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The continuing story
of John Wardley
7th December 2024
John Wardley is a retired consultant who
specialised in concept design and development for the theme park
and other mass tourism and leisure industries
His new book,
Life after Nemesis,
has been published and is available at Joyland Books.
The book takes over from where his previous
best-selling book,
Creating my own
Nemesis, left off. As well as describing behind the
scenes details of subsequent rides such as "Wicker Man", "The
Curse at Alton Manor" and "Nemesis Reborn", the book discusses
the origins and history of rollercoasters, dark rides, log
flumes and other theme park attractions.
More...
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Used
amusement park books from the 1990s added
8 September 2024
Heading
out to the fair with Fairground Lorries
25 August 2024
Heading out to the fair with
Fairground Lorries by
Carl Johnson. With a wealth of nostalgic and modern era
images, this new book offers a fascinating and unique pictorial
record of fairground lorries in the UK.
The days of the fairground
operating with steam traction engines have long since gone – the
next vehicles to enter the tobers were the internal combustion
engine, lorries with both petrol and diesel engines being used.
As time went on these old vehicles were brought up to date, and
today include modern high-powered lorries, some in articulated
form, to cope with the ever-increasing demands of sophisticated
trailer-mounted loads and greater distances to travel. More...
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Used
circus books added
1 April 2024
Belper's fairground heritage
1 April 2024
This is the long overdue history of a town with a
great fairground history.
Belper's
Fairground Heritage by Neil Calladine tells the story of
a fair that has been coming to Belper for hundreds of years.
It demonstrates that showpeople have strong
roots, with families associated with the fair living and working
in Belper for many years. There is focus on two such families:
the Halls and the Proctors.
The book provides much detail on Belper's fair,
with lots of detail on the people who owned and operated the
fairs which will be o great interest to people with an interest
in local history and fairground historians.
More...
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Joby Carter's two books on fairground signwriting available now
30
March 2024
In 2020, with interest in
signwriting exploding, Joby Carter co-published his first
signwriting and fairground art book with designer Scarlett
Rickard.
Signwriting Tips, Tricks and Inspiration has since sold
10,000 copies to readers based in over 50 countries around the
world. It is an entertaining and immersive guide to the
wonderful world of traditional signwriting and fairground art.
More...
In Novmber 2023, Joby published
his second book
All the Fonts
of the Fair, which features 26 beautiful fairground
inspired alphabets which were all designed and painted using
traditional signwriting techniques.
More...
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The
autobiography of showman John Culine MBE published
14 January 2024
John Culine was born in a caravan on May 31st 1947. At the age
of 11 he left school and began the way of life previously led by
his celebrated ancestors, stars of the worlds of circus and fun
fairs.
John learned the trade - the life
- well and went on to not only become the President of the
Showmen's Guild and recipient of an MBE for his untiring work on
behalf of showmen and many charities, but he also became Mayor
of Spennymoor.
The Mayor from the
Fair by John Culine is the story of a man and his
amazing heritage. You will laugh, you will cry, you will help
repair engines, paint stalls and enjoy the smell of candy floss
and hot dogs. You will love seeing the crowds flock for their
own fun of the fair.
More...
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Used fairground and circus books added to the Secondhand Shop
2 January 2024
Happy New Year from Joyland Books!
We have significantly expanded two
departments of our Secondhand
Shop. We have added lots of new
Fairground and
Circus books to the
store, and to celebrate the New Year we have also reduced a
number of items in the various departments, so it is a chance to
snap up a bargain. As these are secondhand books, when they are
gone, they are gone.
Visit our main departments for
used books:
Fairground
Circus
Amusement Parks
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New release Disney theme parks documentary and special offer
31 December 2023
The sixth and final DVD in the
Disneyland California documentary series has been released.
Disneyland
2000-2009 shares the history of Disneyland during the
infancy of the new Millennium including the parades added, the
closing of some shops and eateries and the addition of three new
attractions: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh; Buzz
Lightyear Astro Blaster; and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.
More...
We have also added a special
offer. Buy all eight 'Theme Park Series' DVDs and save £15! This
series includes a documentary about Walt Disney World in Florida
and Disney's California Adventure Theme Park. More details of
this offer at the bottom of the
Disneyland
2000-2009 page.
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'The Land' and
'Ride-Thru' series of DVDs added
30 December 2023
Joyland Books has added a new
range of DVDs from Theme Parkology. 'The Land Series'
(Disneyland) and 'Ride-Thru Series' (Walt Disney World) provide
a front-row view of some of the most famous attractions at these
two parks. The following titles have been added:
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The Story of the Rowland Family
30 December 2023
The Romany and Traveller Family
History Society has published
Fairground Destiny:
The story of the Rowland family. It’s the latest book
from Frances Brown, the highly regarded author of fairground
history and Traveller family history books.
In this first ever published
account of the Rowland family, Frances traces her ancestors’
lives as they evolve from 18th century hawkers, dealers and
basket-makers to become 21st century riding-masters, one of the
leading names on the British fairground.
It is available at Joyland
Books at a reduced price. many of our titles are sold at a
significant discount from the RRP.
More...
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Updated version of travelling showman biography
29 December 2023
The Life of a
Showman by Martin MacGilp is based on the Second Edition
of the biography of David Prince Miller. It has been edited,
with an essay and other additional material on Miller by MacGilp
and is published on the Gilpress imprint.
With over 350 pages, the book has
been fully-indexed, along with the addition of a genealogical
chart, and 39 illustrations, some of which are being published
for the first time.
This publication brings
together Miller’s lively text, a new essay on Miller and his
life, and additional information on his children,
grand-children, and great-grandchildren, particularly those who
became involved with theatricals.
More...
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Memories of a reluctant
traveller
28 December 2023
Jean Stirling, of Penicuik, has
released a memoir about her life growing up as part of a family
of travelling showpeople in Scotland.
Flattie tells the story
of her 'merry-go-round' life on the road with her family's fair.
The book is an insight into the
culture of travelling showpeople during the 1940s to 1960s, and
is a personal account of this way of life. In this period, fairs
opened at almost every highland games event and on miner's gala
days.
Jean's life on the road was a
result of her mother (who was not a traveller) meeting her Dad,
who was a serving soldier in World War 2, but not being aware
that he was a showman. Hence, this wonderful life began.
More...
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Mont
Blancs and Airways
27 December 2023
Prolific fairground authors Kevin
Scrivens and Stephen Smith have assembled another of their
comprehensive ride surveys.
Mont Blancs and
Airways divides the rides into separate chapters, listed
under their owner, and provides the history of the individual
ride, illustrated by black and white photos.
More...
Other ride surveys available on
Joyland Books:
Scenic Railways
Gallopers
Moonrockets
Steam Yachts
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Mont Blancs
and Airways by Scrivens and Smith |
Illustrated history
of the Thurstons
9 May 2023
One of the most prolific writing
partnerships in the fairground world is that of Kevin Scrivens
and Stephen Smith. Their books are known not only for their
accuracy and interest, but also for the in-depth approach they
take to each subject, aiming to produce books that become the
definitive work on a specific subject.
The Famous Thurstons: An Illustrated History is their
latest work. The name of Thurston is recognised amongst
travelling showmen throughout Britain. As the Fairground Society
published the original version of the Famous Thurstons, it
seemed only right and proper that they should do it again. This
is a glimpse into fairground history.
More...
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Origins of
the Stamford Mid-Lent Pleasure Fair
8 May 2023
Joyland Books is proud to be a
supplier of independently and self-published books, that are
hard to find online and in bookshops.
Stamford
Fairs and Markets by Keith Hansell is a perfect example
of why Joyland Books exists.
Markets and annual fairs have been
held in the streets of Stamford since Saxon times. Originally
established for trading specific goods and livestock, they have
adapted over the centuries, resulting nowadays in the Friday
market and mid-Lent funfair. Keith Hansell looks at the history
and origins of the Mid-Lent Fair through the great markets and
fairs of the town, supported by numerous black & white
photographs, many never seen before.
More...
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A Tale of
Murder and deceit in Edwardian England
16 April 2023
On 28 November 1911 a retired
showman died violently at his home in North London. Known to the
world as Lord George Sanger, he was once the biggest name in
show business, and was venerated as a national institution. He
was a circus entrepreneur and co-founder of what would become
Dreamland in Margate - Hall by the Sea.
The Killing of
Lord George by Karl Shaw tells the story of the death of
the internationally famous showman, which was reported in the
newspapers and received with horror and disbelief. The brutal
slaying of a defenceless old man was one thing. The idea that it
was done in his own home by a trusted employee was quite
another. More...
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British Wall of Death
1929-1939
15 January 2023
Stories behind the sensational
motorcycle act the Wall of Death are told in a new book from the
daughter of two of the riders. Ann Wright has written
British
Wall of Death 1929-1939, with Alan Mercer.
