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This
Page is an Archive of all news items featured on the Joyland Books News
Page between 1 January and 30 June 2008.
For the latest news, click here.
Graeme Cassidy's Great
Yarmouth Chronicles [28/6/08]
|
Graeme Cassidy has been fascinated with roller
coasters and amusement parks ever since he sampled the delights of Great Yarmouth and, in particular, the Super Snails,
Tyrolean Tubs and Roller Coaster attractions. themagiceye invited Graeme to write an article based
upon his observations and memories of Great Yarmouth following a trip
report he wrote on Eric Gieszle's 'Ultimate Rollercoaster' forum.
Joyland Books has delved into
themagiceye archives and presents his nostalgic story of
"somewhere very special". Read on... |
 |
New circus books
available now [28/6/08]
Discover the history
of Bridlington's lost cinema[28/6/08]
|
Bridlington's
Joyland Amusements complex,
one of the oldest and largest amusement arcades in the country,
expanded in 1980 to include the former Lounge Cinema auditorium. But
what happened to the rest of the Lounge Cinema? Wes Walker, son of
the founder of
Walkers Tussauds Waxworks, has written the history of
this almost legendary Bridlington venue, which opened in the 1980s
as Mountbattens.
Click
here for 'The Mountbattens Story', which is new to the
Pennies by the Sea website. |
 |
Popular fairground
videos now available on DVD [26/6/08]
|
Three of Joyland's most popular
fairground video titles have finally been made available on DVD.
A Fairground Heritage
is a documentary on the history of the famous Boston Fair. Transport
enthusiasts will want to order
Fairground Pull-On, a behind-the-scenes look at the transport
used by today's travelling showmen. Nottingham's Goose Fair is
covered in
Fairground Magic. These
DVDs form only a small part of Joyland Books's huge selection of
fairground DVDs and videos,
almost certainly the biggest collection anywhere in the world. We
hold most titles in stock for immediate dispatch.
Click here to see our full
selection of fairground DVDs and here
to see our full DVD list. |
 |
The amazing story
of Britain's most famous elephants [24/6/08]
A new circus book,
The Legend of Salt and
Sauce: The Amazing Story of Britain's Most Famous Elephants
by Jamie Clubb and Jim Clubb is now on sale through Joyland Books.
The book tells the true story of Salt and Sauce, two Indian
elephants, who arrived in Britain in 1902 and became involved in the
live entertainment industry from the Music Hall scene to circus and
finally Butlin's Holiday camp. This is the story of how the
elephants became both feared and loved by some of the most famous
people of their era, and how their story became mythical among the
circus community. For the first time ever Jamie Clubb, aided by
his father, famous wild animal trainer and circus/zoo historian, Jim
Clubb, tell the complete and true account of their lives.
Click here for more...
|
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Alton Towers tickets only £18: 48% off for
48 hours [16/6/08]
|
48% off Alton
Towers tickets for 48 hours only! Ticket only £18 for limited time
only so take advantage TODAY!
Lastminute.com is giving a massive £17 off regular entry to
Alton Towers with 48% off for limited time only.
Click here
 for more details.
Click here for our
discount theme park tickets page for even more discounts or
here for links to other
websites offering deals, discounts and money-off vouchers. Check
back regularly as we add new deals as they are launched. |
 |
Historic Water Chute
reopens [14/6/08]
|
Scarborough's historic Water Chute is
up and running again, following the closure of the Kinderland park
in which it was located. The ride is being operated by the North Bay
Railway Company, which operates the adjacent miniature railway line.
The ride was built in 1932 as part of the development of Northstead
Manor Gardens and is one of only three left Wicksteed chutes
operating in the country, the others being at Hull's East Park and
Wicksteed Park in Northanptonshire. The land around the Water Chute,
including the former Marvels Amusement Park, forms part of the Sands
redevelopment site. |
Above: Back in action: Scarborough's Water Chute. |
Seaburn Fun Park
closes again [14/6/08]
|
Seaburn's sea front amusement park -
Seaburn Fun Park - has closed its gates after the lessees failed to
pay their rent to the Council in time. Park owner Sunderland Council
has served a possession order and cranes have moved in to clear the
site. The Council will now consider options for the redevelopment of
the site. The park previously
closed in 2001, but was saved when showman Billy Joe Butlin took
over. However, visitor numbers are believed to have declined, as the
park found it increasingly difficult to compete with the much larger
Ocean Beach Pleasure Park in South Shields. The 1.88 acre site is
now likely to be marketed for redevelopment as part of the Council's
regeneration plans. |
 |
Special deals on
theme park tickets [17/5/08]
We have added some special extra
reductions on theme park tickets to our
Discount Theme Park
Tickets page. Some of these deals - which include £16 off
entry to Alton Towers - are only available in May. As always, we
recommend that you check this page regularly, as new deals appear
all the time. Discount
theme park tickets.
