I would have been too young to sample many of the bigger rides, but I do remember
them so well. Rides such as the octopus, gallopers and big wheel I had already seen at
the fair, but there were so many others that were completely new to me. I remember
my fascination with the jets and the sound of compressed air being expelled as they
were raised and lowered by their riders. The caterpillar and whip would soon become
firm favourites in just a year or two, but the scenic railway would have to wait until I
was quite a bit older.
Although I wouldn't have known it at the time, many of the rides and attractions
were quite elderly. Whilst rides such as the jets and paratrooper were relatively
modern, others were considerably older. The scenic railway was in its fifth decade, the
caterpillar too, and the whip wasn't too far behind. And yet, it didn't matter. It was a
fun place for families, with fun rides for everyone. That's how amusement parks were,
and it's how they should be now. Hopefully Dreamland will be once again, soon.
Dreamland wasn't just for kids - there was plenty of fun to be had for big kids
too! In later years, I remember a glorious summer's day in the late 1970s, when a
friend and I spent our lunch hour in the pub with two of the girls that worked in the
office. After a couple of pints we realised we were going to be late back, so we had
another. We then decided that no one was going to thank us for getting back late, so
after another pint, we all jumped on a train to Margate. When we arrived, we had
another quick pint or two, and then into Dreamland, where I recall we spent some
considerable time on the scenic railway. In those days, having paid full fare and done
the full circuit, you could then pay half fare and go round again. We spent a brilliant
afternoon in Dreamland, and we didn't even get the sack the following day!
However, my memories of Margate and Dreamland are not all pleasant. In 1991,
Sharron and I had not long been together, and I hadn't yet met her parents (I don' t
know who she was more ashamed of - me or them). Anyway, Sharron and I drove
down to Margate with a friend, having arranged to meet the future in-laws there. Well,
things started off OK, with the five of us spending most of the afternoon in the pub.
Having ascertained that the parents were nice people, were not in the least antagonistic
towards me for steeling away their daughter and were probably quite glad to see the
back of her, we then ventured on to Dreamland. Having consumed seven or eight
pints, I was hungry and needed something to eat. The others wandered off somewhere
whilst I eagerly tucked into some rather disgusting chicken and chips.
Dreamland was no longer the Dreamland I remembered so fondly. In the early
eighties it had been taken over by the Dutch Bembom brothers, who had completely
ruined the place by turning it into a white-knuckle theme park, pandering to the lowest
common denominator: youngsters, with their bottomless stash of disposable income.
They even ditched the name Dreamland and renamed the park 'Bembom Brothers' (so
much for imagination). Gone were the gentle river caves, the jets and the caterpillar, to
be replaced by hideous stomach-churning contraptions, which were of no interest to
me. The most terrifying of these was the looping star, a steel roller coaster that twisted
and turned its riders, and subjected them to a 360 degree loop.
Page 6