In the remaining Outhwaite family sold their share of the park to the Thompsons, who now had complete control and ownership of the business. The following year Watson Road was built alongside the park, which resulted in the closure of the Velvet Coaster.
Paige had designed numerous other rides at the Pleasure Beach, including the Rollercoaster , another wooden coaster that was constructed on the site of The Velvet Coaster in The success of Paiges' wooden coasters resulted in a complete reprofiling of the Big Dipper in , which was extended towards the south-westerly side of the park.
During this time Thompson hired Joseph Emberton, an award-winning architect who was brought in to redesign the architectural style of the Pleasure Beach rides and buildings.
Emberton continued to design for the Pleasure Beach up to his death in After which Jack Ratcliffe, who had been involved in the Festival of Britain, was brought in to continue the work. Ratcliffe worked for many years at the park, and much of his work can still be seen today. Investments steadily decreased during the Second World War; however, the park remained open throughout the year to offer solace to the British public.
The park returned to prominence between and when The Wild Mouse , Derby Racer and Alice In Wonderland opened and over the next few years the scale of investments increased, with the world's longest Log Flume opening in and The Goldmine opening four years later. The Walt Disney Company visited the park earlier in the decade, and Pleasure Beach was one of a few parks which became the basis for the first Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Walt Disney formed a friendship with Thompson, and the two would regularly inspire one another when developing their respective parks.
After many successful years as the managing director of the Pleasure Beach, Leonard Thompson died in , having run the business for 47 years. Following Thompson's death, Doris Thompson was appointed chairman of the business.
Their only son, Geoffrey Thompson inherited his father's role and became the new managing director. William "Geoffrey" Thompson was born in Manchester in He spent most of his early working life administering the New Era Laundries in London before returning to the family business as head of catering at the Casino Building.
Geoffrey invested millions of pounds developing the business, carrying forward his father's legacy, which was for the Pleasure Beach to always be at the forefront of global amusement p…. Map Hotels Places. Golden years — In the remaining Outhwaite family sold their share of the park to the Thompsons, who now had complete control and ownership of the business.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Blackpool Pleasure Beach…. SpongeBob's Splash Battle. Twist 'n' Splash. Junior Gallopers. Dark Boat Ride. Wonder Pets Big Circus Bounce. Jump Around. Ben Hur. Relocated to American Adventure Theme Park. Big Wheel. Eli Bridge Company. Black Hole. Star Shape. Relocated to Coney Beach Pleasure Park. Formula K. Von Roll.
Lang Wheels. Relocated to Morecambe Pleasure Beach. Dive Bomber. Ellie's Garden Caterpillar. Allan Herschell Company. Happy Caterpillar. Fliegender Teppich.
Relocated to Pleasureland Southport. Bayern Kurve. Greatest Show On Earth. Griffin's Magic Dragon. Junior Whip. Junior Jets. Helter Skelter. World's Manufacturing Company. Relocated to Manning's Amusement Park. Magic Mountain. Mangnus' Mini Dodgems.
Junior Dodgems. Millennium Bug. Maschinenfabrik Habegger. Eyerly Aircraft Company. Upright Paratrooper. Relocated to Butlin's Minehead. Many day trippers to the park are women and children, as a large proportion of men are away at war. The First World War ends late in the year but comes too late for a significant summer holidaying boost from the public. The Spanish Flu pandemic takes hold in Britain, with Blackpool virtually deserted of tourists.
The Dodgems open. Bean takes Doris to America, where she is introduced to the American amusement parks which inspired her father. Blackpool illuminations return for the first time since the war, giving the Pleasure Beach a tourism boost. In a tragic sign of the ride restraint-free times, a man dies when he stands up and is thrown from the Scenic Railway. Doris Bean marries Leonard Thompson, taking his name but ultimately ensuring unbroken family ownership of the park.
William George Bean dies of pneumonia at the age of The Ghost Train opens. The Outhwaite family sell their remaining stake in the park to the Thompsons. Watson Road is built from the former Daggers Hole Lane, which dates from the The Velvet Coaster is re-built as Rollercoaster. The Pleasure Beach Express is added but is caught up in a large fire. The Ice Drome opens after design work by Emberton. Emberton completes design work on the new Casino building but an accident during construction kills four workers and injures two others, as the structure partially collapses.
The new Casino building is completed in an Art-Deco style. Blackpool survives the Blitz relatively unscathed due to its western location and also the reported orders of Adolf Hitler, who allegedly wanted the park preserved as a downtime leisure attraction for his forces.
British troops and war evacuees are using the park for rest and recreation at this time. The Pleasure Beach continues to serve as an available morale booster for the British public after more than five years of war. The park sees a surge in visitors at the end of the Second World War, and is soon open again during weekdays. The twice-daily Ice Parade shows become key to bringing families back to the park, as more conventional investments are still not viable in the aftermath of the war.
Following critical acclaim, the Ice Parade show is commissioned for a production in Falkirk, Scotland for the first time. The illuminations return, but a fire at the Ice Drome destroys large parts of its roof and dressing room facilities. The Flying Machines are fitted with rocket-style carriages. Following a large fire, the Big Dipper receives restoration work led by Felix Samuely.
The Haunted Swing opens. The Pleasure Beach begins to draw up plans for a custom-built wooden rollercoaster, which will prove to be its last added to date. Architect Joseph Emberton dies. The Ghost Train is completely re-built by resident designer Jack Ratcliffe. The Wild Mouse opens after being built in-house by the Pleasure Beach, in a project led by general manager Frank Wright. Ski Jump and Calypso open, but the latter sees an accident that hospitalises two girls.
A roof is placed over Watson Road, making it unnoticeable to guests in the Pleasure Beach and unifies both halves of the park. The Astro Slide is imported from America. The iconic Gold Mine dark ride opens. Tom Sawyer River Rafts open. The Big Dipper is partially damaged by another fire. Leonard Thompson dies aged The horse-themed Steeplechase is opened in the presence of the racehorse Red Rum.
The Virginia Reel rollercoaster is removed after 60 years; it was the last full-size example in the world. A picnic area is launched — picnics would later be strictly prohibited by the park due to space limitations. The indoor rollercoaster Space Invader opens. The bobsled-style Avalanche rollercoaster opens. The park is accepting credit card transactions, then a relative novelty in the UK.
The year-old Fun House building is destroyed by fire. The Pleasure Beach takes aim at its biggest rival, saying it will accept newspaper vouchers for Alton Towers. Monster is removed. The Pleasure Beach celebrates its centenary. Trauma Towers opens, combining the Haunted Hotel and Tagada rides. An inquest rules that an year-old boy died accidentally on the Space Invader rollercoaster the previous year.
The room Big Blue Hotel opens. Doris and Geoffrey Thompson die at the ages of and 67 respectively. New trains are added to the Grand National. The Log Flume closes to make way for a major rollercoaster addition. Infusion opens.
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