Historic Amusement Parks and Fairground Rides Introductions to Heritage Assets Summary
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Historic Amusement Parks and Fairground Rides Introductions to Heritage Assets Summary Historic England’s Introductions to Heritage Assets (IHAs) are accessible, authoritative, illustrated summaries of what we know about specific types of archaeological site, building, landscape or marine asset. Typically they deal with subjects which lack such a summary. This can either be where the literature is dauntingly voluminous, or alternatively where little has been written. Most often it is the latter, and many IHAs bring understanding of site or building types which are neglected or little understood. Many of these are what might be thought of as ‘new heritage’, that is they date from after the Second World War. With origins that can be traced to annual fairs and 18th-century pleasure grounds, and much influenced by America’s Coney Island amusement park of the 1890s, England has one of the finest amusement park and fairground ride heritages in the world. A surprising amount survives today. The most notable site is Blackpool Pleasure Beach, in Lancashire, which has an unrivalled heritage of pre-1939 fairground rides. Other early survivals in England include scenic railways at Margate and Great Yarmouth, and water splash rides in parks at Kettering, Kingston-upon-Hull and Scarborough that date from the 1920s. This guidance note has been written by Allan Brodie and edited by Paul Stamper. It is one is of several guidance documents that can be accessed HistoricEngland.org.uk/listing/selection-criteria/listing-selection/ihas-buildings/ Published by Historic England June 2015. All images © Historic England unless otherwise stated. HistoricEngland.org.uk/listing/ Front cover A modern aerial photograph of Blackpool Pleasure Beach showing the complex landscape that evolved during the 20th century. Contents Introduction .................................1 7 Types of early rollercoaster .. 15 7.1 Switchback railways .................................15 1 The origin of 7.2 Side friction rollercoasters and amusement parks ..................2 figure-of-eight rollercoasters ....................15 7.3 Scenic Railways .........................................15 1.1 Annual fairs ..................................................2 7.4 Under- friction rollercoasters ...................16 1.2 Pleasure gardens .........................................2 1.3 Coney Island ................................................3 8 Other fairground rides .......... 17 2 Blackpool pleasure beach .......5 8.1 Gallopers ....................................................17 8.2 Big Wheels .................................................17 8.3 Water Chutes .............................................17 3 Seaside amusement parks ......7 8.4 Swings .........................................................18 8.5 Smaller rides ..............................................18 4 Urban and rural amusement parks ..................9 9 Change and the future .......... 20 5 Development of large 9 Further reading .................... 21 fairground rides ................... 11 10 Acknowledgements .............. 22 6 The origins and development of rollercoasters ................... 12 Introduction England has some of the finest amusement park (Norfolk) and three water splash rides in parks at and fairground ride heritage in the world. The most Kettering (Northamptonshire), Kingston-upon-Hull notable site is Blackpool Pleasure Beach, in and Scarborough (North Yorkshire) that date from Lancashire, which has an unrivalled heritage of pre- the 1920s. 1939 fairground rides. These range from Sir Hiram Maxim’s Captive Flying Machine (1904) and the All fairground rides can be at risk due to River Caves (1905) to four inter-war rollercoasters changing visitor tastes, and the early wooden – the Big Dipper (1923), the Roller Coaster (now rollercoasters are especially vulnerable to the Nickelodeon Streak 1933), the Little Dipper fire. In 2008 a quarter of the Scenic Railway at (now the Blue Flyer (1934) and the Grand National Dreamland in Margate was destroyed by fire, (1935), the last Britain’s only surviving, historic, including the building containing the cars used twin-track, ‘racing’ rollercoaster. Worldwide there on the ride. However, this ride, and historic rides are only 35 rollercoasters which predate 1939, in general, are still sufficiently popular that a new which emphasises how special this grouping is. heritage amusement park is being established at Other early survivals in England include two scenic Dreamland, allowing visitors to enjoy dozens of railways at Margate (Kent) and Great Yarmouth rides and amusements from a past era. Figure 1 The August Fair at Bampton (Oxfordshire), which was it included