Dreamland Margate
Encyclopedia
Dreamland
Margate is an amusement park
located in Margate
, Kent
, England
. It is currently owned by Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company (MTCRC) and is closed to the public. MTCRC along with The Dreamland Trust are currently redeveloping the site as the world's first amusement park of historic rides; the centrepiece of which is the Scenic Railway; the oldest roller coaster in the UK and a Grade II* Listed Structure, upgraded from Grade II in 2011.
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
on the site of what is now Dreamland Cinema. The LCDR subsequently failed to secure
Parliamentary approval for its Private Bill, so the station, already built in the expectation of receiving Assent to the Bill, remained unused and unconnected to the railway network. Dreamland’s origin dates from 1863 when the railway catering contractors Spiers and Pond opened a restaurant
and dance hall in the unused railway terminus on the Mere causeway. Not being very successful the ‘Hall by the Sea’ was bought by the Reeve family of Margate in 1870 for £3,750 who gradually also acquired the low lying land at the rear of the Hall.
In 1870 circus entrepreneur George Sanger went into partnership in 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. The land behind 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. Cages and gothick walls on the Dreamland western and southern boundaries (listed Grade II) date from this time. One of the main purposes of the menagerie was to act as a breeding and training centre for the animals used in the 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 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 prostitute 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 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 and Pittsburgh.
Inspired by Coney Island
which he had visited in 1906, Iles renamed 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 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 bought other rides common to the time to the park including 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 Iles was responsible for the building of the 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 the construction of the Dreamland Cinema complex in 1934 which stands to this day. 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 re-opening in June 1946 with Eric Iles as manager and, from 1947, investment from Butlins
.
Three generations of the Iles family – John Henry, Eric and John, were to control 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 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. 1980 saw the opening of a 240-seater 148 ft high Big wheel
.
In 1981 the site was purchased by the Dutch
Bembom Brothers. They already owned owned several other amusement parks in continental Europe and renamed the site Bembom Brothers White Knuckle Theme Park, bringing in a new headline attraction in the form of the Anton Schwarzkopf
designed Looping Star roller coaster. The name change lasted until 1990, when it was reverted to Dreamland. Amongst other changes that they made included ceasing evening opening 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 the United Kingdom.
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 they removed a number of the rides to other theme parks that they owned. The Looping Star (Great America)went to an amusement park in Budpest with the looping boat ride The Mary Rose.The looping Star's sister ride made a brief appearance for 2 seasons at Margate (Previously at Camelot Theme park).The loop was in the middle of the ride rather than at the front of the ride 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 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 and the land become a retail and commercial site. Public opinion supported continued use of the Dreamland site as an amusement park, along with a government report in 2004. As a result, Dreamland was sold to Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company in 2005 for £20m. A number of local residents have formed the Save Dreamland Campaign. The campaign proposes to turn Dreamland into a Heritage Amusement Park consisting of a number of vintage rides and attractions from other British amusement parks. Some rides have already been obtained by Save Dreamland and are currently in storage.
Although it was initially announced that Dreamland would close in November 2003, it did indeed operate during 2004 and 2005. Dreamland was closed to the public in 2005 and all of the rides apart from the Scenic Railway were removed from the site. The Scenic Railway had been granted Grade-II listed status in 2002 and could not be moved or dismantled.
Part of the Scenic Railway was destroyed by fire after an arson
attack on April 7, 2008. About 25% of the structure, the station and storage sheds were destroyed along with the trains 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 was salvaged and stored on site.
On April 25, 2008 the Dreamland Cinema had its 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
,no longer operates after it was closed in 2007 following the opening of a new multiplex
cinema at Westwood Cross
.
to restore the Scenic Railway and to develop the former Dreamland site as necessary for rejuvenation. Some historic rides from other parks have already been donated to the Dreamland Trust for installation at Dreamland, the majority of unique old rides from Pleasureland Southport
where donated which include the 1940s Caterpillar ride
, King Solomons Mines wooden rollercoaster (formorly 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 Pleasure Beach Blackpool
was also donated.
, O Dreamland
. It was also visited by characters in the 1989 Christmas special of BBC Television
sitcom, Only Fools and Horses
. Some of the rides seen in the sitcom were renamed and repainted at Loudoun Castle
Theme Park in Scotland (Now closed). The Mary Rose was renamed to the Black Pearl and is now at Lightwater Valley
. It was also the filming location for the 2007 film Exodus. This park featured prominently in the 2000 film Last Resort, about a young Russian immigrant seeking asylum in England.
The Romford based band "Five Star
" shot the majority of the video for their 1984 single "Crazy" at Dreamland
Dreamland
-Amusement parks:* Dreamland at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York* Dreamland * Dreamland Margate, in Kent, UK* Nara Dreamland, near Nara, Japan* Yokohama Dreamland, in Yokohama, Japan...