New England's most
beloved amusement park [30/4/08]
|
Following its opening in 1894 as a
picturesque retreat on the side of Mount Tom, Mountain Park expanded
and evolved into one of the most beloved amusement parks in New
England. At the beginning of the 20th century, Holyoke was the most
prosperous community in the state and the first planned industrial
city in the United States. The city’s progress drew crowds of
visitors to Mountain Park, and the park gradually developed into a
bustling destination. Although the park closed its gates in 1987,
the echoes of laughter from generations of visitors still
reverberate throughout the Pioneer Valley.
Mountain Park by Jay
Ducharme, who worked at Mountain Park for over a decade, tells the
full story with numerous wonderful photographs.
More... |
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Reeltime Memories at
themagiceye [30/4/08]
|
themagiceye at Joyland has been bringing you some of the
best articles on amusement park history from the archives of Gary
Radice's much-loved website. Last month, we took you to the final
days of Blackpool Pleasure Beach's Virginia Reel ride in
The End of the Reel.
Now, for the first time since themagiceye has been hosted at
Joyland, we bring you a brand new article,
Reeltime
Memories. The article is an interview with the
daughters of the Virginia Reel's inventor, Henry Elmer Riehl, and
makes a wonderful companion to last month's article.
Read on... |
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Stamford Mid Lent
Fair on DVD [27/4/08]
|
Hot off the press is this brand new
DVD from the good people at BCM Video Productions. BCM specialise in
fairground DVDs and videos and they have been producing fantastic
videos for many years. Each year they release a video and DVD of
Stamford Mid-Lent Fair, and these titles make a fantastic record of
this ever-changing street fair.
Stamford Mid-Lent Fair 2008 begins with the extensive pull-on
by night and day of showmen's transport into the streets of this ancient market town. This is followed by the official civic
opening ceremony, held on the front of Billy Crow's Extreme. Then
all the major rides are seen in action at Lincolnshire's largest
street fair. Amongst the attractions appearing in the town for the
first time were Daren Church's 'Crazy Bounce' Jump and Smile,
William Percival's Twist, Jimmy Rogers' High Roller and, from
Scotland, John Wheatley's Speed Buzz.
More... |
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New coaster opens at Old
MacDonald's Farm [19/4/08]
|
A new roller coaster - The Wacky Worm
- has opened at Brentwood's Old MacDonald's Farm Leisure Park,
heading the line-up of new attractions for 2008. Also new this year
are the Big Diggers (construction diggers for kids), a new
Construction Area playground, The Bull Frogs Show (an animatronics
show), The Nature Walk and Adventure Bridges. The park was acquired
by the Manning family three years ago, and now also features a
carousel, helter skelter and train ride, alongside the educational
farm animals. |
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Grand Pier reopens
[19/4/08]
|
Weston-super-Mare's Grand Pier, billed
as "a theme park over the sea", reopened today after a revamp. The
pier was acquired earlier this year by brother and sister Michelle
and Kerry Michael, in a reported multi-million pound deal, following
61 years in the ownership of the Brenner family. The new owners have
plans for new restaurants, live music, weddings, children's parties,
a museum, new rides, side shows, attractions and market stalls and
hope to appeal to locals as well as visitors. The pier has only
changed hands three times in its 104-year history. |
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Fairground funeral
[19/4/08]
|
David Jones, operator of the permanent
fairground at Dudley's Black Country Living Museum, has died. From a
travelling background, Mr Jones approached the Museum 27 years ago
with a proposal to operate a vintage fairground on the site, as
fairgrounds have been an important part of the Black Country's
heritage. Jones spent the last 27 years of his life operating the
museum fairground, a job he loved. The fairground has now been taken
over by his sons, Matthew and Dean. |
 |
Fall of the Big Top:
Major new circus book [10/4/08]
|
A brand new circus book has been
released looking at the big changes in the travelling circus.