More...
More on the Wall of Death:
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James Newsome's Grand Circus
13 February 2022
A new book has been released
chronicling the history of
James
Newsome's Grand Circus by Stuart McMillan.
The book is about James Newsome,
born on June 4th 1824. He started out as an apprentice at
Astley's Amphitheatre in London, under William Batty, and became
one of the leading equestrians and horse-breakers of the day. He
then started out in partnership with other circus performers,
later starting out on his own, building over 60 wooden circuses
which held 2,000 to 3,000 people all over the country. For 40
years, Newsome's Grand Circus was known throughout the country
as one of the good circuses with good acts. This book is the
full story of James Newsome and his grand circus.
More...
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More circus
history books added to our Circus Bookstore
2 January 2022
The 'Theme
Park Series' of DVDs now available
31 December 2020
The making of a
fairground showman
22 November 2020
David Slattery-Christy’s book
Traveller's Tale: the Making of a Fairground Showman
gives us an insight into the life of his grandfather Reg
Pratley, born in a small Berkshire village called Appleton near
Oxford, who literally ran away to realise his dream to be a
fairground showman.
He worked and toured with the
famous William (Billy) Nichols fairground empire and established
himself as a Master Showman by the time of his death.
It is also a fascinating
insight into the life in those small rural communities of that
period; a life that has now all but disappeared. All copies
signed by the author.
More...
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The brief and brilliant life of Boston's million dollar amusement
park
22 November 2020
If you take Boston's Blue Line to
its northern end, you'll reach the Wonderland stop. Few realize
that a 23-acre amusement park once sat nearby - the largest in
New England, and grander than any of the Coney Island parks that
inspired it. Opened in Revere on Memorial Day in 1906 to great
fanfare, Wonderland offered hundreds of thousands of visitors
recreation by the sea, just a short distance from downtown
Boston.
The story of the park's creation and wild, but brief, success is
full of larger-than-life characters who hoped to thrill
attendees and rake in profits. In
Lost Wonderland,
Stephen R. Wilk describes the planning and history of the park,
which featured early roller coasters, a scenic railway, a
central lagoon in which a Shoot-the-Chutes boat plunged, an
aerial swing, a funhouse, and more. More...
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History of famous Devon fair and its many characters
22 November 2020
Martin Burridge developed a
fascination with Barnstaple Fair when his mother took him and
his siblings to the fair before he started school.
That childhood fascination
developed into a serious involvement and study of the fairground
business.
Barnstaple
Charter Fair by Martin Burridge traces the history of
the fair and introduces readers to some of the more colourful
characters, the presenters and performers of the old time shows
that have enlivened it. Illustrated with colour and black &
white photographs throughout.
More...
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Updated version of Battersea Fun Fair book now available
31 August 2020
An updated version of
Battersea Fun Fair
1951-1974 by Robert Preedy and Nick Laister is now
available (from the August Bank Holiday weekend 2020). The first
edition of this book sold out within weeks of being published,
so the authors decided to create an updated version, which not
only made a number of corrections from the first edition, it
also adds new information and photographs. The book also comes
with a Foreword by author Laurence Staig, whose father operated
some of the Fun Fair's best-loved sideshows, including the Globe
of Death, the Spider Lady, the Invisible Ray, the Wowl, the
Hands of Dracula, the Speed Boat and the Space Rocket. Copies of
the book are now in stock and being dispatched to everybody who
placed an advance order.
More...
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Second volume of the story of Victorian Britain's premier equestrian
circus is out now
8 August 2020
Hengler's Grand Cirque Volume One
and Two is the definitive biography of Hengler's Circus.
Volume One is a
371 page book which tells the story of the early Hengler
circus family, starting their first circus, and the death of
Charles Hengler. In that time Charles Hengler had gone from
tenting circuses, to temporary wooden circuses and finally
building substantial circus buildings in London, Glasgow,
Liverpool, Dublin and Hull.
Volume
Two of Hengler's Circus picks up where the first volume
left off, taking the story right through to 1922. More...
More circus books...
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Britain's Victorian Resorts
8 June 2020
Bradshaw's Guide of 1863 was the
staple book on what's what and where's where for the
mid-Victorians and it gives the modern reader a unique insight
into the world of the nineteenth-century railway travellers. The
guide introduced the notion of seaside holidays to the general
public and thanks to the railways it became possible for a town
or city dweller to catch a train for a day-trip to the coast and
still be home in time for supper.
Using Bradshaw's Guide
illustrated with contemporary images and seaside postcards, in
Bradshaw at
the Seaside, John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon
take us on a tour of Britain's Victorian resorts. More...
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The amazing story of
'Britain's Barnum'
19 April 2020
Dancing off the page like
real-life Dickens, this autobiography of Victorian circus
pioneer and the man who first brought an amusement park to the
Dreamland site in Margate, ‘Lord’ George Sanger, is dark, fun
and irresistible. As befits a man who lived by his wits, he
tells a great story – letting us enter the wild world of 19th
century peep-shows, menageries, freaks and travelling fairs.
Written in 1910, this neglected
gem of Victorian life has been wonderfully rediscovered. The new
edition of
Seventy Years a Showman by 'Lord' George Sanger adds
gorgeous illustrations, many from Dickens collaborator George
Cruikshank, plus a useful introduction and index, and a foreword
by Wind in the Willows author Kenneth Grahame.
More...
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The
remarkable history of a fairground family
19 April 2020
The Studt family of South Wales
were amongst the earliest presenters of amusements to the public
at fairs and gatherings in Great Britain in the 19th Century.
From hand-turned machinery travelled by horses they were very
early in the field of applying steam to the propulsion of their
rides and for haulage purposes.
Their earliest manually propelled
rides featured hand turned mechanical organs. Over the years
they operated over forty steam road engines, and were in the
forefront of changing to more modern diesel powered vehicles in
the 1930s. Their detailed story is set out in
Studts of South
Wales: The Remarkable History of a Fairground Family by
Kevin Scrivens and Stephen Smith.
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A life with
Burrell, Fowler & Scammell
14 April 2020
The
official biography of Charlie Cairoli published
19 January 2020
For 39 Summer Seasons Charlie
Cairoli entertained and delighted audiences who witnessed his
hilarious antics at the world famous Blackpool Tower Circus. A
much celebrated and popular clown in his trade mark bowler hat,
red nose and baggy trousers, he became synonymous with the Tower
Circus. Sadly, he is no longer with us. It is in his memory that
this book has been published, its objective to perpetuate the
memory of the king of slapstick and master of adlib.
On Friday 1st November 2019, in
the ring of the World Famous Blackpool Tower, the long awaited
Book,
Charlie Cairoli - 39 Years Under The Tower by Nigel Male
and Steven Richley was published.
More...
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A
reflection on over 40 years of fairground enthusiasm
19 January 2020
Northern Fairgrounds in Photographs by Bernard Mitchell
is packed full of colour and black & white photographs of
fairgrounds in the north of England over the past 40 years.
A local fair 40 or 50 years ago
would have a waltzer, a dodgem and often a speedway, usually
owned by members of the same family presented as part of their
annual run of places. The skid was also popular. The decor on
their painted wooden boards reflected the cultural themes of the
times.
More...
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Long awaited Battersea Fun Fair history book available January
30 December 2019
Battersea Fun Fair, London (UK),
was a special place. Millions of Londoners would spend their
weekends and bank holidays on the many rides and attractions,
which included the famous Big Dipper roller coaster and the
Water Chute. The park began as the Festival Pleasure Gardens,
part of the 1951 Festival of Britain, and closed in the
mid-1970s.
In
Battersea Fun Fair
1951-1974, authors Robert Preedy and Nick Laister tell
the full story of one of Britain's most fondly remembered
amusement parks. The book is out on 20th January 2020
and can be pre-ordered exclusively from Joyland Books.
More...
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History of famous Merseyside amusement park and tower
8 September 2019
New Brighton in Merseyside was home to a significant amusement
park with a wooden roller coaster, gallopers, waltzer,
helter skelter, big wheel, chairlift and much more
as well as a tower that looked similar to the Blackpool Tower.
One of the most important structures ever built in Victorian
Britain, the tallest building in the land, it stood at 567 feet.
The Tower Theatre, sited between
the legs of the tower, could accommodate an audience of 2,500,
while the ballroom the largest in the North could entertain
another 1000 couples dancing the night away. Its Pleasure
Grounds were one of the best fun parks on the British coast and
continued long after the Tower had been demolished.
The History of New Brighton Tower and Grounds by Roy Dutton
takes a walk down memory lane.
More...
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A photo
history of a legendary amusement park
8 September 2019
A photo history of how a fabled
Chautauqua and legendary amusement park became a thriving arts
colony is now available from Joyland Books.
