Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Established 1896)
Biography
Blackpool Pleasure Beach was founded in 1896 by A.W.G. Bean and John Outhwaite.
The original Pleasure Beach was a small entertainment venture, built on the sand dunes along the Blackpool promenade containing a few roundabouts, a Bicycle Railway and Gypsy stalls. The expansion of the site did not start until the acquisition of adjacent land in 1903, which set the wheels in motion for what will become one of the best and most successful theme parks in the world. The success of the park has been marked by constant development and the addition of some of the most innovative and exciting theme park machines ever built. In 1904 Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine was built, which has become the oldest amusement park ride still operating in Europe. Other additions included The River Caves of the World in 1905 and The Scenic Railway in 1907.
Bean and Outhwaite worked in partnership until Outhwaite’s death in 1911, when most of the business ownership passed onto Bean. The development of the park continued gaining momentum until the outbreak of World War One when investment was brought to a halt. The park survived the war and nearly a decade of stalemate, which came to an end with the construction of the Virginia Reel, the Noah's Ark and the development of the Casino Building.
Bean died in 1929 when the business was inherited by his daughter Lillian-Doris and her husband Leonard Thompson, who took over the running of the park.
Over the next decade, Thompson worked to expand the business further, starting with the construction of The Ghost Train, the Fun House and The Grand National and hiring renowned architects Joseph Emberton and later Jack Ratcliffe to bring the site up to date. He also acquired the remnant of the business owned by the Outhwaite family, gaining complete ownership of the business.
Investment once again slowed down during the Second World War, however, the park continued operating during the conflict as part of the national effort to raise public morale. The years following WWII saw increased investment with the addition of rides such as The Wild Mouse, Derby Racer, The Goldmine and Alice in Wonderland.
Leonard died in 1976 leaving the business to his son, Geoffrey who continued bringing the Pleasure Beach to the forefront of global amusement parks through heavy investment and innovation. He opened the new generation of rides including the Steeplechase, Avalanche, Revolution and Ice Blast. In 1994 he opened The Big One, the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world at the time, followed by Valhalla in 2000, which is one of the largest and most expensive indoor dark rides in the world.
Geoffrey was also actively involved in promoting tourism in the North West of England and was part of the English Tourist Board and the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions and received, together with his mother, the Order of the British Empire status for their contribution to tourism. Geoffrey continued committed to his work until his death in 2004, when his oldest daughter Amanda took over the overall management of the business, while his son Nicholas became the Deputy Managing Director and his youngest daughter Fiona became a Senior Company Director. Continuing with the family business model Amanda Thompson’s leadership has been characterised by aggressive investment, vision, innovation and redevelopment.
In 2011, the Pleasure Beach opened Nickelodeon Land, a £10 million redevelopment project. In 2013, the park worked alongside Aardman Animations to create Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic and in 2015 they teamed up with the RAF to open the Red Arrows Skyforce. In 2018 the multimillion pound Icon roller coaster was created and in 2019 the Boulevard Hotel was built. Like her father and grandmother, Amanda was awarded an OBE for her contribution to tourism.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach holds the largest number of wooden roller coasters in the United Kingdom, it is the first theme park in Europe to have introduced a fully inverting steel coaster and is the last remaining park in the world to still operate a Steeplechase roller coaster. Blackpool Pleasure Beach is also one of selected number of parks, which became the basis for the first Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California.
Found in 26 Collections and/or Records:
A Paddle at Blackpool Postcard, c1930 - 1949
A postcard attached to a double page from a notebook with handwritten text in blue pencil.
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1971
Blackpool Tower Circus Posters, c1930 - 1990
Posters for Blackpool Tower Circus including shows by Knie's Circus, Circus Krone, Circus Schumann, Bertram Mills Circus, Robert Brothers Circus and performances by Charlie Cairoli, Doddles, Coco the Clown, The Rosaires, Lilly Yokoi, Alfred Court, Vojtek Trubka, The Great Wallendas and Mary Chipperfield among others.
Charles Taylor Collection
The Charles Taylor collection is a fine example of Taylor’s of Wombwell printers’ posters, which highlight changes in printing techniques, fashion and taste within the popular entertainment industry. Included are examples of posters for pantomimes, fairs and circuses. The collection also contains handbills and other advertising material.
Circus Friends Association Collection
This collection consists of a large library of books and journals, as well as archival material including posters, programmes, photographs, films, handbills, research material, scrapbooks, original artwork and many other items of ephemera relating to British, Irish and European circuses
Great Yarmouth Hippodrome Circus and Liverpool Stadium Programmes, c1900 - 2004
Great Yarmouth Hippodrome and Liverpool Stadium circus programmes including Billy Russell, Peter Jay, Jasmine Smart and Sally Chipperfield among others.
Letter from Mr John G Ward to Mr Albert Grass, 2 June 1934
Letter on Blackpool Pleasure Beach headed paper from Mr John G Ward to Mr Albert Grass regarding the completion of the 'Social Mixer'.