Fall of the Big Top: the
Vanishing American Circus by David Lewis Hammarstrom is a
major release that explores circus history from 1793 to the present
and addresses the forces of modern culture (such as the popularity
of Cirque du Soleil, and pressure from the animal rights movement)
that are pushing big top shows toward what the author calls “circus
ballet.” Numerous photographs and in-depth interviews conducted with
show owners, performers and directors enrich the narrative. The book
reveals a sobering contrast between circuses of yesterday and today,
even as it honours the outstanding performers who created, and have
sustained, the enduring appeal of the circus.
Click here for more
information. |
 |
Margate Scenic
Railway partly destroyed by fire [7/4/08]
|
A fire has partially destroyed the
Scenic Railway roller coaster at Dreamland. The Scenic Railway is
the UK's oldest roller coaster and a Grade II listed building.
Approximately 25-30% of the structure (the main lift hill and much
of the central part of the ride) is believed to have been lost, and
so has the workshop, which housed all the original trains.
A detailed news report is on the
Save Dreamland
Campaign website and there is much debate on the
Save
Dreamland Forum. |
Photo: Nick Evans |
Killarney Springs
not to reopen [6/4/08]
|
Killarney Springs Family Park in
Cornwall, which closed last year after going into administration,
will not reopen as a fun park. Its current owners, property
developers LandMarque, have secured planning permission for a luxury
residential property with equestrian facilities at the 66-acre site.
News of the acquisition is
here and details of the redevelopment can be found
here. |
 |
Seaside resorts in
film [5/4/08]
|
A new book -
Beached Margin by Jez
Conolly - explores the strong link between British seaside resorts
and film, asking why filmmakers through the years have been
attracted to this particular environment. The author spent the
first 20 years of his life experiencing first hand the conflux of
seaside and cinema, as his father was manager of the ABC Ritz and
Regal cinemas in the East Coast resort of Cleethorpes. He witnessed
part of the post-war decline at a national level of both resorts and
cinemas, a decline which was not entirely related. The book looks at
the cinematic possibilities presented by seaside resorts and the way
they have been depicted in various films and television programmes,
including Brighton Rock, The Benny Hill Show, Fawlty Towers, Funny
Bones, The Full Monty, Last Resort, London to Brighton, O' Dreamland
and Quadrophenia. Click
here for more information. |
 |
Wonderland
Pleasure Park sold [30/3/08]
|
Nottinghamshire's Wonderland Pleasure
Park has been acquired by the Bendall family, which owns Woodlands
Leisure Park in Devon and Twinlakes Park near Leicester. The company
has a history of investing in newly acquired parks, and a number of new
rides are already planned for the 2008 season. The park has been
renamed Wheelgate Adventure Park. |
 |
41% off Alton Towers
tickets [29/3/08]
Our
Discount Theme Park
Tickets page constantly looks for the best reductions on
theme park admission tickets. Until 7 April, lastminute.com is
offering 41% off the entry price to Alton Towers if you book the
ticket through their website, making admission only £20 (down from
the usual £34). There is also 29% off the child admission - now only
£17. Click here
to go to our Discount Theme Park Tickets page, where there is a link
to buy the reduced price tickets. We have also now found offers on
admission to Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park in Suffolk and Dickens
World in Kent.