Glen
Echo Park: A Story of Survival by Richard cook and
Deborah Lange features over 100 historic photos of Glen Echo
Park from the Richard Cook collection, including 26 photos from
the Chautauqua era and 62 photos from the amusement park era -
the most comprehensive history of the park available. It
includes over 10 photographs of the Glen Echo park roller
coasters and six photos of troller cars at Glen Echo.
Filled with delightful
anecdotes, fascinating historical nuggets, and extraordinary
photos that will be treasured by all who love Glen Echo Park.
More...
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Glen
Echo Park Carousel history book back in stock
7 September 2019
Learn
about the restoration of the beautiful and historic 1921 Dentzel
Carousel at Glen Echo Park.
Restoring the Glen
Echo Park Carousel by Deborah Lange includes wonderful
colour photographs and a detailed history of the Park's
centerpiece.
The
book has been unavailable for some time, but is now back in
print and available from Joyland Books.
Restoration artist Rosa Ragan spent 20 years, from 1983 to 2003,
restoring the Dentzel menagerie carousel in Glen Echo, MD. The
full story of her work is now captured in this book, with over
500 beautiful full-colour photographs showing the methods Rosa
used on the animals, chariots, drum panels, ceiling panels,
rounding boards, and band organ.
More...
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The
story of the world's first prehistoric sculptures
7 September 2019
A travelling family's journey from Victorian theatre to 1940s
fairground
24 March 2019
In
From Fanfare to
Funfair, John Culine MBE traces the fascinating history
of his own family, bringing to life a host of colourful
characters as he describes real people and real events in a
narrative that could be straight from a Hollywood movie script.
The story begins in 1822, and
takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs as
the Culine family make the journey from Victorian theatre and
circus to the world of the travelling fairground in the 1940s.
Experience
the drama as Alice Culine attempts to walk across Bridlington
Harbour on a tightrope in 1890. Share in the highs as Cliff
Culine performs with Buffalo Bill, and the lows as William
Culine is declared missing in action in France in World War I.
More...
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Dreamland in disrepair
16 March 2019
Rob Ball remembers Dreamland
amusement park in Margate with great fondness from his own
childhood visits. In
Dreamlands he incorporates colour photographs of found
objects and of the park as it fell into disrepair, as well as
black and white archive photographs and tintypes.
Dreamland opened to the public
in 1920, though its site has an even longer historical link with
fairgrounds, having been first used for amusement rides as early
as 1880. During the height of its popularity it was one of the
UK’s best-loved amusement parks and a top tourist attraction.
Years of steady decline and a slow dismantling of iconic rides
led to the park’s eventual closure in 2003.
More...
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David Jamieson circus collection comes to Joyland Books
20 January 2019
Author David Jamieson, who died in
2017, produced many great circus books over his lifetime and we
are delighted that his personal collection of books has come to
Joyland Books. Many of the books in this collection are
extremely rare, and some are signed by their authors or famous
circus performers. They often include personal messages from
their authors to David (for example,
Les Menageries Foraines, pictured right). The books from
this unique collection are sure to be in demand, and we only
have single copies of most titles.
View them here - the new
collection is identified by 'New'.
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Rare
fairground books added to Secondhand Shop
20 January 2019
Used
roller coaster and amusement park books added
20 January 2019
The story
of a pioneering roundabout proprietor
13 January 2019
Celebrating the Spanish City fairground and pleasure buildings
11 January 2019
A revised and updated book tells
the complete story of the iconic Spanish City amusement park
from its beginnings to the recent historic reopening of the
pleasure buildings. The new edition of
The Dome of
Memories by Mick Sharp celebrates the hugely successful
and memorable opening weekend and gives readers the most
comprehensive history of this much-loved venue.
It is a follow-up to the
original book
released in 2011. The revised version captures the essence of
that unique exhibition and adds new and previously unseen
stories, research and images.
More...
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Exploring the biographies of fairground, circus and entertainment
personalities
10 January 2019
Four
Swallows and Two Elephants by Ned Williams is not a book
that falls into any clear category but it mixes local history
with family history on the fringes of the world of
entertainment, including fairground shows and circus. If you
like watching “Who do think you are?” on TV, you may like this
book. It looks at seven people who have been difficult to
research because an element of mystery has surrounded the names
by which they have been known. The world of entertainment that
these people inhabited involved, circus (250 years old in 2018),
the funfair, early cinema and theatre. Their lives criss-crossed
the Black Country in a world and way of life that has now
vanished. Naturally we recommend this book to you!
More...
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The colourful life
of a trapeze artist
5 January 2019
It’s 30 years since Rebecca Truman
founded pioneering aerial company Skinning the Cat. Her new
memoir, Aerialist,
is now available from Joyland Books at a discounted price.
To quote Dr Dea Birkett,
writing in Circus 250: "The founder of Britain's first female
contemporary circus company takes us on an astonishing, often
heartbreaking, journey from her childhood tumbling to being one
of the world's most sought-after performers. In this unflinching
account we share the life-threatening lows and adrenaline highs,
the pains and the joy of becoming an aerialist. We learn what
it's like to risk your health and your life to take up the
trapeze and fly.".
More details here...
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Celebrating the first 10 years of unique circus
27 December
2018
Each summer a small and glamorous
part of the 1930s comes back to life, recreating magic from an
era long past. Evoking a tradition common in the English
countryside before the arrival of radio, cinema and television,
since 2000 Giffords Circus has delighted fans from far and wide
with good old-fashioned entertainment, complete with acrobats,
jugglers, horses, magic, puppeteers, dancers and comedy.
Lavishly illustrated with a
wealth of stunning colour photographs, Giffords
Circus: The First Ten Years by Nell Gifford goes behind
the scenes at the not-so-big top, to show how the magic and
mystery are created.
More...
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The life of Albert Barnes - manager of Rhyl's amusement parks
8
October 2018
Kathryn Nedd's new book,
White
Socks and a Walking Stick, is about her grandfather
Albert Barnes who was the manager of Marine Lake and Ocean Beach
amusement parks in Rhyl from 1911 until his retirement in 1948.
The aim of the book is to give
readers the chance to get a sense of her grandfather's
achievements in the fairground and engineering world. As well as
his achievements operating two of Britain's best-loved amusement
parks, he is best known for his legacy, the six 'Barnes
Atlantics', the miniature steam engines that have taken
passengers around the Marine Lake for nearly 100 years.
More...
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An illustrated
history of Britain's seaside
7
October 2018
The British Seaside
by Stuart Hylton is an illustrated history of the British
public's relationship with the seaside.
It tells of how steamboats, the railways and enterprising
landowners opened up the coast to mass tourism and how holidays
with pay made it a financial possibility; the battles that were
waged over what could be worn on the beach or what saucy seaside
postcards could say; the history of popular seaside
entertainments; the Edwardian heyday of the British seaside and
its subsequent decline; its wartime role, and how inland
authorities tried to replicate the seaside experience with
Holidays at Home; and how the modern seasides are fighting back
against their overseas opposition. It will bring back fond
memories for older readers and surprise and amuse many younger
ones. More...
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Indian
Scout motorcycles and the Wall of Death
7
October 2018
The Indian Scout motorcycle is the
favoured mount for Wall of Death riders all over the world.
Drawing upon modern and archive material, Wall of Death owner
and rider Allan Ford and author Nick Corble explore the reasons
behind this relationship and bring the story of the Wall up to
date, including behind the scene details of the latest Wall of
Death speed record achieved by Guy Martin.
You
Can't Wear Out an Indian Scout: Indians and the Wall of Death
is a story that spans more than a century, starting with
experiments with motorised bicycles in the 1890s, passing
through two world wars and ending by looking to a future where
Indians continue to be restored and ridden on the Wall.
More...
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Britain's seaside beach huts
7
October 2018
From the eighteenth century the
beach changed from a place for fishermen and smugglers to a
fashionable place where the wealthy could recover from illness.
In the nineteenth century the coming of the railways and the
introduction of holidays for workers made the coast increasingly
popular. A growing demand for entertainment and accommodation
led to the birth of the seaside resort and, with it, the
development of the seaside that we know and love today.
Beach Huts by
Karen Averby is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which
provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s
past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with beach huts
in all their variety. More...
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The golden age of a Kent seaside resort
7
October 2018
In this fascinating
collection of images featuring Folkestone’s many grand hotels,
Victoria Pier, the Leas, seafront attractions and
entertainments, switchback railway and horse tramway from
Sandgate to Hythe, local author and historian Martin Easdown
illustrates the glory days of this famous old seaside town.
Over the course of the nineteenth
century Folkestone was transformed from a little fishing village
into a popular seaside resort, complete with large hotels to
accommodate its many wealthy visitors, a theatre, bathing
establishment and pleasure pier.