Newspaper Cuttings, c1920 - 1929
Cutting from a magazine showing rowns of telephones and people using them installed at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Winter Garden Arcade.
Peter Jay's Superdrome Circus Programme, 1991
Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Colour photograph of circus ring and curtain with neon sign above reading Peter Jay's Superdrome Circus on the front cover, inside introduction, colour photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 8p.p.
Peter Jay's Superdrome Circus Programme, 1992
Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Colour photograph of circus ring and curtain with neon sign above reading Peter Jay's Superdrome Circus and performers waiving underneath on the front cover, inside introduction, colour photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 8p.p.
Photographs and Postcards, c1930 - 1949
Photographs and postcards related to Blackpool.
Postcards on a Notebook Page, c1930 - 1949
Four postcards attached to a double page from a notebook with hand written text in red pencil. On the left 'The bloodhoundon trail at blackpool'. On the right 'Iam receiving every attention possible and am quite happy at Blackpool' and 'every bed must be full in Blackpool ... I've seen a lot that seem to be sleeping on the cliffs!'.
Postcards on Notebook Page, c1930 - 1949
Two postcards attached to a double page from a notebook with hand written text in red pencil. On the left 'I'm coming back on … and bringing my stick of rock with me from Blackpool'. On the right 'I brought you some rock but I can't shift it, so I'm afraid I'll have to leave it at Blackpool'.
Postcards on Notebook Page, c1930 - 1949
Two postcards attached to a double page from a notebook with hand writte text in red pencil. On the left … ' I shall not forget to bring you a piece of rock'. On the right 'On the sands I lost my blouse and skirt, so returning in my old man's shirt from Blackpool'.
Postcards on Notebook Page, c1930 - 1949
Two postcards attached to a double page from a notebook with hand written text in black pencil. On the left 'I'm keeping my end up in Blackpool' and 'having a glorious time at Blackpool all I want is a girl'. On the right 'put the cat out, put the milk in the basin on the window sill, put the key in your pocket and come to Blackpool'.
Posters, c1937 - 1989
A collection of posters printed by Taylor's of Wombwell for music hall and variety, circus, pantomime and fairgrounds.
Posters, c1800 - 2011
A wide range of British and international circus and menagerie posters ranging from the 19th to the 21st century including Astley's Amphitheatre, Pablo Fanque, Polito, Bostock and Wombwell, Ducrow, Cooke, Hengler, Sanger, Smart, Gerry Cottle, Bertram Mills, Chipperfield's, Robert Brothers, Fossett, Blackpool Tower, Billy Russell, Belle Vue, Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, Austen Brothers and many more.
Programmes, c1800 - 2019
A collection of mainly British and international circus programmes and some variety and music hall programmes containing circus acts.
Russian State Circus Poster, c1930 - 1990
Peter Jay, The Imperial Russian State Circus, All New Superdome Circus at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. 6th Jul to 29th October. Colour illustration of a strongman riding an elephant, background purple and pink, type blue, yellow and white.
Superdome Circus Poster, c1930 - 1990
Peter Jay's Superdome Circus at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, starring Mary Chipperfield. 22nd May to 8th November. Colour illustrations of Mary Chipperfield with a white tiger, a monkey in clothes, a clown, horses and an elephant, background black with multicoloured stripes, type multicoloured.
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 23
- Collection 3
- Subject
- Acrobats 7
- Aerialists 7
- Amusement parks 9
- Amusement rides 2
- Animal trainers 7
- Animals 10
- Ark 2
- Art 1
- Big wheel 2
- Boxing 1
- Chairoplanes 2
- Circus 13
- Circus workers 1
- Clowning 9
- Comedians 6
- Contortionists 5
- Dance 4
- Diving 3
- Dodgems 2
- Dwarfs (Persons) 4
- Equestrians 7
- Escape artists 2
- Fairs 4
- Fakirs 4
- Family 1
- Fire eating 4
- Freak shows 2
- Fun house 2
- Games 2
- Ghost train 2
- Gymnasts 3
- Human cannonball 1
- Jugglers 7
- Knife throwing 3
- Magic 3
- Menageries 2
- Meteorite 2
- Minstrel shows 5
- Motion pictures 3
- Music 1
- Music-halls 4
- Musical performances 5
- Musicians 3
- Octopus 2
- Pantomime 6
- Performers 14
- Puppets 2
- Ringmaster 3
- Roller coasters 2
- Satellite 2
- Showman 5
- Showwoman 4
- Singing 5
- Skating 4
- Strong men 7
- Transport 1
- Twist 2
- Variety 7
- Ventriloquists 3
- Wall of death 1
- Waltzer 2
- War 3
- Wild west 4
- World War, 1939-1945 2
- Wrestling 4
- Zoos 1 + ∧ less