41% off Alton Towers
tickets... |
|
Vintage footage of
Blackpool's Pleasure Beach [29/3/08]
|
A new DVD has been released featuring
some of the most detailed and extensive footage of Pleasure Beach
Blackpool between 1914 and 1926 that we have seen. A substantial
part of the two documentary films featured on the DVD,
Fun on the Sands in Blackpool
(1914) and Happy Days at Blackpool (1926), features the
Pleasure Beach Amusement Park, with much time spent on rides such as
the Water Chute, Witching Waves, Velvet Coaster, Scenic Railway,
Virginia Reel, the Whip, the Joy Wheel, River Caves, and the brand
new Big Dipper. One of these films was discovered whilst clearing
out a shop in Blackburn, the other was discovered in a garden shed
in the Fylde village of Westby. The DVD also comes with a bonus
film, Blackpool Illuminations 1934, which features good night-time
footage of the Pleasure Beach. For more information about this new
DVD, click here. |
 |
Scarborough
Legoland plans scrapped [27/3/08]
|
Following last month's press
announcement that the UK's first Legoland Discovery Centre was to be
built in Scarborough (see 10/2/08 below)
comes the surprise news that Merlin Entertainments has scrapped the
plans. The company decided at an internal meeting yesterday to pull
out of the North Bay project in favour of opportunities in the USA
and mainland Europe. |
 |
Walkers Tussauds
Waxworks - new article and photos [24/3/08]
|
A few weeks ago, Skelter Publishing
added a fascinating new article on the history of Bridlington-based
Walkers
Tussauds Waxworks to the
Pennies by the Sea website.
Since then, Wes Walker of Walkers Tussauds has been in touch and
provided a large amount of new information and some fantastic
photographs. |
 |
This has now been added to the article, with a large new 4-page
photo gallery at the end. The story of Walkers Tussauds
takes in vintage fairground rides on Blackpool's Golden Mile in the
1940s, several amusement arcades in Bridlington, three waxworks
exhibitions (in Bridlington, Whitby and Blackpool), a horror museum
in London and Fort Paull in Hull, amongst its wide range of
attractions.
Read about
Walkers Tussauds... |
Bad weather hits British
parks [23/3/08]
|
Poor Easter weather has affected more
than one UK amusement park this weekend. The 98ft high Colossus
roller coaster was closed at Thorpe Park after a fault developed,
and was not able to reopen as the weather was too cold to test it.
Temperatures were below 5C, which is the minimum temperature at
which the ride can be tested. And strong winds blew the roof off the
main office building and damaged the Ghost Train at Great Yarmouth
Pleasure Beach yesterday, leading owners to close the park on Easter
Saturday. The owners said this is the first time the park has been
closed on an Easter Saturday. Colossus at Thorpe Park is still
listed on the park's website as unavailable, but Great Yarmouth
Pleasure Beach will reopen on Easter Monday, having been closed all
day Easter Sunday. |
Above: Colossus at Thorpe Park, affected by bad
weather this Easter. |
Amusement Parks of
Virginia, Maryland and Delaware [22/3/08]
|
A fun, informative guidebook profiling
15 major American amusement parks (and a selection of smaller ones)
has just been released by Stackpole Books.
Amusement Parks of
Virginia, Maryland & Delaware by Jim Futrell includes the
history of all these parks, accompanied by vintage photographs and
postcard scenes. Visitor information on the location of the parks,
their opening times, admission, touring tips, food, children’s fare,
special features, and rides round out this useful source on
favourite family destinations. Featured parks are Trimper’s (Ocean
City, MD), Jolly Roger at the Pier (Ocean City, MD), Funland (Rehobeth
Beach, DE), Frontier Town (Ocean City, MD), Jolly Roger (Ocean City,
MD), Funland Family Fun Center (McHenry, MD), Kings Dominion (Doswell,
VA), Six Flags America (Largo, MD), Busch Gardens Europe
(Williamsburg, VA), Baja Amusements (Ocean City, MD), Motor World
(Virginia Beach, VA), Go-Karts Plus (Williamsburg, VA), Virginia
Beach Amusement Park (Virginia Beach, VA), Blue Diamond Park (New
Castle, DE) and Adventure Park USA (New Market, MD).
More... |
£11.99 |
New developments proposed for Isle of Wight
attraction [22/3/08]
|
Robin Hill Adventure Park director
Simon Dabell has announced a series of new attractions aimed at
increasing visitor numbers to the Isle of Wight theme park by a
third. The new attractions will include an unnamed ride, a cinema
telling the story of the Island, an interactive experience called
The Thunderdome in which visitors can experience a tropical
rainstorm, woodland gardens area, Roman villa interpretation centre
and an energy centre. This is in addition to moving attractions from
the company's fast-disappearing Blackgang Chine theme park, the
first of which will be the Frontierland Western Town. Robin Hill
currently attracts 115,000 visitors a year. |
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Signed copies of
Blackpool Pleasure Beach book [22/3/08]
|
Joyland Books has a limited number of
copies of the acclaimed book
Riding on Rainbows:
Blackpool Pleasure Beach and its Place in British Popular Culture
signed by its author, John Walton. John is one of the most prominent
authors in Britain writing on the subject of seaside resorts,
having previously written books on Blackpool and Coney Island. A
professor at Leeds Metropolitan University, John's books have become
standards for academics and historians researching
subjects as diverse as Blackpool landladies and fish and chips. His book on the Pleasure
Beach is the first completely independent history of the park.