Fashionable
Folkestone shows the glory years of this resort.
More...
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Britain's glorious seaside hotels subject of new book
7
October 2018
In the new book,
Seaside Hotels,
author Karen Averby takes us through the rise, the fall and the
modern-day resurgence of the grand seaside hotel across the
whole of the UK, from their exclusive and luxurious
nineteenth-century beginnings, through their renaissance in the
interwar years, decline in the 1970s as foreign package holidays
became popular and their recent, more accessible refurbished
form today.These
imposing Grands, Royals and Imperials, filled with every modern
convenience of the period and containing opulent restaurants and
ballrooms, are fascinating buildings that reflect the fortunes
of those who built and visited them throughout the years.
More...
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Cliff lifts and railways of the British seaside
16 September
2018
Cliff Railways, Lifts and Funiculars by Martin Easdown
illustrates, mainly in colour, all the principal cliff lifts and
railways that have been built in the British Isles, along with
associated cable tramways, since their inception in the
Victorian age.
This simple method of
transporting people up and down the cliff side has been a
feature of our coast, and a few inland towns, for over 150 years
and has recently undergone a renaissance at places as varied as
the National Coal Mining Museum, Legoland and the Centre for
Alternative Technology. In addition to featuring all the
surviving lifts, this book includes others which are long gone,
and serves as a fine record of these charming and unique
structures.
More...
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The premier equestrian circus company in Victorian Britain
9 September 2018
Charles Hengler was the proprietor
of Hengler's Grand Cirque and built it up into a famous
establishment known throughout the British Isles.
Hengler's Grand
Cirque: The Premier Equestrian Circus Company in Victorian
Britain by
Stuart McMillan focuses on the story of Charles Hengler, who
started with a tenting circus and made it into the most
respectably conducted established circus in the country, located
in what is now the London Palladium. Charles Hengler's Cirques
held between 4,000 to 5,000 people and often hundreds of people
had to be turned away when the building was crowded.
This volume of Hengler's Circus
finishes at Charles Hengler's death and covers the years from
1780 to 1887.
More...
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From
horses to artics
28 August 2018
Travelling fairs hold a special
place in English history and traditions. Once or twice a year
local towns and villages are overwhelmed with a cacophony of
sounds, sights and smells, bringing magic and excitement into
peoples’ lives before, all too quickly, moving on. The transient
nature of travelling fairs is part of their magic, and an
integral part of that magic is the transport that carries the
people and the rides. More than just vehicles however,
fairground transport is often an integral part of the show,
acting as homes for the showmen, a way of generating power and
even converting into parts of the rides themselves. In short,
they are part of the way of life.
A
History of Fairground Transport: From Horses to Artics
by Allan Ford and Nick Corble looks at the history of the
travelling fair through its transport.
More...
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A history of the English
fair
26 August 2018
Tracking the development of the
English Fair, in the new book
Frost Fairs to
Funfairs Allan Ford and Nick Corble capture the
diversity, sounds, smells and sensations that have beguiled the
Great British public for centuries – from the days of charter
fairs through to modern winter wonderlands and theme parks.
A nostalgic journey through the history of one of our most
endearing and popular pastimes, Frost Fairs to Funfairs is a
fascinating look behind the curtain of this ancient and enduring
tradition, encompassing the many attractions that make up a
fair, as well as the showmans’ way of life, and how the ‘here
today, gone tomorrow’ nature of the fair seems to bring with it
fresh rules, transforming otherwise monochrome lives into a
kaleidoscope of colour, even if only for a short while.
More...
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David Cam's
42 years at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
17
June 2018
With the
opening of the £16m Icon roller coaster at the Pleasure Beach
last month, themagiceye talks to the man who spent more than four decades
at the park, became its company secretary and made a
significant impact on the amusement park industry in the United
Kingdom. Six months before the
launch of Icon, David Cam DL looked back over some very happy
memories of his 42 years at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Click here to read...
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The life of a Scunthorpe showman chronicled in new book
26 May 2018
John Eva is a retired travelling
showman, from a family that has spent its life on the fair.
In The Life of a
Showman, John tells the story of being brought up on the
fairgrounds, his two years in the armed forces, and his more
recent work modelling fairground transport and painting
fairground scenes. The book includes photographs of the family's
machines, John's models and his beautiful paintings.
This is a man who has fitted so
much into his life, and it is a fascinating insight into a way
of life that has changed substantially. The book is written in
John's humerous style, which makes it a book you just cannot put
down! More details...
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Also just released by the Fairground
Heritage Trust is an updated and enlarged
2018 Guidebook for the Dingles
Fairground Heritage Centre. You can still by
the
2015 edition here and the
2010 edition is available in our
Secondhand Shop. |
Two
new books published by Fairground Heritage Trust
14 April 2018
A Heritage Lottery-supported book
has been produced to accompany the Exhibition held at the
Fairground Heritage Centre in 2018 to commemorate the part
played in the Great War by the Travelling Showmen of Great
Britain. A limited edition of only 1000 copies of
The Showmen's War by
Michael Smith, Stephen Smith and Kevin Scrivens has been
produced to support the Fairground Heritage Trust, and Joyland
Books has a number of these copies in stock now. The book is
fully illustrated throughout, with many previously unpublished
photos. More...
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Also just released by the Fairground
Heritage Trust is an updated and enlarged
2018 Guidebook for the Dingles
Fairground Heritage Centre. You can still by
the
2015 edition here and the
2010 edition is available in our
Secondhand Shop. |
Well researched book on Wall of Death attraction just released
11 February 2018
Design historian Ann Wright has
been researching the history of the Wall of Death attraction,
which featured at British travelling fairs and amusement parks
throughout a large part of the last century, for a number of
years. Her book, The
Wall of Death, is now released and includes much primary
research that has not featured in any other books.
The introduction of the Wall of
Death into the UK in July 1929 caused a sensation and it became
extremely popular with the public thereafter. The Todd and
Soutter shows toured all over Britain and Europe, as well as
Abyssinia and Persia, and were seen by British and foreign
royalty, Hitler and Mussolini, and thousands of the general
public. They appeared at the 1930, 1952, and 1953 Munich
Oktoberfest, the 1938 Glasgow Empire Exhibition and the 1951
Festival of Britain.
More...
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New copies of much sought after fairground book now available
14 January 2018
The mechanical organ used to be
one of the fairground's most popular attractions. Supplying the
gay background music for the rides, it also acted as a "front of
house" enticement for the side-shows.
The Fairground Organ:
Its Music, Mechanism and History by Eric V Cockayne is
now fetching very high prices online, with copies of the
original 1970 print run fetching over £1,000.
Exclusively available online
from Joyland Books, we are offering brand new copies, published
as a revised edition by the St Albans Musical Museum Society,
for only £20 each.
This book describes the
mechanism of the organs, the music they played and their
history. Click here for
more details...
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Massive collection of rare amusement park books added
2 January 2018
New book goes inside the spooky world of the Ghost Train!
1 October 2017
In a new book just out, author and
historian Guy Belshaw explores the history of the Ghost Train:
one of the most enduring and iconic fairground attractions of
the 20th Century.Corny,
scary, or both?
Many children claim to have had
several rides but seen nothing, as their eyes were tightly shut.
The Ghost Train: An
Illustrated History pays homage to the builders, showmen
and... More...
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Vintage Blackpool Illuminations light up again...in Oxfordshire!
1 October 2017
Vintage illuminations that were
once on display along Blackpool's famous Golden Mile are
back...this time in Oxfordshire! Fairytale Farm near Chipping
Norton acquired a range of vintage lights from Blackpool
Council, and has given them a complete overhaul and new look, at
an investment of around £50,000. They are now alight again and
still recognisable from their years looking out over the Irish
Sea. The Oxfordshire Illuminations switch on from 14th October
2017 and are worth a visit.
More
here...
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Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach development 'edges' closer
14 July 2017
Great Yarmouth Borough Council has
resolved to grant planning permission for a new leisure
development, which will extend Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach
onto the site of a former caravan park. The development will be
in several phases, with the first phase (a Premier Inn hotel)
starting in October. Phase 2 will include an indoor play centre,
10-screen cinema and restaurants, with Phase 3 being a casino.
The development, called 'The Edge', is expected to revitalise
this part of the seafront.
Click here for more...
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New range of seaside DVDs
added
2 July 2017
Summer is here and many of us will
be heading to the traditional British seaside resort for some
fun in the sun. Here at Joyland Books we love to celebrate the
history of some of the country's greatest resorts and already
have a large number of books
and DVDs covering
this very subject; your favourite resort is sure to be here
somewhere.We have now
added a range of new DVDs chronicling the history of some of our
most famous resorts. From 'The Way We Were' series of DVDs, you
can visit
Clacton,
Torbay,
Brighton & Hove and
Canvey
Island. From the 'Looking Back' series, you can visit
Worthing
and the
Isle
of Wight. We have also added
Bournemouth on Film,
Isle of Wight and Solent from the Air and a DVD on the
history of
Clevedon Pier. More can be found at our
Seaside DVD Shop.