Margate is an amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
located in Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is currently owned by Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company (MTCRC) and is closed to the public. MTCRC along with The Dreamland Trust are currently redeveloping the site as the world's first amusement park of historic rides; the centrepiece of which is the Scenic Railway; the oldest roller coaster in the UK and a Grade II* Listed Structure, upgraded from Grade II in 2011.
History
The Dreamland site was a salt marshSalt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
known as the Mere that was inundated at high tide until 1809 when a causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
and seawall
Seawall
A seawall is a form of coastal defence constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation and leisure activities from the action of tides and waves...
were built. In 1846 a railway terminus was built on the present Arlington site
Margate railway station
Margate railway station serves the town of Margate in Thanet in Kent, England. Train services are provided by Southeastern.Trains from the station generally run to London Victoria via , or to via Ramsgate, Canterbury West and Ashford International...
for the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
, followed in 1864 by a further terminus, for the rival London, Chatham and Dover Railway
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...
on the site of what is now Dreamland Cinema. The LCDR subsequently failed to secure
Parliamentary approval for its Private Bill, so the station, already built in the expectation of receiving Assent to the Bill, remained unused and unconnected to the railway network. Dreamland’s origin dates from 1863 when the railway catering contractors Spiers and Pond opened a restaurant
and dance hall in the unused railway terminus on the Mere causeway. Not being very successful the ‘Hall by the Sea’ was bought by the Reeve family of Margate in 1870 for £3,750 who gradually also acquired the low lying land at the rear of the Hall.
In 1870 circus entrepreneur George Sanger went into partnership in 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. The land behind 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. Cages and gothick walls on the Dreamland western and southern boundaries (listed Grade II) date from this time. One of the main purposes of the menagerie was to act as a breeding and training centre for the animals used in the 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 a system of levers to pitch and roll as though at sea – a direct antecedent of the contemporary ‘flight simulator
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
’ 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 prostitute 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 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 and Pittsburgh.
Inspired by Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
which he had visited in 1906, Iles renamed 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 from inventor and patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
holder LaMarcus Adna Thompson
LaMarcus Adna Thompson
LaMarcus Adna Thompson was a US inventor and businessman most famous for developing many highly enjoyable gravity rides.-Early years:...
. The ride opened to the public in 1920 with great success, carrying half a million passengers in its first year. Iles also bought other rides common to the time to the park including 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 Iles was responsible for the building of the Margate's lido
Lido
The Lido is an 11 km long sandbar located in Venice, northern Italy, home to about 20,000 residents. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido every September.-Geography:...
on the seafront. Between 1920 and 1935 he invested over £500,000 in the site, constantly adding new rides and facilities and culminating in the construction of the Dreamland Cinema complex in 1934 which stands to this day. 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 re-opening in June 1946 with Eric Iles as manager and, from 1947, investment from Butlins
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
.
Three generations of the Iles family – John Henry, Eric and John, were to control 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 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. 1980 saw the opening of a 240-seater 148 ft high Big wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
.
In 1981 the site was purchased by the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Bembom Brothers. They already owned owned several other amusement parks in continental Europe and renamed the site Bembom Brothers White Knuckle Theme Park, bringing in a new headline attraction in the form of the Anton Schwarzkopf
Anton Schwarzkopf
Anton Schwarzkopf was a German engineer of amusement rides, and founder of the Schwarzkopf Industries company, which built numerous rides and large roller coasters for both amusement parks and travelling funfairs....
designed Looping Star roller coaster. The name change lasted until 1990, when it was reverted to Dreamland. Amongst other changes that they made included ceasing evening opening 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 the United Kingdom.
In 1996 the Bembom family sold the site to local entrepreneur Jimmy Godden who had previously operated the Rotunda Amusement Park at Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
and Ramsgate Pleasure Park at Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
. At this time they removed a number of the rides to other theme parks that they owned. The Looping Star (Great America)went to an amusement park in Budpest with the looping boat ride The Mary Rose.The looping Star's sister ride made a brief appearance for 2 seasons at Margate (Previously at Camelot Theme park).The loop was in the middle of the ride rather than at the front of the ride before leaving again for its current home Loudon Castle
Loudoun Castle (theme park)
Loudoun Castle was a theme park set around the ruins of the 19th century Loudoun Castle near Galston, in the Loudoun area of Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. The park opened in 1995, and closed at the end of the 2010 season...
theme park where it is called the Twist n' Shout
Twist n' Shout
Twist n' Shout was a steel looping roller coaster located at Loudoun Castle Theme Park in Galston, south-west Scotland. It opened in 2003 as a part of the new rides line-up brought in by new owner Henk Bembom. Twist n' Shout remained one of the most popular rides in the park until its closure in 2010...
