Bollocks to Alton Towers
Encyclopedia
Travel book
Travel book may refer to:*Travel literature, a genre of literature*Guide book, documenting a geographic region or tourist destination or itinerary as an aid for tourists and travelers...
written by Robin Halstead, Jason Hazeley, Alex Morris and Joel Morris (the creators of The Framley Examiner
The Framley Examiner
The Framley Examiner is a parody of a newspaper in a small provincial English town.Very little happens in Framley, so the highlights in the newspaper are the absurdist classified ads The Framley Examiner ('Framley's traditional favourite since 1978') is a parody of a newspaper in a small...
), which showcases unusual attractions, left-field museums and one-off days out in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The introduction describes the book as "a collection of the underdogs of British tourism… [that] say more about Britain and the British than any number of corkscrew thrill rides or high-tech Interactive Visitor Experiences."
According to the book's information, the authors, on average, "were born on 2 November 1971 and live on Blackfriars Bridge
Blackfriars Bridge
Blackfriars Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge, carrying the A201 road. The north end is near the Inns of Court and Temple Church, along with Blackfriars station...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with their three-quarters of a partner and half a child each."
The book was published in hardback by Michael Joseph Ltd (an imprint of the Penguin Group
Penguin Group
The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
) in 2005. It was also published in paperback by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
in 2006.
A sequel, titled Far From the Sodding Crowd, was published in hardback in 2007. A paperback edition, More Bollocks to Alton Towers, (ISBN 0-14-102785-1) was published in April 2008.
A short documentary, Far From the Sodding Crowd, was made in 2009 and features some of the attractions included in both books, as well as writers Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris.
Contents
Attractions covered in the book:- Blackgang ChineBlackgang ChineBlackgang Chine is the location of a now-destroyed chine in the soft Cretaceous cliffs about 6 miles from Ventnor at the southern tip of the Isle of Wight just below St Catherine's Down. Since 1843 it has been home to the Blackgang Chine amusement park, run by the Dabell family who also run the...
- British Lawnmower Museum http://www.lawnmowerworld.co.uk/
- Peasholm ParkPeasholm ParkPeasholm Park is an oriental themed municipal park located in the seaside town of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1912 and became a favourite venue for galas, displays and exhibitions. The park was extended to include Peasholm Glen, a natural ravine, in 1924...
Naval Warfare http://www.peasholmpark.com - Louis Tussaud'sLouis TussaudLouis Tussaud was the great-grandson of madame Marie Tussaud. He created a waxwork museum in Blackpool, Lancashire.There were also Louis Tussaud wax museums in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in St...
House of Wax - Kelvedon HatchKelvedon HatchKelvedon Hatch is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Brentwood in south Essex, England. It is situated just north of Pilgrims Hatch, approximately to the north of Brentwood and is surrounded by Metropolitan Green Belt. The village today is no longer a rural backwater with a large...
Nuclear Bunker http://www.secretnuclearbunker.com/ - Porteath Bee Centre http://www.porteath-beecentre.co.uk/
- Mad Jack'sJohn 'Mad Jack' FullerJohn Fuller , better known as "Mad Jack" Fuller , was Squire of the hamlet of Brightling, in Sussex , and is well known as a builder of follies, and as a philanthropist, patron of the arts and sciences, and a supporter of slavery...
Sugar Loaf http://johnmadjackfuller.homestead.com/Sugarloaf.html - Keith and Dufftown RailwayKeith and Dufftown RailwayThe Keith and Dufftown Railway is a heritage railway in Scotland, running for from Keith Town railway station, Keith to Dufftown railway station, Dufftown via Drummuir ....
- The EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
Set - Pitt Rivers MuseumPitt Rivers MuseumThe Pitt Rivers Museum is a museum displaying the archaeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. The museum is located to the east of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and can only be accessed through that building.The museum was...
http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/ - Eden Ostrich World http://www.ostrich-world.com/
- Keith Harding's World of Mechanical Music http://www.mechanicalmusic.co.uk/
- Shah Jahan MosqueShah Jahan MosqueThe Shah Jahan Mosque is the first purpose-built mosque in Britain built 1889 in Woking, 30 miles south-west of London in Oriental Road.-Construction:...
http://www.shahjahanmosque.org.uk/ - The BeckhamDavid BeckhamDavid Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
Trail http://www.lbwf.gov.uk/index/leisure/places-of-interest/beckham-trail/ - Mother Shipton'sUrsula SoutheilUrsula Southeil , better known as Mother Shipton, was an English soothsayer and prophetess...
Cave and Dripping Well http://www.mothershiptonscave.com/ - Apollo PavilionApollo PavilionThe Apollo Pavilion, also known as the Pasmore Pavilion, is a controversial piece of public art in the new town of Peterlee in County Durham in the North East of England, designed by British artist and architect Victor Pasmore.-Design and construction:...