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Book looks at Great Yarmouth’s 19th century forgotten entertainment
acts
11 June 2017
Story
of the first black circus proprietor released
4 June 2017
Author Gareth H.H. Davies dips
into the entertainment world of the mid 19th century. With
Pablo Fanque and the
Victorian Circus he looks at the life of Norwich-born
entertainer, horseman and impresario Pablo Fanque, born William
Darby in 1810. In describing the circus as "the ultimate form of
spectator entertainment" the author relates how it
professionalised, commercialised and industrialised types of
performance that had existed for hundreds of year. The fact that
Pablo was African British tells us something about Victorian
Society, but so does the fact that he was born of very humble
origins and became one of the best known and loved circus
proprietors of the Victorian period.
Click here for more
information.
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Two limited
edition circus books now available
12 March 2017
Two new
fairground DVDs added to our online store
12 March 2017
Two new DVDs have been added to
our online store. One features one of the latest white knuckle
rides and the other takes you on a trip back in time with one of
the country's most traditional fairground rides.
In
Building
up the Xtreme Bomber we look at a KMG-built machine,
which began life at Brean Leisure Park in 2005 before being
purchased by a French operator six years later. Bertie Holland
acquired the ride for 2014, when it is recorded being built up
at Buxton in Derbyshire.
More...
In
Noah's Arks and
Speedways Volume 2, we see a number of these traditional
rides being operated at various locations around the UK,
including at Folly Farm and Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre.
More...
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Camelot
Theme Park history book back in stock
5 March 2017
Alec Price's excellent
history book of
the Park Hall/Camelot Theme Park site is back in stock at
Joyland Books - but we understand that the availability of new
stock of this book is now very limited, so this is on a
first-come-first-served basis.
Camelot Theme Park was one of Britain's best
known and longest established theme parks, but the history of
its site - Park Hall - goes back much further. Alec Price tells
the full story of the site in his book, From
a Saint to a King: The History of Park Hall, Charnock Richard.
This book is well illustrated with many specially commissioned
photographs and is a fascinating read for anyone interested in
the colourful past of Park Hall/Camelot Theme Park. With the
park having closed in 2012, it makes the book all the more
fascinating.
More...
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Roller coasters of the UK photographed in major new book
4 February 2017
The first book by roller coaster
enthusiast Peter Andrews is a photographic look at the rides of
the UK, along with some of the classics that have been lost
since the mid 1980s. Featuring nearly 400 colour images over 224
pages, including many behind the scenes shots,
Coasting Around
the UK is the ideal book for anyone with an interest in
these wonderful machines. Covering the length and breadth of the
UK, this photographic and historic guide takes you from Brighton
up to Glasgow, and from Gwynedd over to Great Yarmouth, and
provides the ultimate adrenaline rush.
More...
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Drayton Manor boss
receives OBE
31 December 2016
Colin Bryan, Chief Executive at
Drayton Manor Theme Park, and son of the original founders, has
received an OBE in the New Year's. This is in recognition of his
charity work and his ongoing contribution to tourism.
Colin comments: “My parents
opened the park in 1950 and I have been working there since I
was a young boy, when my first job was helping them clear the
rubble with my miniature wheelbarrow. I have worked in nearly
every department over the years and qualified as a Chef to
really understand what makes the park and catering companies
what they are today. It is in my blood so I feel very honoured
to receive this OBE. I still love watching our guests have fun,
enjoying themselves, knowing I have played a part in that.”
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Fairytale Farm's autumn illuminations go snap happy!
9 October 2016
Fairytale Farm will be unveiling
its brand new illuminated features when it switches on its
popular autumn light display next Saturday, 15th October. This
is the park's fourth illuminations event since it was opened by
the Prime Minister in 2013. The highlight is a new
fairytale-themed 'Giant's Camera', one of the Farm's biggest
single investments to date, which comes complete with
illuminated tableaux showing a friendly giant in various poses,
taken with a camera so large that you would have to be a giant
to use it!" More here...
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Coast to
coast thrills in new roller coaster book
2 October 2016
Thomas Crymes has ridden more than
350 roller coasters. Enamoured with their serpentine beauty, he
has been photographing them since 2004 and is forever seeking
that perfect shot.In
2012, Crymes released the hugely successful
American Coasters: A
Thrilling Photographic Ride. He has now released the
follow up,
American Coasters 2: Coast to Coast, which contains
breathtaking photographs of more than 100 roller coasters in 38
parks and 17 states.
More...
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Pleasure Island Theme Park to
close
22 September 2016
Pleasure Island Theme Park in
Cleethorpes is to close at the end of October. Formerly owned by
Flamingo Land, the park was personally acquired by one of the
directors of Flamingo Land in 2010 and operated independently.
According to its owners, visitor numbers have declined to the
level where the park cannot be sustained.
The park's final event will be the
firework display on 29th October. Joyland Books hopes to be able
to present a retrospective of the park on
themagiceye in the near
future to remember 25 years of thrills.
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Photograph of
Pleasure Island in the 1990s - this ride
moved to Brean Leisure Park in Somerset. |
The thriller of the thirties
7 August 2016
The Fairground Heritage Trust,
operator of Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre, has announced
that it has been awarded £90,000 from the National Heritage
Memorial Fund (NHMF) to help safeguard Shaw’s Moonrocket, the
only historic thrill ride of its kind still fully intact and
functioning.
The money from NHMF launches
the Trust’s fundraising appeal to raise the final £17000 to
secure this unique piece of fairground heritage.
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Built in the
1930s, the Moonrocket was the
ground-breaking forerunner to the white
knuckle rides now a staple of theme parks
and fairgrounds across the world. It
represents an era when speed, thrills and
excitement were the height of fashion.
Streamlined excitement for a streamlined
age.
A new book on the history of the Moonrocket
ride has just been published to help raise
these funds.
Moonrocket: the Thriller of the Thirties
by Kevin Scrivens, Michael Smith and Stephen
Smith includes detailed histories of every
UK example of this ride.
Click
here for more details. |
New
book tells story of pioneering UK theme park
15
May 2016
Blackgang Chine is one of the
oldest theme parks in the UK, with a history dating back to the
1800s, and it is still operating today. Possibly the closest
thing we have to Disneyland in Britain, the park is a collection
of family rides and themed lands, all set in rambling Victorian
gardens that hang precariously along a cliff edge.
Blackgang Chine remains a truly
unique and iconic attraction.
Blackgang Chine: Journey into Imagination by Joanne
Thornton explores the Chine's early history as a garden and
beauty spot right through to its development as a land of
imagination. Many visitors over the years have fond memories of
their own journey into imagination at the park; now they can
re-live those memories as they once again discover a world of
fairies, dinosaurs and pirates...
Click here for more details of this book.
Joyland Books also has a copy
of a
1970s Blackgang Chine guide book in its
Secondhand Shop.
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New
book looks at circus entertainment of the 1800s
6 March 2016
The Clown King by Gareth HH
Davies is a micro-history of popular entertainment in
the period 1840 - 1860, woven out of the career of Arthur
Nelson, the Clown King.
Born around 1816, Nelson began as an actor in provincial and
minor theatres before specialising as a ‘talking’ or
Shakespearean clown. While some contemporaries wrote accounts of
their lives, Nelson left no such formal record and yet, as one
of the most popular clowns at the time, his career was one full
of interest. Traced through playbills, advertisements and
newspaper reports of the period, he moved seamlessly between
circus ring and pantomime stage, as well as performing in
concert halls with his musical novelties. His ‘benefit’ stunt,
being drawn in a washing tub by four geese, although not
original, drew huge crowds when performed in a town or city.
More...
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Blackpool
Tower Circus book available again
31 December 2015
Unavailable for several years,
Clowns of
Blackpool Tower Circus, edited by David Jamieson with
text by Daniel Potier, is now available again at Joyland Books.
It remembers the host of clowns
who tripped, fell, joked, made music and were totally soaked by
buckets of water and 'slosh' in their efforts to amuse. The
hilarious roll-call includes Kellino and Pim Pim, August and
September, diminutive Doodles, the legendary Charlie Cairoli and
Company, Coco and Co., the Rastellis, Tony Alexis Trio and David
Larible, right through to today's young clown star, Mooky (Laci
Endresz Jnr.), who tells us how he became the latest in this
long line of funsters to grace the Tower ring.
More...