. 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 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
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
In 2003, Godden announced that Dreamland would close and the land become a retail and commercial site. Public opinion supported continued use of the Dreamland site as an amusement park, along with a government report in 2004. As a result, Dreamland was sold to Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company in 2005 for £20m. A number of local residents have formed the Save Dreamland Campaign. The campaign proposes to turn Dreamland into a Heritage Amusement Park consisting of a number of vintage rides and attractions from other British amusement parks. Some rides have already been obtained by Save Dreamland and are currently in storage.
Although it was initially announced that Dreamland would close in November 2003, it did indeed operate during 2004 and 2005. Dreamland was closed to the public in 2005 and all of the rides apart from the Scenic Railway were removed from the site. The Scenic Railway had been granted Grade-II listed status in 2002 and could not be moved or dismantled.
Part of the Scenic Railway was destroyed by fire after an arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
attack on April 7, 2008. About 25% of the structure, the station and storage sheds were destroyed along with the trains 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 was salvaged and stored on site.
On April 25, 2008 the Dreamland Cinema had its 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
John Compton (organ builder)
John Compton , born in Newton Burgoland, Leicestershire, was a pipe organ builder. His business based in Nottingham and London flourished between 1902 and 1965.-Life:...
theatre organ
Theatre organ
A theatre organ is a pipe organ originally designed specifically for imitation of an orchestra. New designs have tended to be around some of the sounds and blends unique to the instrument itself....
,no longer operates after it was closed in 2007 following the opening of a new multiplex
Multiplex (movie theater)
A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens, typically three or more. They are usually housed in a specially designed building. Sometimes, an existing venue undergoes a renovation where the existing auditoriums are split into smaller ones, or more auditoriums are added in an...
cinema at Westwood Cross
Westwood Cross
Westwood Cross is a shopping centre in Westwood in Thanet, Kent. It is circled by Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate. It was built by Carillion and opened in June 2005...
.
Future
The Scenic Railway forms the focus of the rejuvenation of Dreamland as an amusement park of historic rides as overseen by the Dreamland Trust. This will see the Scenic Railway repaired and restored and new trains built or acquired. On 16 November 2009, the Dreamland Trust was awarded a grant by the UK Department for Culture, Media and SportDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
to restore the Scenic Railway and to develop the former Dreamland site as necessary for rejuvenation. Some historic rides from other parks have already been donated to the Dreamland Trust for installation at Dreamland, the majority of unique old rides from Pleasureland Southport
Pleasureland Southport
New Pleasureland, previously named Pleasureland, is an amusement park located in Southport, Merseyside, England. The original park operated from 1912 to 2006 and was closed by the parent Blackpool Pleasure Beach company due to what they stated was a lack of returns after investment...
where donated which include the 1940s Caterpillar ride
Caterpillar ride
The Caterpillar ride is a vintage flat ride engineered by the inventor Hyla F. Maynes of North Tonawanda, New York who dubbed it the Caterpillar when it debuted in Coney Island, NY in 1925. It is a fast-paced ride that generates a decent helping of centrifugal force, causing the riders on the...
, King Solomons Mines wooden rollercoaster (formorly of Frontierland, Morecambe
Frontierland, Morecambe
Frontierland Western Theme Park was a theme park at Morecambe, Lancashire, England, situated on Marine Road West, which operated from 1909 to 7 November 1999, with a final year consisting of only travelling rides in 2000...
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 Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Pleasure Beach Blackpool is a family owned amusement park and resort situated along the Fylde coast in Blackpool, England. It is the most visited amusement park in the United Kingdom, and one of the top twenty most-visited amusement parks in the world with an estimate of 5.5 million visitors in...
was also donated.
In popular culture
Dreamland was the subject of a 1953 documentary filmDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, O Dreamland
O Dreamland
O Dreamland is a 1953 documentary by British film director Lindsay Anderson.The documentary was made in 1953 by Anderson and his camerman/assistant, John Fletcher, using a single 16mm camera and an audiotape recorder...
. It was also visited by characters in the 1989 Christmas special of BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
sitcom, Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
. Some of the rides seen in the sitcom were renamed and repainted at Loudoun Castle
Loudoun Castle
Loudoun Castle is a ruined 19th century country house near Galston, in the Loudoun area of Ayrshire, Scotland. The ruins are protected as a category A listed building.-History:...
Theme Park in Scotland (Now closed). The Mary Rose was renamed to the Black Pearl and is now at Lightwater Valley
Lightwater Valley
Lightwater Valley is a theme park in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. The park is perhaps best known for being the home of Europe’s longest rollercoaster - The Ultimate....
. It was also the filming location for the 2007 film Exodus. This park featured prominently in the 2000 film Last Resort, about a young Russian immigrant seeking asylum in England.
The Romford based band "Five Star
Five Star
Five Star are a British pop / R&B group, formed in 1983. Comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson, they were known for their flamboyant image, matching costumes and heavily choreographed dance routines...
" shot the majority of the video for their 1984 single "Crazy" at Dreamland