Click here to buy
signed copies. |
 |
Pleasureland
developers announced [21/3/08]
|
Urban Splash has been announced as the
developers of the former Pleasureland site by owners Sefton Borough
Council. The Liverpool-based developer proposes an £80m development,
to potentially include a winter garden, outdoor heated swimming pool
and two hotels. Urban Splash beat off rivals St Modwen Properties
and Maple Grove Developments. Pleasureland closed in September 2006,
when owners Blackpool Pleasure Beach pulled out. A temporary funfair
operated on the site in 2007, which has just reopened for the 2008
season. |
 |
The End of the Reel [21/3/08]
|
When the
Save Dreamland Campaign
carried out a survey to find out which lost ride members would most
like to see replicated for the proposed Heritage Amusement Park, one
ride received more votes than any other: the Virginia Reel.
themagiceye goes back in
time to relive memories of the Virginia
Reel at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, courtesy of someone who actually worked on the ride during its final years.
Ian Beech's 2003 interview and archive photographs provide a fascinating insight into the last days of this classic
ride: The End of
the Reel. |
The Virginia Reel at Blackpool
Pleasure Beach, as featured in the new article at themagiceye |
Discount theme park
tickets [15/3/08]
|
Easter is almost upon us, the theme
parks are all reopening and Joyland Books has been searching for the
best theme park deals available. We have put all the best deals on a
new page. We
can offer you a 45% discount on tickets to Legoland, 26% off tickets
to Alton Towers, 25% off tickets to Thorpe Park, 34% off tickets to
Camelot Theme Park and much more.
Click here for our
Discount Theme Park Tickets page and keep checking back on a regular
basis as new deals are added all the time. |
 |
Top worldwide amusement
parks announced [14/3/08]
|
Visitor numbers to worldwide theme
parks in 2007 have been released by Themed Entertainment
Association, showing that Disney parks remain the most visited in
the world with 116.5 million visitors. But European operators are
prominent, with Poole (UK) based Merlin Entertainments (owners of,
amongst other parks, Alton Towers and Legoland) now at number two
with 32.1 million visitors. Spanish operator Parques Reunidos is at
number 7 (12m) and French operator Compagnie des Alpes (formerly
Grévin) is at number 8 (9.6m). The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney
World (Florida) is the most popular park (17m), with Pleasure Beach
Blackpool (5.5m) Britain's highest placing - the only British park
in the Top 25. |
|
Britain's top 4 parks:
1. Pleasure Beach Blackpool (5.5m)
-8.3%
2. Alton Towers (2.4m) 0.0%
3. Thorpe Park (1.7m) 0.0%
4. Legoland Windsor (1.65m) +11.5%
Click here to download the full statistics (PDF). |
Oakwood sold to
Spanish Aspro Group [11/3/08]
|
Oakwood theme park, Wales's largest
paid for visitor attraction, has been sold for an undisclosed sum to
the Spanish tourist attraction operator Aspro Group. Aspro operates
32 attractions across Europe, including water parks, zoos and
holiday establishments - more than any other European operator.
Aspro already operates two aquariums in the UK. Former owner Paddy
McNamara said in a statement today that Aspro has "an excellent
track record of operating leisure parks across Europe". |
 |
Step back in time at Six
Flags park [9/3/08]
|
Six Flags Over Georgia:
Relics From the Vaults allows you to relive history as you
take a step back in time to watch the early years of the park.
Located in Austell, Georgia, Six Flags Over Georgia was the second
park in the Six Flags chain. This DVD contains exclusive, vintage,
never-before-seen footage and documentaries on Six Flags Over
Georgia and its rides and attractions. See early attractions at the
park and watch as the park expands with the addition of roller
coasters and shows throughout the first years. Witness defunct rides
such as the Mini Mine Train, Drunken Barrels and the Okefenokee
Swamp. Take an early ride on the Dahlonega Mine Train, watch the
opening of the Great Gasp, or see the construction of the world
famous Great American Scream Machine wooden roller coaster.
