land. You can also find a Chair-O-Plane at Carters Steam Fair which is one of the largest vintage travelling funfairs including some steam driven rides. Their ride's past

5159-590: Was a former pub owned freehold by Sands Leisure (not part of the TDC lease), which had been called the Cinque Ports Arms before the later 20th century. An extension of the administration period was sought, and granted. Then it was announced that the investment company had increased its lending to just under £10m, to allow for a re-vamp of the business. In February 2017 it was reported that a £25m private investment from Arrowgrass had been obtained. The new loan

5236-483: Was a slight delay to the opening ceremony, and BBC Kent broadcasters Jo Burn and Zac Daunt-Jones spent 45 minutes entertaining the crowds, while live on-the-air. Additional rides opened in July. The entry fee to the park was £14.95. The park's centrepiece, the Scenic Railway, was still in the process of being rebuilt by Thanet District Council. It opened to the public only on 17 October 2015, owing to delays in rebuilding

5313-413: Was allowed to stay at his enlarged size by being employed as a living swing ride for a carnival as his "one true place". The 2022 film Swing Ride ( Italian title: 'Calcinculo'), directed by Chiara Bellosi, is a coming of age story set in the world of travelling fairs. It recounts the friendship between a young girl seeking to escape her family and a transgirl from a family of show people . Its title

5390-549: Was also used to purchase five heritage rides. On 16 November 2009, the Dreamland Trust was awarded a grant of £3m by the Heritage Lottery Fund with further funding of £3.7m and £4m coming from the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Thanet District Council respectively, to restore the Scenic Railway and to develop the former Dreamland site as necessary for rejuvenation. The Scenic Railway

5467-411: Was built between 1868 and 1872 and is the oldest surviving mechanically propelled fairground device. The fairground also has a set of steam swings, a set of Walker Chair-o-Planes, a big wheel , and a Bioscope show (an early travelling cinema). The rides are constructed mainly of wood and where appropriate are powered by steam engines . There are rides for all ages and the atmosphere is completed with

5544-445: Was initially announced that Dreamland would close in November 2003, it operated during 2004 and 2005. Definitive closure to the public was in 2005 and all of the rides apart from the Scenic Railway were then removed from the site. The Scenic Railway had been granted Grade-II listed status in 2002, and so could not be moved or dismantled. Part of the Scenic Railway was damaged by fire after an arson attack on 7 April 2008. About 25% of

5621-418: Was later delayed to 26 May. The event attracted national media attention. The major new feature which was mentioned as adding to the viability of the business was a new music venue with a capacity of 15 000. Private investigation by a Thanet District councillor revealed that all the fixed assets of Sands Leisure had loans secured on them for repayment to Arrowgrass. These included the fairground rides owned by

5698-471: Was regarded as being the focus of the rejuvenation of Dreamland as a heritage amusement park. Work began in September 2014, with a complete refurbishment of the track and new trains being built. Some historic rides from other parks were donated to the Dreamland Trust and put in storage for restoration at a later date. The majority of unique old rides at Pleasureland Southport were donated, which included

5775-590: Was subject to a series of arson attacks including one which significantly damaged the Scenic Railway. The public campaign to restore the park continued, and in September 2013, ownership passed to Thanet District Council after a compulsory purchase order was approved by a High Court judge. In 2014 it was confirmed that the park would be redeveloped. It re-opened in June 2015 as a "Re-imagined Dreamland". The operating company became insolvent in December 2015, but continued to operate under administration . A second refurbishment and relaunch took place in 2017, funded by

5852-441: Was to take longer. Also, there were problems with running repairs to rides, leading to breakdowns. Despite popular belief, the admission price cited as discouraging visitors was not the reason for Sand Heritage's cash flow problems; however, the management team and the administrators, Duff & Phelps, abolished it to drive footfall when it became apparent the Scenic Railway would not work for a second summer season. In August 2016,

5929-495: Was used to re-landscape the site and to add some new rides, with refurbishment of the Cinque Ports pub. The premises had been used as the ticket office for Dreamland and the administrative centre of Sands Leisure, but a bar was opened in it by the administrators in the 2016 season and it was due to be restored to a complete pub for the 2017 re-launch. The improved park was announced as reopening on 28 April 2017; however this

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