Dreamland
MARGATE
Save Dreamland Update November 2011
The urgent work to Dreamland' s Grade II* listed cinema building has pretty much
been under wraps, hidden behind scaffolding, but we will soon begin to see the results
of the works to the main tower when Coombs (Canterbury) Ltd start to take down the
scaffolding around the cinema's majestic 80ft high fin. The urgent work to the cinema
building is necessary to prevent any further deterioration to the listed building. Over
the next few weeks the removal of the scaffolding will gradually reveal Dreamland's
fully restored vertical lettering in a sort of architectonic strip tease.
Dreamland's iconic signage was installed in the 1970s, and replaced the original
1930s sans serif neon lettering. The Prince's Regeneration Trust's Conservation
Report identified a number of finishes and details as being degraded by neglect, later
interventions or clumsy repairs.
Under Thanet District Council's urgent works notice it has been possible to restore the
distinctive 1970s lighting scheme as a glowing invitation to the new Dreamland. The
letters were removed and sent to a specialist company to be restored; this involved
removing the yellow paint, polishing, re-wiring, painting the sides, replenishing the
bulbs and on-ground testing. The letters are being remounted as the contractor's work
progresses down the fin, with each letter being individually tested in situ.
In addition, TDC is investigating the costs of replacing the bulbs with LED lighting.
At present the incandescent bulbs are wired in series of five, meaning that if one
blows, five go out - producing a noticeable gap. LED lights would be connected in
parallel, meaning that only one bulb at a time fails. Even more importantly, LED
lights have a life of 100,000 hours (as opposed to 5,000 for a regular bulb), drastically
reducing maintenance costs. They are also much more energy efficient, making them
the environmentally-friendly choice. However, they are more expensive to install, so
we await news from TDC.
We anticipate that some of the sign will be visible and tested in time for Christmas -
watch this space!
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