Following an 11-year campaign to save a heritage theme park in Margate, Kent, UK, Dreamland has finally reopened its doors to the public, reimagined and ready to welcome a new generation of visitors to the vintage attraction.
It’s certainly not been plain sailing for Dreamland. In the last year alone, the heritage attraction – which features Britain’s oldest rollercoaster – suffered a setback after
extreme winds blew part of the structure away, while a
fire broke out in a suspected arson attack at the theme park, which has battled with a decade of decay and lack of care after closing in the mid-2000s.
Creative designer Wayne Hemingway MBE is behind the £18m (US$27m, €24m) restoration of the theme park. Hemingway’s specialist area is bringing new life to old concepts with a focus on the social and affordable aspects of design. With Dreamland, Hemingway Design has worked with park CEO Eddie Kemsley and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to preserve the project’s cultural heritage, while also bringing the attraction up to par for a modern audience.
"We're making heritage current," said Hemingway speaking to
Attractions Management in October. "It's going to feel fresh and of the now."
The Hemingway design team has preserved and restored as much of the original site as they could, while upcycling traditional rides and amusement park decoration sourced from places such as Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Ray Hole acted as architects for the project, while Spider handled project management and Sean Brian of Amusement Technical sourced rides.
The Grade II-listed 90-year-old scenic railway is the premier attraction at Dreamland, while it Hurricane Jet ride has also been restored. In addition, the rare Caterpillar ride installed in the 1920s has been upcycled and the original 1920s Gallopers carousel has been restored among other rides. Dreamland Margate will also feature the largest pinball parlour in Europe, a dance hall and an education centre. An event space is also available for festivals, live music, cabaret and private events. Food on offer has a vintage, bespoke feel to it, with specialist cafés, kiosks and roaming catering onsite.
The HLF has played a large role in Dreamland’s redevelopment, awarding £5.8m (US$8.9m, €7.8m) to the Dreamland Trust. After granting approval, the HLF regularly sent teams to assess and monitor the development of the theme park.
“Dreamland was built all those years ago on memories of Coney Island,” said Eddie Kemsley speaking to
Attractions Management. “There’s so much nostalgia, history and fondness for Dreamland. We estimate 150 million people have been through our doors and everybody I meet has their memories. We need to capture that. It is an opening like no other.”
