At the end  2001 Rick Davis -  Chairman of DAFE: the Darkride And Funhouse Enthusiasts of America - made a trip to Kennywood Park (West Mifflin, PA, USA) to peruse their archives in search of material for future articles for the DAFE publication Barrel O' Fun and for the Daffy Klub web site. That one day visit eventually stretched into six days! Kennywood has a hidden 'treasure chest' of material. Read on... 

In 2008 themagiceye copied an obituary from The Sentinel newspaper (US) and posted it on the Rollercoaster and Theme Park discussion section of Eric Gieszl’s wonderful Ultimate Rollercoaster site. themagiceye wasn't expecting the reply it got from one reader - Carolyn Anderson Moyer - who quite rightly took umbrage with some of its accuracy. Carolyn just happens to be the daughter of Arrow co-founder Angus Anderson! Read on...

Although Frontierland in Morecambe (UK) closed forever in 2000, it lives on in the memories of the misty eyed amongst us who yearn for the simpler more carefree times of days gone by. In 2000 DJ Clark, a professional freelance photographer, took pictures of Frontierland operating in its last season. Read on...

BITSoftheBEACH is a personal and offbeat photographic reminder of Pleasure Beach Blackpool caught in time during a pivotal period in its glorious history. This was the sad time when both Mr G Thompson and his mother, Mrs LD Thompson - mother and son stalwarts of the dynasty that built Britain's most popular seaside attraction - died within 11 days of each other. This feature has not been touched since 2004, and will remain as a time capsule of the park in that period. Read on...

On 20 October 2007, the demolition of the Water Chute at Ocean Beach, Rhyl, commenced, and a piece of amusement park history - once common at parks across the UK - became a memory... Read on...

Hello and welcome to my very own bit of the web! As you know from the title of this page my name is Isabel. I am eight years old. On this bit of the web I will tell you what rides at Blackpool are worth going on and where to eat in the park. If you ever want to go to the Pleasure Beach at Blackpool do NOT look away... Read on...

Look back misty-eyed at Blackpool's lost rides from the Pleasure Beach. Read on...

Images of the long lost fairground at the Tower, New Brighton, Wirral, Merseyside. Read on...

When Paul Beesley, who runs the excellent site ridemad.com, sent themagiceye some photographs of Ocean Beach Amusement Park in Rhyl, North Wales, the hardest decision was choosing which ones to use. The CD contained many outstanding and poignant images. Read on...

This photo gallery takes visitors on a tour of this wonderland by the sea through the years and is based on a new book by top local author Ken Crowe. Read on...

Orton & Spooner was one of Britain's greatest amusement ride manufacturers, formed following the amalgamation of two separate firms in 1925. Orton's produced numerous rides, from early Switchbacks and Bioscopes to Ark/Speedways, Ghost Trains, even Roller Coasters.  Read on...

The Texas Tornado at Frontierland was loved by many, especially roller coaster enthusiasts. Many remember the thrill of brushing against the extending leaves and branches of the adjacent trees as this classic roller coaster thundered "out and back". Can anyone remember riding backwards on this much missed ride?  Read on...

To accompany our article on Pleasure Beach Blackpool's Virginia Reel, The End of the Reel, we present this gallery of photographs of the ride through the years, including the ride's demolition. Read on...

Helter-Skelters hold many happy childhood memories for me. They symbolise a time of excitement and fun. Trying to lift the fusty smelling, big, heavy 'coconut hair' mat up the first few steep stairs...Being out of breath and full of anticipation as I attempted to run (tripping over the mat and cutting my knee in due process!). Read on...