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English translation of definitive book on German mechanical organs
28 December 2015
After three year’s preparation,
Dr. Herbert Jüttemann’s excellent book about German mechanical
organs, Waldkircher Dreh- und Jahrmarkt- Orgeln has been
translated into English by Andrew Pilmer under the title of
WALDKIRCH STREET AND FAIRGROUND ORGANS. Dr.
Jüttemann has already published a number of books on mechanical
music and related subjects which have become standard works;
this is the first to be translated into the English language.
With the co-operation of Dr.
Jüttemann, the original German text has been completely revised,
and a number of new drawings have been specially prepared for
this new edition.
Printed on quality art paper,
hard bound and with a full colour dust jacket, the book consists
of 300 pages.
More...
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Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre Illustrated Guide - New Edition!
28 November 2015
The popular illustrated guidebook
to Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre in Devon has been updated
with a brand new edition in time for Christmas 2015. Now
expanded to 60 pages, it
features information on the Museum's rides and exhibits – Super
Dodgems, Supersonic Skid, Rodeo Switchback, Super Chariot Racer
Ark, Ghost Train, Toyset, Happy Caterpillar, Autodrome, Shows,
Palace of Pleasure Arcade, Stalls, Wagons, Transport and
Artwork.
Click here for more details...
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Dreamland history book
updated
18 October 2015
Dreamland Revived: The
story of Margate's famous amusement park by Nick Evans has
been updated to include the opening of the park in June this year.
Click here for more
details...
The Showmen of Castleford - out of print but back in stock!
5 September 2015
The Showmen of
Castleford by Mark Middleton has been out of print for a
number of years, but is now back in stock and available
exclusively from Joyland Books! We only have limited stock and
when it's gone, it's gone, so make sure you buy your copy.
In this book you can meet the
colourful showmen of this Yorkshire town. Featuring Proctor's Amusements, RE Eddy and
Sons Funfair and James Finnie's Funfairs.
Many showmen have either been born, or
settled in the "showman friendly" town of Castleford. This is the
story of three families, their history, transport, rides, and their
way of life - life on the travelling funfair.
More...
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See
vintage Blackpool Illuminations light up again
5 September 2015
Every Saturday and Sunday evening
in September and October you can see a number of vintage
features from Blackpool Illuminations light up again. The
attraction is at
Fairytale
Farm near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, where you can
see much-loved features such as the Film and Camera, Party
Poppers, Sea Creatures, Mermaid and the Extinct illuminated
again. They have all been lovingly restored, and light up at
dusk each weekend. There is discounted admission to the farm
after 5pm (£2 for adults and £1.75 for children), so don't miss
it.
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The Extinct
at Fairytale Farm |
Summer events
announced for Fairytale Farm
19 July 2015
A number of exciting events have
been announced by Oxfordshire's Fairytale Farm visitor
attraction. Next Saturday and Sunday (25th and 26th July)
visitors can join in with the Teddy Bears' Picnic Weekend. There
will be a giant picnic in the adventure playground, a
storytelling teddy bear, best dressed teddy competition and
discounted entry and food for children who bring their teddy
bears to the Farm. Full details here.
Walking with Alpacas returns to
Fairytale Farm this summer on selected dates. For full details
of the Summer 2015 Walking with Alpacas events and dates,
please click
here.
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Above:
Teddy Bears' Picnic Weekend on 25th and 26th
July 2015. |
Fairytale Farm is being invaded by TV's most
frightening aliens on Saturday and Sunday
15th and 16th August when the farm park
holds a special Sci-Fi Weekend in aid of
charity. The aim of the weekend is to raise
money for a local charity (Let's Play
Banbury - a charity which supports local
disabled children), and there will be
opportunities to donate to the charity at
various places around the farm. The Sci-Fi
Weekend runs from 10am to 5pm on both
Saturday and Sunday. Put the date in your
diary now! |
New
Diggerland theme park for Worcestershire
28 April 2015
Diggerland has announced that it
will be opening a fifth theme park in the UK, at the Evesham
Country Park in Worcestershire.
The park will open in 2016 at a
cost of £5m, and will add to the existing Diggerland sites in
Devon, Durham, Yorkshire and Kent. The theme park forms part of
a rebranding of Evesham Country Park as 'The Valley', which will
include new retailers, new food and drink outlets, cycle paths,
zip wires and climbing walls, creating a significant leisure
destination for the south Midlands.
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Visit the
story-telling Easter Bunny
31 March 2015
Fairytale Farm's unique Easter event runs right through the
Easter Weekend, from 3rd to 6th April 2015. Visitors to the children's farm on
the A44 just outside Chipping Norton can enter the Giant Rabbit Burrow and
listen to the Farm's own Easter bunny telling a charming Easter tale, and every
child will receive an Easter egg.The
Farm also has other Easter activities running
over the weekend, including an Easter egg hunt.
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Owner Nick Laister says: "Last year we launched our
first ever Easter event, which was a huge hit with our visitors. They told us
that they wanted us to do it again, so we have, with some new touches this year.
Once inside the giant burrow, the rabbit will be telling a
lovely Easter tale and giving away Easter eggs to every child that visits. And
the Burrow is entirely under cover so you
can visit the Bunny whatever the weather. There are lots of other Easter-related activities for our visitors to enjoy. And
everything is accessible for those with disabilities."
The Easter
event runs from 3rd to 6th April (Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday
and Easter Monday inclusive). Open 10am to 5pm. The rabbit burrow has an extra
charge of £3 per child, which includes the burrow visit, Easter story and an
Easter egg.
Fairytale Farm, which was opened in 2013 by the Prime
Minister, David Cameron, is the UK's first visitor attraction to put the needs
of disabled children first, but is open to all and with no pre-booking required.
The Beanstalk Cafe is open all day and serves a selection of hot and cold
snacks.
More
details on the Easter event are
here. You can buy tickets to
Fairytale Farm from Joyland Books
here. (Note that admission to the
Giant Rabbit Burrow is an additional £3, and
these tickets can be bought at the
admissions desk as you enter the Farm.)
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Big discounts on
roller coaster DVDs
5 March 2015
Big discounts on the 'Roller
Coaster Adventures' DVD series from today.
You
will witness some of the greatest, tallest, and fastest
roller coasters in the United States. The DVDs will take you to some of
the best amusement parks in the country and let you experience the
feeling of riding front row and showcase numerous different roller
coasters.
Each DVD in the series is
reduced from £16 to £12, or buy the entire series of 7 DVDs for
only £74! More here.
Also big discounts on the
Front Seat Thrills
series of DVDs - ride some of the world's best roller coasters
from the front seat!
We have a huge selection of
roller coaster DVDs
and books - so do
check them out.
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All the Fun of the
Travelling Fair
28 February 2015
Award winning DJ Reg Chandler
decided to take the challenge of writing a book about a unique
subject that has only been lightly touched within the
publication world, and having already written a 8,000 word
thesis many years ago about fairground life for a diploma in
project management, it has proved an interesting journey that
has involved 18 months of research in order to add a further
20,000 words and revisit the original version.
The idea of
All
the Fun of the Travelling Fair by Reg Chandler is to
provide information about how a fair operates and to highlight
700 years or more of great British history. Other topics within
the book include fairground artwork, famous UK fairs, fairground
transport, popular rides, fairground history, sideshows and
catering, steam rallies, fairground life and all that is 'All
the fun of the fair'.
More...
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Wooden Rollercoasters in
Europe
27 February 2015
Wooden rollercoasters are
considered to be wild, thrilling and nostalgic. But even today,
new rides are installed. To celebrate the 100th birthday of the
oldest rollercoaster in Europe that still exists,
Up & Down by Ralph Latotzki
presents every ride installation during the modern era of the
wooden rollercoaster in Europe up to the present day and
provides insights into the technical development of this ride
type. Additionally, this book includes portraits of the people
and companies involved in the construction of those imposing
structures.
Packed with colour photographs
of every surviving wooden rollercoaster in Europe, along with
the stories of their development and operation, this large book
is the ultimate reference source for wooden rollercoasters in
Europe.
More...
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250 full
colour circus posters in hardback book
25 January 2015
Circus Posters,
edited by David Jamieson and the late Malcolm Clay, is a
beautiful A4 book, in full colour throughout, with 250 colour
posters featuring all the major circuses, including Astley and
Ducrow, Sangers, Broncho Bill, the Great Carmo, Chapman, Bertram
Mills Circus, Blackpool Tower, Great Yarmouth Hippodrome,
Chipperfields, Billy Smart, Sir Robert Fossett’s, Robert
Brothers’ Circus, Gerry Cottle, the Austen Brothers, the Mack
family’s Circus Hoffman, Gandey’s, Zippos and the Moscow and
Chinese State Circuses.
This book contains posters from
170 years of circus in Britain.
Click here for
more information.
