| Blackpool Pleasure Beach in 1977 |
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The fairly gentle Roller Coaster (left) runs along the rear of the southern
half of the park. It is suitable for smaller children than the Big Dipper and Grand
National.
The Reel (right). This ride was built in the 1920s and remained a firm
favourite until the 1970s. |
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The Big Dipper was originally built in 1924.
It remains a popular ride even after the building of The Big One as it is, in my opinion, a
better ride, with the traditional sine wave shape instead of the Big One's sensationless
constant gradient rises.
There had been a large white globe on the top where the coaster turns towards the first dip
after rising on the chain-pull, but this was replaced in the 1970s by a teardrop-shaped
finial. |
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As the train leaves the station it doubles back on itself and then turns round a tight loop to start the climb to the top. This loop used to be boxed in by a wooden construction until one day in 1975 when a fire broke out. The
coaster was halfway round the ride at the time and an operative braved the flames, which had spread to the station, in order to stop the train. Otherwise it would have run through and
into the inferno. |
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Accidents are relatively rare and many accidents
are down to people doing stupid things like trying to stand up on rides. In the 1970s there were no restraining straps or over-the-shoulder harnesses on roller coasters. People were expected to be sensible enough to hold on and not try to be Superman.
However, any accident is always given a sensational treatment by the press and media.
Left: the Dodgems, always a favourite on any fairground! |
| The Log Flume used to be a great spot for some wonderful candid facial
expressions.
The vantage point for taking photos like this disappeared when Ocean Boulevard, a
row of shops and eating places, was built along the front of the Pleasure Beach.
No - I wasn't paddling in the water - I was using a telephoto lens! |
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The Space Tower was a slowly revolving drum that went up
a column 150 feet into the air. It was dismantled to make way for the
Big One roller coaster and was re-erected at the company's park in Morecambe. For two decades
the Space Tower was as much a landmark in Blackpool as the Big One roller coaster that replaced
it was to become. |
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At the side of the Space Tower were the rockets, which
had been on the site for many years. They disappeared shortly after this photograph was taken
to make way for the Black Hole ride which was a covered waltzer.
Right: Yep! That's me on the same rockets, around 1964. |
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