Click here for
more details of this special DVD. |
 |
50% off tickets to Zippos Circus [8/3/08]
|
Zippos Circus is back on the road for
2008 and Joyland Books, in association with lastminute.com, is currently offering half price tickets.
Adult tickets are £7.50 (normally £15) and Child tickets are £5
(normally £10). Tickets are available for venues across the UK.
Click here for tickets...
 |
 |
Pleasure Beach
Blackpool in the news [3/3/08]
|
Pleasure Beach Blackpool has really
been making the news over the past week. Local and national
newspapers reacted with surprise at the announcement that, breaking
with a century of tradition, the park will be charging for admission
from 2009. The entrance charge will be £5, giving visitors a
'Freedom Pass' allowing access to a number of attractions, including
the Pleasure Beach Express, Monorail and Noah's Ark. Visitors buying
Unlimited Ride Wristbands will enter the park for free, as will
under-threes. A few days later, it was announced that the Pleasure
Beach was the most visited tourist attraction in Britain, with 5.5m
visitors entering the park in 2007, beating the Tate Modern, British
Museum and Cornwall's Eden Project. The numbers are down slightly on
2006, despite the introduction of the new Infusion roller coaster
(the former Traumatizer from Southport's Pleasureland Amusement
Park). |
 |
Day of the Knights:
Camelot Theme Park [1/3/08]
|
A 2006 visit to Camelot Theme Park is
the latest article to be dusted down from the archives of amusement
park nostalgia website
themagiceye. Visit a unique Ghost Train in a tent, some
wonderful horsemanship, an unexpected goat attack and a ride on a
former Dreamland roller coaster in
Day of the
Knights, an article by themagiceye creator, Gary Radice. And
if you just can't get enough of all things Camelot, buy the history
of the park in a fantastic book:
From a Saint to a King. |
 |
Massive selection of
rare circus books [24/2/08]
|
Joyland Books has added thousands
of pounds worth of rare and out-of-print circus books in one of our
biggest expansions since Joyland Books' launch in 2000. We have
tracked down some of the hardest to find circus-related titles and
placed them in a brand new department,
Secondhand Circus Books
(yes, we are good at giving things cutting edge names!). Much sought
after books, such as
Caravan,
Sons of Sawdust and
Circus Company
by Edward Seago,
The Circus Moves by
Rail by Tom Parkinson/Charles Philip Fox,
Dust, Dope and
Sawdust by Paul Carew (pictured right),
A History of the
Circus by George Speaight and
Wings by Veronique
Vial, are joined by more affordable titles like
Circus by Rodney
Manser, Cowboy Roping
and Rope Tricks by Chester Byers,
Josser by Neil Stroud
and Sampson's
Circus by Howard Spring. We have also revamped our entire
Secondhand Shop, which is now
divided by categories for ease of browsing. |
Above: Dust, Dope and Sawdust. |
World exclusive new circus
book [23/2/08]
|
For a limited time only, Joyland Books
is making available brand new copies of the classic 1980s circus
book, Circus Press Agent
by Gene Plowden. The book is the life story of Roland Butler, who gave us saucer-lipped Ubangis, the giraffe-necked women from Burma, the man who performed
atop a ten-storey buggywhip, the man who walked on his forefinger, a
child prodigy at the xylophone, and a group that "shakes dice with
death at dizzy heights." The book has become a timeless circus
standard but was deleted many years ago. Used copies of the edition
we are selling (the 1984 version) generally fetch well over £20, but are available brand new
from Joyland Books at only £12.50!