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The Crystal Palace is on
Fire
11 January 2015
The Crystal Palace was destroyed
in November 1936 in the biggest peacetime conflagration London
had ever known. "The Crystal Palace is on Fire!" was the frantic
cry that brought thousands of people on to the streets on that
fateful night. This "Palace of the People", constructed of iron
and glass, had been London's centre for 'enlightenment and
entertainment' for four generations. Its demise was, for many,
like the passing of an old friend. The fascinating tale of the
fire is told in
The Crystal
Palace is on Fire: Memories of the 30th November 1936 by
Alison Edwards and Keith Wyncoll.
Also available are
The Crystal
Palace Dinosaurs by Steve McCarthy & Mick Gilbert and
The Perfect Playground: Childhood
Memories of the Crystal Palace by Pat Scott, Alison Edwards
and Eileen Pulfer.
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DVD history of Disney's
Monorail
4 January 2015
In 1958, while vacationing in
Cologne, Germany, Walt Disney discovered a mode of
transportation that travelled above on a steal beam: the
monorail system. Walt immediately knew that he had to have a
monorail in his newly-built theme park, Disneyland, so along
with several engineers and imagineers, the smooth travelling
Monorail was built in 1959 and journeyed through Fantasyland and
Tomorrowland.
A brand new DVD has been
released, called The
Monorail, which tells the story of this ride from its
inception to the present day.
More details here.
Also new
to Joyland are a number of DVDs on the history of famous Disney
rides and attractions, including
Tower of Terror: Journey
to the 5th Dimension,
Country Bear
Jamboree,
It's a Small World and a double release of
Rocket to the Moon and the Flying Saucers.
|
New DVD
documentary on the history of Disneyland's
Monorail. |
The posters of Bertram
Mills' Circus
29 November 2014
Double
Crown Books has announced the publication of the first book in
its 'The Posters of...' series - a collection of books dedicated
to showcasing historic illustrative artwork in entertainment
advertising. Featuring over 260 posters, hanging cards and other
rare items of circus ephemera,
The
Posters of Bertram Mills' Circus by Steven B Richley
tells the story of the Bertram Mills Circus through its amazing
promotional artwork. It covers Mills’ initial shows at Olympia,
tenting as a joint venture with The Great Carmo in 1929 prior to
going on the road with the Mills’ circus ‘under canvas’ from
1930. Completing the story are posters from Mills’ Circus’
travelling the length and breadth of Britain via train until
1965 and the post-war shows productions at Olympia until 1967.
More...
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Fairground transport of the 1980s in colour photos
29 November 2014
East coast amusement parks head up new DVDs at Joyland Books
29 November 2014
Several new DVDs have been added
to our DVD Store in time for Christmas. Spend some time at Great
Yarmouth's Pleasure Beach in 1995 on the DVD
East Coast
Parks, and then move on to experience the rides of
Fantasy Island in Ingoldmells and Botton's Pleasure Beach at
Skegness in 2012.
See Race-O-Rama, Disneyland
Ride and Sea On Land built up in
Building up
Juvenile Rides.
The complete build up of Albert
Holland’s six arm, KMG built 'Extreme' Orbiter, which he
acquired from a Scottish Showman during early 2014 is in
another, brand new, DVD release:
Building Up the
Extreme Orbiter.
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Bewdley Town Council votes to approve safari park development
28 November 2014
Bewdley Town Council has voted
unanimously to approve the proposed new £80m water park, hotel
and conference centre at West Midland Safari Park. A full
planning application was submitted by planning consultant RPS
for the water park in August this year, with outline plans for
the hotel and conference centre also forming part of the
application. Park bosses say the improvements, which will be
built over 10 years, would transform the park into a resort to
rival other parks such as Drayton Manor and Alton Towers.
More...
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Loudoun Castle Theme Park redevelopment moves a step closer
28 November 2014
Plans have been unveiled for a
£450m holiday resort development at Loudoun Castle Theme Park,
which closed in 2010 and has been standing but not operating
since. The 610-acre estate will be transformed into an
all-weather resort featuring luxury lodges, with lake, indoor
sports facilities and an indoor subtropical water park. The
Loudoun Castle Project, the group behind the plans, hopes to
create as many as 2,500 jobs and provide a multi-million boost
to the local economy. More at
Herald Scotland and
Scottish Daily Record.
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Meet Santa at
Oxfordshire's Fairytale Farm
23 November 2014
Santa is returning to Oxfordshire's Fairytale Farm this
Christmas at weekends from 6 December to 21
December and then daily from 22 December to 24 December.
At our 'Christmas Fairytale', children can meet Santa in
his indoor fairytale Grotto and receive a present, join in with various
Christmas activities, enjoy all the usual Fairytale Farm attractions and see our
magical Christmas lights, which are bigger and better this year.
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Owner Nick Laister says that it will be a Christmas event
with a difference: "The feedback from our first Christmas event last year
was so good that we will be doing it again this year, but even bigger and
better. We have designed and built a grotto with a difference, that will appeal
to adults as well as children, and all the Christmas activities from last year,
including Christmas cookie decorating, mulled wine and mince pies, will return.
Our spectacular Christmas lights are back again this year, with the Enchanted
Walk and other parts of the farm illuminated from dusk with lots of new seasonal
additions that will delight visitors."
The animal areas and adventure playground will be open
until dusk, after which we switch on our Christmas lights, creating a
wonderland of colour. This will be a truly magical event which will create
special memories.
Grotto tickets are £4.95, plus normal admission, and this
includes Santa visit, gift, Christmas cookie decorating plus the mince pie and
mulled wine for the parents. Non-farm visitors can still meet Santa for £7.50.
The farm is located on the A44 just outside Chipping
Norton, and more details are on our website: www.fairytalefarm.co.uk.
Click
here for more information.
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Enter the
great seaside amusement park poll
22 November 2014
Which is the UK's best seaside
amusement park of the past or present? Cast your vote
here.
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New
roller coaster proposed for Scarborough sea front
10 November 2014
Scarborough Borough Council has
announced that the proposed bidder for the redevelopment of the
site of the Futurist theatre on Scarborough's seafront is
Flamingo Land theme park.
Flamingo Land is the largest
visitor attraction in Yorkshire, which attracts more than 1.5
million visitors annually. The theme park is partnering with
established Leeds based property and construction company, GMI
Estates, to progress the project.
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The development will be a "premium visitor
attraction" showcasing and displaying three
distinct environments consisting of
‘subterranean, on the coastline and sky’.
Key elements of the attraction would
include: iconic glass roofed botanical
gardens, a high octane, adrenaline fuelled
roller coaster, a 55 metre iconic lighthouse
structure and Space Shot Tower, which
propels customers 55 metres into the sky, an
elevated sea view bar, restaurant and
function space, a walk through aviary and a
new town square for Scarborough. |
Nightmare Farm: The
Fairytale is Over!
10 October 2014
Fairytale
Farm near Chipping Norton will be turning down the lights and switching on the
scares with a special Halloween event aimed at older children and adults. The
event is called Nightmare Farm and sees the fairytale come to an end when the
Enchanted Walk is turned into a giant outdoor horror maze with live actors
prowling around with only one thing on their mind: to terrify visitors!
Owner Nick Laister explains: "We held our
first Halloween event last year
and the feedback was so good that we are going to do it again, but bigger and
better and with more scares. Visitors will be taken on a late-night adventure as
an old monk guides people through the most haunted part of the site to safety -
we hope! In the horror maze they will meet a
possessed flower seller, some horrible scarecrows, vampires, zombies, a not very
friendly circus clown plus a gardener from the 17th Century who has an unpleasant
use for his spade. Plus some surprises. We challenge people to make it from one
end of the Enchanted Walk to the other without screaming. Nobody has done it
yet."
|
Nightmare
Farm: From 6.30pm on 31st October and
1st/2nd November 2014. |
|
The walks will be taking place approximately every 20 minutes between 6.30pm and
10pm on three evenings from 31st October to 2nd November. Click
here for the poster and
here for more information. |
Demolition of Barry Island's Haunted Goldmine commences
30 September 2014
Demolition of Barry Island
Pleasure Park's legendary Haunted Goldmine ride (formerly the
Wacky Goldmine) has commenced this week. The front of the ride
has reportedly now been removed, with the remainder of the ride
to follow. The ride's construction utilised timber from the
former Scenic Railway roller coaster which previously stood on
the site. The ride has been standing but not operating for
several years.Read more
about the Goldmine at themagiceye
here,
here,
here,
here,
here and
here!
|
The Haunted
Goldmine pictured in 2010. |
A Tale of a
Twist: Barry Island Pleasure Park
14 September 2014
Amusement park
nostalgia website themagiceye
@ Joyland Books, has launched a brand new exclusive
article today,
A Tale of a
Twist: Barry Island Pleasure Park. In this fantastic
journey behind the scenes, ride operator Heather Spierling tells
the story of 1975's new arrival at the popular South Wales
amusement park - the Twist. At first treated with suspicion, the
ride would become her 'baby'.
