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A TALE OF SHIPLEY GLEN: THE MIKE SHORT INTERVIEW (PART 4) Interview by Gary Radice Article: Added November 2003 |
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July 2004 and
sadly your eyes do not deceive you (see picture to
the right).
The current owner, Mr. Teal (seen
to the right dismantling the ride on 19 July 2004) was successful in his case
to de-list the ride following the lack of photographic evidence to date it.
themagiceye respects the fact that he is just exercising his right to do so. Reportedly, the original timber ride from around 1900 was replaced by the metal version in the 1930s.Due to the information above, the ride was therefore deemed unlikely to be the oldest surviving amusement park ride in the country - the basis for which the ride was originally listed. On behalf of themagiceye I'm sure I speak for many to express my sadness at this but also to thank Mike Short for all his valiant efforts.Thanks to Mike for the interview. On the 4th September 2005 The Shipley Glen Pleasure Grounds finally closed its doors to visitors for good... UPDATE FROM MIKE SHORT: 4th September 2005 This was the last weekend of the Shipley Glen Amusement Park and I can't tell you just how sad I feel.
Better known as 'the funfair', it was such an important
part of my childhood, as it was for so many Bradfordians across the generations.
Shipley Glen was where I always had wanted to live and that,
at last, became possible 18 years ago. My daughter, Jaime, loved it just as much as had I, and as had my parents
before me.
Jaime's first ten birthdays were celebrated at 'the
funfair' and the Breeze family (the operators) always gave us double the number of tokens we had purchased.
On this, the last weekend, the weather was beautiful and
on Sunday, the last day (4 Sept 2005), there were loads of visitors. Some were aware that this was the last day but
others weren't: they were there to enjoy themselves just as they had done so in the past - many times before.
The 'funfair' looked more than a bit tatty. With the
uncertainty of the last two or three years, the Breezes had eased back on the painting and maintenance - and who can blame
them?
But if you looked beneath the peeling paint and concentrated
on the enjoyment and excitement of the young visitors, it wasn't hard to see that this was still an important place.
I took a lot of photos on Saturday. Some of the
digital ones taken on an ageing digital camera are now on the
joylandbooks.com website, courtesy of Nick Laister, and I came back on Sunday to take more.
On Sunday morning I was across the street at 11am to see
Alan Breeze open the gates for the last time.
At 5.30pm I went across with my wife, Di Millen, to say a
farewell. We cracked open a couple of bottles and after a few hugs it was goodbye to almost a hundred years of history
and 18 years with the wonderful Breeze family as weekend neighbours.
They had no choice but to quit.
The Teale family who had owned and operated the Amusement
Park from 1966 to 1987 and then who had leased the operation to the Breeze's had, after their unsuccessful housing planning
application, demanded a large hike in rent that the Breeze's simply couldn't afford to pay.
The land will become derelict and 'ripe for development'.
Most of the rides have been sold.
The roundabout with its 1940s and 50s pedal cars is to be
restored and is rumoured to be going to a London Shopping Centre.
The 'Teacups' are to stay with travelling showmen John and
Denise Breeze. The 'Glen Railway' ride is to go to their daughter as a travelling ride. Most of the other
rides will have new homes but the Helter-Skelter still needs a home - it's too big for my front garden!
A lot of the slot machines have been sold but the period
machines will be kept by Alan and Wendy Breeze.
No more will I hear the sound of excitement as children
pass by and shout to their parents or grandparents, 'It's open!'
I won't hear the sound of the 'Glen Railway' ride grating
around its small circular track and I won't smell the frying of onions - a smell condemned by the supporters of the housing
planning application.
THE FINAL WORD FROM GARY RADICE Ever since I interviewed Mike Short on themagiceye back in 2003, I have always harboured the desire to visit Shipley Glen for myself.
By some coincidence I was in the area not
long after the first anniversary of the funfair closing.
I wanted to walk down Prod Lane as Mike had described so well in his description of the area, and of course I wanted to see what had become of the Aerial Glide and Pleasure Grounds. Sadly, The Tramway was not running, due to essential maintenance. But that didn't matter; my family and I enjoyed the walk up the hill. Mike was right. The area is one of outstanding beauty. But tinged with sadness too.. |
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| More on Shipley Glen Pleasure Grounds | |
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Joyland Books Shipley Glen
website Saltaire Village website |
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| About Mike Short | |
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I was born in 1950 in a little Yorkshire village
nestling on the slopes of the Pennine Hills.
The village was Honley, close to Holmfirth,
a village made famous to British TV viewers as home of the comedy series 'Last of the Summer Wine'.
My parents had both lived in Bradford, West
Yorkshire, England and, as youngsters, both had enjoyed many summer Saturdays and Sundays on Shipley Glen and at the Shipley
Glen Pleasure Grounds.
Although the family did not move to Bradford until
1957 or 58, I had my first visit to this little amusement park and took my first ride on the 'Aerial Glide' at the age
of 4 in either 1954 or 1955.
I was one of nine children and, like many
poor families living in Bradford, holidays were out of the question.
One of the biggest treats was for the family to
take a bus into Bradford, another bus to Shipley and then walk from Shipley to Saltaire, through Roberts Park and across a
public common to take a ride on the famous Shipley Glen Tramway.
I can't remember how much a ride on this Victorian
cable-hauled vehicular railway was at the time.
I think is was 3d up and 2d down, but it may have
been 4d up and 2d down. We are talking about pre-decimal British currency here and 2.4d (old pence) became 1p (new
pence) or GBP 0.01 on decimalisation.
A ride up on the tram saved a climb up a very
steep old bridlepath through the woods up to the Glen but the price on the return journey had to be reduced to persuade people
to take the tram down the track.
With such a large family, we usually often walked
up and rode back!
Although the Tramway has closed twice in
its history, twice it has been saved and it runs today, the oldest surviving cable hauled railway (excluding cliff lifts)
in the UK.
At the top of the tram is Prod Lane, the gateway
to the Glen.
The first of the attractions is next to the Tram
top station - the Shipley Glen Pleasure Grounds.
Every Summer Saturday and Sunday and during school
holidays I hear, countless times, the excited cry from a child of:
' Mum, Dad, the funfair's open!'
and that same cry has been heard countless times
on every day the Pleasure Grounds have been open since the late 1890s/early1900s.
Every time I hear it, I smile and I am often reminded
of my own childhood.
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