stalls and some rides. This 1904 photograph important for the sale of horses, also served as a sort of by Henry William Taunt shows schoolchildren patiently carnival for neighbouring villages. Like other local fairs waiting to board the swings. < < Contents 1 1 The Origin of Amusement Parks The surviving seaside amusement parks at Blackpool, Great Yarmouth and Southport, Lancashire (re-opened), and Dreamland at Margate, were founded in the late 19th and early 20th century, but their origins can be traced back in Britain to the annual fairs that took place throughout the country and to the pleasure grounds that evolved during the 18th century. In addition, there is a clear debt to developments taking place across the Atlantic at Coney Island in Brooklyn (New York), where the earliest self- contained amusement parks established from the mid-1890s onwards provided the most direct model for Blackpool Pleasure Beach and subsequent amusement parks. 1.1 Annual fairs included an elephant, as well as perhaps the first recorded litter of liger cubs offered for show, while the annual fairs held in towns and villages where at one stage George Wombwell’s more famous goods were traded also provided opportunities and larger menagerie included twenty lions and for people to gather and enjoy entertainment five elephants. In the second half of the 19th (Fig 1). Although fairs were a temporary, though century the self-appointed ‘Lord’ George Sanger regular, event, there is evidence that at some (1825?-1911) became the most prominent circus fairgrounds permanent structures were erected. proprietor and menagerie owner, and through his Stourbridge Fair at Cambridge (Cambridgeshire) establishment of a permanent base in Margate was a notable commercial market and on its site he has a direct role in the origins of the town’s six or seven brick houses were built for visitors to Dreamland and the modern amusement park. dine in. At Weyhill (Hampshire) a range of former booths (listed Grade II) dating from the first half of the 19th century encloses an elongated U-shaped 1.2 Pleasure gardens yard. These were erected by hop growers to market their produce and are the last vestiges of a second strand in the origins of amusement parks Weyhill Fair, which was first documented in 1225. is the pleasure gardens that existed in London, major cities and seaside resorts. The earliest During the 18th and 19th centuries the had been created in London during the 17th commercial dimension of fairs declined in century. New Spring Gardens, later called Vauxhall favour of entertainment, and fairs were joined as Gardens, was opened in London soon after 1660 travelling attractions by circuses and menageries. and by the 18th century the city was said to have The menagerie of Thomas Atkins (1763/4-1848) more than 60 (Fig 2). 1 < < Contents 2 Figure 2 London’s Cremorne Gardens, in Chelsea, was This photograph shows the Fireworks Temple in established in 1843. the 1870s. The pleasure gardens of London were the in 1872. It provided its customers with fireworks, inspiration for similar attractions at England’s circus acts, dancing, acrobats and a range of emerging seaside resorts. One of the earliest was other lively spectacles. The Gardens contained at Margate where the remains of the medieval a substantial conservatory, as well as a Grand Dent-de-Lion fortified house at nearby Garlinge Pavilion capable of accommodating 10,000 people became a destination for visitors by the third and a dancing platform that catered for 4,000. quarter of the 18th century. The gateway of During the next 25 years new attractions were the house still survives and is listed Grade II*. added including a tricycle track, a camera obscura Margate’s Tivoli Gardens opened in 1829 providing and a switchback railway. Raikes Hall Gardens was a spacious park with a concert hall, a bowling in effect a proto-amusement park, a few miles green, an archery ground, refreshment rooms and from where Blackpool Pleasure Beach would walks. At nearby Broadstairs (Kent), the Ranelagh develop in the forthcoming decade. Gardens at St Peter’s was created as a replica of the Tivoli Gardens in Rome. Unusually, two of its buildings have survived (listed Grade II). 1.3 Coney Island At the other end of England the growing town Although Britain has a long tradition of providing of Blackpool (Lancashire) began to provide its enclosed pleasure gardens, the immediate visitors with pleasure grounds in the mid 19th antecedents for Blackpool Pleasure Beach and century. Belle Vue Gardens was created in the subsequent amusement parks in Britain were 1860s as an inland destination for visitors. Raikes in the entertainment complexes created along Hall Gardens opened nearby for its first full season the beach at Coney Island in New York. By the < < Contents 3 Figure 3 This photograph shows Sir