Dreamlan
d
MARGA T E
Save Dreamland Update November 2013
HISTORIC RIDES RESTORATION HAS BEGUN!
I am pleased to share the good news that work has now started on one of the rides that
will be opening at Dreamland in 2015: the Hurricane Jets. This ride is almost identical
to the Jets ride that operated in Dreamland from 1956/8, and survived until the 1970s.
The ride has been transported to ride restorer David Littleboy's new workshop near
Wakefield, and has already been inspected by ride expert Ken Rundle.
The delight of this 1950s ride is that the rider can control the elevation of the cars
by the operation of a joystick. Built by the Lang Wheels Company of Middlesex, these
popular rides could be found in many amusement parks, including Dreamland,
although the one we have acquired has spent its life on the travelling fairs .
This is the first of what we hope will be further announcements on ride
acquisitions over the next few weeks as we firm up our line-up. Our rides come from a
variety of sources, including Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Pleasureland Southport and
Dreamland Margate, and will represent different eras in the history of Dreamland and
UK amusement parks.
One very positive piece of ride-related news is that our initial inspection of the
rides stored on Dreamland is now complete and, despite our worry that the previous
owners had removed and scrapped a number of our rides, much more survives than we
expected, and most of the rides earmarked for Phase 1 are still on-site.
I will report further acquisitions and progress with restoration in future issues of
Mechanical Memories as we work hard to complete the park ready for Easter 2015
opening.
OPENING THE GATES TO DREAMLAND
Following the long and drawn out legal challenge, which saw the successful
conclusion of Thanet District Council's Compulsory Purchase Order of the Dreamland
site, we are delighted to announce that at mid-day on the 16 th November 2013, the
gates to the Dreamland Amusement Park site will be opened to the public for the first
time since the park closed in 2006.
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