- Hamilton Toy Collection http://www.thehamiltontoycollection.co.uk/
- ImberImberImber is an uninhabited village in part of the British Army's training grounds on the Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England. It is situated in an isolated area of the Plain, about west of the A360 road between Tilshead and West Lavington, accessible only by military tracks...
http://www.public-interest.co.uk/imber/ - CumberlandCumberlandCumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
PencilPencilA pencil is a writing implement or art medium usually constructed of a narrow, solid pigment core inside a protective casing. The case prevents the core from breaking, and also from marking the user’s hand during use....
Museum http://www.pencils.co.uk/home.asp - Pack o' Cards Inn http://www.packocards.co.uk/
- DiggerlandDiggerlandDiggerland is the name of four theme parks in England based around the theme of diggers and JCBs. Diggerland is owned by the excavator hire firm H.E...
http://www.diggerland.com/ - Orford NessOrford NessOrford Ness is a cuspate foreland shingle spit on the Suffolk coast in Great Britain, linked to the mainland at Aldeburgh and stretching along the coast to Orford and down to North Wier Point, opposite Shingle Street. It is divided from the mainland by the River Alde, and was formed by longshore...
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/orfordness/ - The Wellcome Collection of Medical History
- Cast Courts http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/sculpture/sculpture_features/cast_collection/database/index.php
- Tebay Services http://www.westmorland.com/
- The Williamson TunnelsWilliamson's tunnelsThe Williamson Tunnels consist of a labyrinth of tunnels in the Edge Hill area of Liverpool, England, which were built under the direction of the eccentric businessman Joseph Williamson between the early 19th century and 1840. They remained derelict, filled with rubble and refuse, until...
in LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880... - Barometer WorldBarometer WorldBarometer World was established in 1979 by Philip Collins, is located in the village of Merton, near Great Torrington, Devon, UK and is the world's largest barometer museum . Barometer World makes, sells and restores barometers of a variety of types.-History:...
http://www.barometerworld.co.uk/ - PortmeirionPortmeirionPortmeirion is a popular tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village and is now owned by a charitable trust....
http://www.portmeirion-village.com/ - Edinburgh Camera ObscuraCamera obscuraThe camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side...
and World of Illusions http://www.camera-obscura.co.uk/ - The Dinosaur Park and Tidal Lake http://www.bromley.gov.uk/leisure/parksandcountryside/crystal-palace-park.htm/
- House of MarblesMarblesA marble is a small spherical toy usually made from glass, clay, steel, or agate. These balls vary in size. Most commonly, they are about ½ inch in diameter, but they may range from less than ¼ inch to over 3 inches , while some art glass marbles fordisplay purposes are over 12 inches ...
http://www.houseofmarbles.com/ - Dennis Severs' House http://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/
- Bletchley ParkBletchley ParkBletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ - The WorkhouseWorkhouseIn England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
Museum http://www.riponmuseums.co.uk/ - Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch http://www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk/
- South Bridge Vaults http://www.mercattours.co.uk/
- GnomeGnomeA gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
Magic http://www.gnomemagic.co.uk/ - A La RondeA La RondeA La Ronde is an 18th-century 16-sided house located near Lympstone, Exmouth, Devon, England, and in the ownership of the National Trust. The house was built for two spinster cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter.-History:...
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ - Port SunlightPort SunlightPort Sunlight is a model village, suburb and electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is located between Lower Bebington and New Ferry, on the Wirral Peninsula. Between 1894 and 1974 it formed part of Bebington urban district within the county of Cheshire...
http://www.portsunlightvillage.com/ - MorpethMorpeth, NorthumberlandMorpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
BagpipeBagpipesBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
Museum http://www.bagpipemuseum.org.uk/ - BekonscotBekonscotBekonscot in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, is the oldest original model village in the world.It portrays aspects of England mostly dating from the 1930s. Bekonscot has been run by the Church Army since 1978 and donates large amounts of money to charity...
Model Village http://www.bekonscot.co.uk/ - AveburyAveburyAvebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles which is located around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, south west England. Unique amongst megalithic monuments, Avebury contains the largest stone circle in Europe, and is one of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain...
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ - Christ's HousePanacea SocietyThe Panacea Society is a religious group based in Bedford, England. The Society was founded by Mabel Barltrop in 1919 at 12 Albany Road, Bedford. Its inspiration was and is the teachings of the Devonshire prophetess Joanna Southcott . Barltrop took the name Octavia and believed herself to be...
Trivia
The final testimonial quote on the back of the paperback edition (published in March 2006) is:'A very, very witty, charming book' - Russell Barnes, General Manager, Alton Towers
Some copies display the first word of the title as B**locks on the cover (front, back and spine). However the word remains uncensored inside.
External links
- Book's official website at penguin.co.uk
- Far From the Sodding Crowd (Film)