Click here for more
details on this first-come-first-served offer... |
 |
UK-first indoor Legoland
for Scarborough [10/2/08]
|
The UK's first indoor Legoland
will open in Scarborough in 2009. The complex will be
built at The Sands leisure development at North Bay, which is partly
a redevelopment of the former Marvel's Amusement Park site. The
world's only Legoland Discovery Centre is currently located in
Berlin, and features a range of rides and attractions. The
Scarborough proposal, which will play a large part in the
regeneration of the resort, was put together by theme park planning
consultant Nick Laister. |
|
Planning permission
granted for new Thorpe Park coaster [10/2/08]
|
Runnymede Borough Council has granted
planning permission for a new roller coaster at Thorpe Park. The
ride, to be built by German manufacturer Gerstlauer will feature a
97 degree drop from a height of 100ft. It will be similar to Rage at
Southend's Adventure Island theme park (pictured right), which
opened to good reviews in 2007. It will feature four inversions, and
will join the park's existing roller coasters, Stealth, Nemesis
Inferno, and Colossus. The park claims that the ride's four loops
will take the theme park up to number three in the world for total
number of inversions, at an impressive 18 - ten ahead of the number
two in the UK.
Construction of the new ride will
commence in May 2008 in the Canada Creek area of the park and it is
expected to open for the 2009 season. |
 |
New amusement park and
seaside history books [2/2/08]
Three new history books have
been added to the Joyland Books website.
Pocket Belle Vue: Manchester's Playground is filled
with wonderful images of the famous amusement park and zoo,
many of them previously unpublished. Belle Vue is
brought alive, from the beginning of its history until the
final days. Two new books take readers on a trip down memory lane at
two of the country's best known seaside resorts.
Blackpool Then &
Now by Craig Fleming and Steve Singleton shows how
many of the town's famous landmarks have changed over the
years. In Skegness
Past (pictured right) by John Cowpe, immerse
yourself in photographs of the resort through the years,
including the town's amusement parks and its most famous
attraction - Butlin's.
|
 |
Belle Vue Bobs
remembered [1/2/08]
To this day, 35 years after
its demolition, Manchester's Belle Vue Bobs remains one of
the most highly rated, important and revered roller
coasters ever to be built in the UK. This month, amusement
park nostalgia website,
themagiceye, presents a wonderful article by regular
Bobs rider George Drew, who recounts his love affair with
this iconic Hyde Road landmark. Explore the greatest ride
themagiceye never rode -
Bobs: George Drew
Remembers. And
click here
for other articles at themagiceye.
|
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Photographs of a
season with vintage funfair [26/1/08]
Carters Steam Fair travels
around London and the South East, for seven months of the
year. The other five months are spent in a frenzy of
restoration, painting and repairing. Carters is the result
of John Carter's passion for collecting old and interesting
items, discarded by the owners, as being too unfashionable
or too derelict to preserve. Over the last 30 years a whole
funfair has been collected, complete with historic vehicles
to transport it from site to site, with vintage living vans
to complement the show.
Carters Steam
Fair: Photographs of a season with Britain's premier vintage
funfair does exactly what it says on the tin and
follows the fair through a typical year, with stunning black
& white photography by Adrian G Shaw and words by Anna
Carter.
Details...
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'You Must Be This Tall' -
new amusement park DVD [19/1/08]
This new feature length film
documents the long history of Rocky Point Park, an amusement
park and shore dinner hall situated along the coast of the
Narragansett Bay. For over 150 years, New Englanders flocked
to the spot, for a game of Sunday baseball, for a picnic,
for a rock-n-roll concert, or to ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl.
Then, in 1996, the park closed. With its rides sold off, the
park sits as a ghost town, scheduled for demolition and
primed for the construction of condominiums.
The story of Rocky Point
Park is told entirely by the people who lived there, who
worked there, and who spent every waking moment of every
summer at the park. We have collected footage, family
photographs, and memorabilia from the park. Along with a
couple of local still photographers, we have shot
extensively inside the ruined buildings and on the hallowed
grounds of the former amusement park.
You Must Be This Tall
captures all the fond memories left behind at Rocky Point,
leaving future generations with a visually-stimulating
reminder of the way things were.
|
£13.99 |
Three new fairground
DVDs - snap them up! [5/1/08]
Three brand new fairground
DVDs have been added to our
Fairground DVD Store,
all from the reliable hand of BCM Video Productions. Heading
up the list is
Step Back in Time: A 1960s Fairground, filmed at
Kettering. The fair was held by independent showlady Ann
Perrett and featured vintage rides such as a skid,
chair-o-planes, cakewalk, octopus, ark, dodgems and swinging
gyms.
In
Fun Fairs on the
Move 2007 Vol 15, we see the transport pulling onto
the Northampton Balloon Festival and the famous Nottingham
Goose Fair.