Read on...
At the end of the
article we have links to other articles on the Pleasure Park.
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Vintage Blackpool Illuminations light up in Oxfordshire
6 September 2014
A collection of restored former
illuminated features from Blackpool's famous
Illuminations
are to be relit tonight at Oxfordshire's Fairytale Farm and will
be shining every Saturday and Sunday evening until the end of
October. The illuminated features, which will be familiar to
those who have driven along the 6-mile Lancashire display over
the past few decades, include the Sea Creatures, The Extinct
Band, Film and Camera, Party Poppers (from the Blackpool
Millennium display) and Light Fountains, plus an unrecogniseable
section of the Doctor Who display converted into a fountain!
More here...
|
General
view of the ex-Blackpool lights. Click on
image for a larger version. |
Amusement park owner dies
25 August 2014
The death has been announced of
William Knightly, who developed Knightly's Fun Park in Towyn,
North Wales, from a small collection of rides to a major family
entertainment centre. Mr Knightly, 70, was also a councillor at
Conwy Council, had been suffering from motor neurone disease for
some time. Knightly's has been a feature of this north Wales
seaside resort since the 1970s, and Mr Knightly had operated it
for 45 years.
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Blackpool's Seaside Heritage
12 August 2014
Painstaking research across two
years has preceded the publication of
Blackpool's
Seaside Heritage by Allan Brodie and Matthew Whitfield.
This book looks at the history of the town's most famous
buildings and other structures, including the Pleasure Beach,
Tower, piers and the amusement centres along the Golden Mile.
The book is packed with colour photographs and archive material,
and also looks at some of the less celebrated (but no less
interesting) buildings, including the town's first amusement
park, Raikes Hall. The authors told the Blackpool Gazette:
“...there is nothing else like
the Pleasure Beach in the world. There are more historic rides
in America than in Britain, but Blackpool has six which date to
before 1939, and nowhere else has that many in one area. And
these rides are still popular today. It’s remarkable that rides
built for people in the early 20th century are still in use
today.”
|
Click here for more information on this new
book, which is reduced from £14.99 to
£10.99. |
Setting the
record straight: Cooke's Circus
11 August 2014
Cooke's Circus appears in many
circus histories, often retelling the same story which was
printed in the scarce booklet by Harry S Lumsden called
Cooke's Royal Circus, or the even scarcer reprint called
Life and Times of John Henry Cooke, which was sold at the
circus in 1897. When the Cooke family of performers got too big,
some of the sons took out their own circus with their own
families. This meant that there could be up to four Cooke's
Circuses touring Britain at one time. Often newspapers recorded
a show at Cooke's Circus without mentioning which one, or often
talked about Mr Cooke without saying which Mr Cooke. Because of
this, many errors have been made in circus books. A new book has
been published called
Cooke's: Britain's Greatest Circus Dynasty by Stuart
McMillan, which puts the record straight.
More...
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New guide to
every British pier published
10 August 2014
Published to mark the bicentenary
of the opening of the first public pier in 1814, at Ryde on the
Isle of Wight, the new book
British Seaside Piers by Anthony Wills and Tim Phillips
is a complete gazetteer of all piers which the public can visit
around the coast of Britain with details of their location,
history and current operations, and a variety of historical and
contemporary illustrations. Whether your summer invariably
includes visits to the coast or you enjoy the vicarious pleasure
of the seaside from a winter armchair, this book is an essential
companion for all who admire and value Britain's rich seaside
heritage.
More...
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Fantasy Island
goes into administration
5 August 2014
News sources are reporting today
that the Fantasy Island resort at Ingoldmells, near Skegness,
has gone into administration. Fantasy Island is one of the
largest amusement parks on the east coast of England, and features
major roller coasters such as the Millennium and the Odyssey.
The park was set up by Blue Anchor Leisure in the 1990s, but was
sold to Conduit Skegness Ltd in recent years. Read more at
ITV News,
BBC News,
Lincolnshire Echo and the
Skegness Standard.
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Vintage
circus attraction opens at Fairytale Farm
19 July 2014
Travelling 'Mouse Towns' were
popular on the travelling fairs and circus in the
last century. Mouse-towns were living landscapes - houses,
workplaces, recreation, infrastructure - with mice running
freely and within various wheels and devices, presented as
colourful sideshows. Fairytale Farm in Oxfordshire has opened a
permanent Mouse Town attraction in a disused stable, featuring a
quaint, beautifully-crafted town with a large family of mice
going about their daily business.
More...
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Blackpool Pleasure Beach voted the UK's best theme park
15 July 2014
Blackpool Pleasure Beach, billed
as Britain's most ride-intensive amusement park, has been voted
the best theme park in Britain by TripAdvisor in its Travellers'
Choice Awards. This is compiled by TripAdvisor based on millions
of reviews and is considered to be the most accurate industry
awards, being based primarily on customer satisfaction.
TripAdvisor spokesman James Kay
said: "Blackpool Pleasure Beach is not just the country's
best-rated amusement park, it is also one of the cheapest for a
family day out among the UK top 10, proving that great value
often trumps bigger rides in the eyes of consumers."
Paultons Park came second in
the poll with Alton Towers third. Other featured parks include
Drayton Manor (4), Thorpe Park (5) and Southend's Adventure
Island (10).
Blackpool Pleasure Beach opened
in 1896 and has regularly been listed as one of the most visited
attractions in the UK, featuring 10 roller coasters and the
world's biggest dark ride, Valhalla. It also features a range of
big shows, numerous restaurants, retailing and the UK's only
Nickelodeon Land. The park has recently invested millions of
pounds in improvements, which has resulted in spectacular
customer satisfaction ratings on TripAdvisor, making it the now
UK market leader. Reported in
The Mirror,
The Daily Mail and
ITV.com.
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£80m
investment at West Midland Safari Park
6 July 2014
West Midland Safari Park near
Bewdley in Worcestershire has announced an £80m investment into
the park, which will see the development of an indoor water
park, hotel and conference centre, creating 500 jobs. This will
be the biggest transformation of the park since it opened in the
1970s. Plans will be on display at the Safari Park on Tuesday
8th July from 11am to 8pm.
Photographs of the development
appear on the
Express and Star website.
Click here for 10/7/2014 update
|
View of
proposed water slides at West Midland Safari
Park |
All about
dodgems
3 June 2014
You have all bumped your way
around the dodgem track, now a new book reveals what was
happening behind the laughter.
With details of manufacture from the very men who put them together,
the new book Dodgems
by Kay Townsend is the untold story of this popular fairground
ride.Did you
know the dodgems have been with us for over 80 years? But where did
they come from? Who made them? What makes them stop and what makes them
go? This book takes you on a trip down memory lane and tells how this ride
developed and how they work. With chapters covering the origin
of the ride, the different British manufacturers and dodgem
transport, this book is a step back in time.
More...
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Dreamland
Expo opens
25 May 2014
At 2pm today the Dreamland Trust
opened Dreamland Expo, the brand new visitor centre telling the
story of Dreamland and giving a taste of things to come when the
park reopens next year. Dreamland chair Nick Laister said a few
words to the crowd and company secretary Susan Marsh cut the
ribbon. People flooded into the former amusement arcade in their
hundreds and feedback was very positive.
To celebrate the opening of the
Expo, Nick Evans has updated his highly successful Dreamland
book Dreamland
Remembered, with 40 new photographs and brought it up to
date with the present plans for reopening Britain's first
amusement park of historic rides. The new book is called
Dreamland Revived: The
story of Margate's famous amusement park and it is
available from Joyland Books at a discounted price.
Click here for more...
|
Above: The
cover of Dreamland Revived |
Exclusive birthday party packages at Fairytale Farm
20 January 2014
Hold your birthday party at
Fairytale Farm in January, February or March whilst the park is
closed to the public, and the entire farm is yours for the
duration of the party. And we won't book another party at the
same time as yours - so you won't need to share with anybody
else!
Each party package includes:
exclusive use of Fairytale Farm for two and a half hours; your
own party host; all food provided; goody bag for all party
guests; free bag of animal feed for each child (daylight hours
only); party invitations; birthday card for birthday child with
£5 gift voucher to use in Fairytale Farm shop; one adult free
with every full paying child; and a free return visit for every
child.
More...
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Modern-day
fairground transport images
19 January 2014
Pull
On - Today's Showmen's Transport is a new fairground
transport book by Dan Grantham, published by the Fairground
Society.
The book includes 80 full page
colour photographs of modern day fairground transport, as the
packed up rides arrive at their destinations around England.
The book features photos by Dan
Grantham, Tim Holmes, Ian Cant, Mike Hart, Mick Wells, Ant
Williams and Steve Barton.
More...
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