Finally,
Hull Fair 2007
takes us to Europe's largest travelling fair, with a massive
collection of thrill rides.
|
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Happy New Year from all
at Joyland Books! [1/1/08]
|
Welcome to 2008! We hope that you will
spend the year by regularly joining us here at Joyland Books. |
2007 was a record-breaking year for Joyland Books, with website
visitors up by a staggering 76% on 2006 figures. And there were many
good reasons to come to Joyland Books, the biggest reason being to
buy new books and DVDs. Last year saw the release of top titles such
as Tracking the
Thrills, Townsends: A
Showman's Story,
Riding the Wall of
Death,
Sunny Vale Pleasure Gardens,
The Showman's
Forgotten Scammells,
The Old Tyme Penny Arcade
and Vintage Fairground,
The Working Scammell
Showtrac and
England's Seaside
Resorts. The biggest release of the year was
Riding on Rainbows,
John Walton's new book on Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which has
quickly become the definitive work on the subject. |
|
Above: John Walton's new book
on Blackpool Pleasure Beach's history and importance. |
|
Generally 2007 was a poor year for amusement parks, with the number
of park closures accelerating. In January it was announced that the
American Adventure in Derbyshire was not going to reopen for the
2007 season. All the rides at Barry Island Pleasure Park were put up
for sale in January as the park prepared for redevelopment. The UK's
last surviving Figure Eight roller coaster was demolished at
Folkestone's Rotunda Amusement Park in April, despite a last-minute
effort by the Save Dreamland
Campaign to save it. The Campaign also tried to save the
world's last surviving water chute at Ocean Beach Fun Fair in Rhyl,
after the entire park was closed and demolished in October. It was
also announced in June that Metroland indoor theme park in Gateshead
is to close and in the same month Killarney Springs Family Park in
Cornwall went into receivership.
|
However, despite all the doom and gloom in the industry, events at
Dreamland took a positive turn in 2007 with the launch in May of the
Save Dreamland Campaign's proposals for a
heritage amusement
park on the site. This proposal was quickly supported by the
owners of the site and Thanet District Council, the latter of which
issued a Planning Brief for the site to ensure that most of it
remained as an amusement park. |
Above: The Save Dreamland campaign
dismantling the Wild Mouse roller coaster at Southport Pleasureland
in June. the ride is currently in storage for potential use at the
proposed Dreamland Heritage Amusement Park in Margate. |
|
The Campaign took advantage of the
recent spate of park closures by rescuing all the historic rides
from Southport's Pleasureland (including the Wild Mouse roller
coaster and Caterpillar), and the main working parts of Rhyl's Water
Chute. In other 2007 news, a
major roller coaster opened at Camelot Theme Park in Lancashire,
winning rave reviews from enthusiasts, and temporary amusement parks
opened in Southport (on the site of the former Pleasureland) and at
Scarborough (on the site of the demolished Atlantic water Park). And
themagiceye, the world's
best love amusement park nostalgia website was relaunched as part of
Joyland Books.
So keep checking back to this site
throughout 2008 - there is certain to be as much news as there was
in 2007! |
Pennies by the Sea
website expands
[1/1/08]
Bekonscot: The Tim
Dunn Interview [1/1/08]
Amusement park nostalgia
website themagiceye
continues to delve into its huge archives. This month's
fantastic archive feature is an interview with Tim Dunn of
Beaconsfield's Bekonscot, the world's oldest model village.
"The sound of a heavenly choir resonating
from a church on a hill. A game of cricket
on the village green. A model railway
enthusiast's dream and a piece of 1930s
rural England where time stands perfectly
still."
Click here to
read this article...
|
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Skelter Publishing looking for salesperson [1/1/08]
Are you enthusiastic about
amusement parks, fairgrounds or circus? Do you love books?
Do you want to earn some extra money working from home? Then
you might be just the person that Skelter Publishing is
looking for! The company needs a person who can spend an
hour or two a week within normal working hours assisting
them with marketing their titles. The role is an informal
one, working entirely from home and doing as much or as
little as you have time for.
Skelter titles you will be
involved with are
Riding on Rainbows,
Pennies by the Sea,
Pleasureland
Memories,
From Lamp to
Laser and
Kursaal Memories.
If you think this role is
for you, please
email us.
|
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