It was as soon as dubbed Britain’s first ‘real theme park’ and was a beloved hit with households for generations – however the deserted web site has been left to decay for many years
Left deserted, the amusement park stays frozen in time, a relic of a wonderful previous. (Picture: LancsLive)
Theme parks — these nostalgic havens of licensed magic the place many people devoted a substantial chunk of our childhoods larking about, bursting with pleasure (or sugar rushes, maybe?), dizzy from that rollercoaster we had been completely satisfied was 200ft excessive.
Amusement parks have turn into firmly embedded in our cultural panorama for generations, with numerous sights experiencing a dramatic surge in recognition, notably all through the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Some theme parks have existed in numerous varieties for nicely over a century, and remarkably, the UK was residence to at least one such extraordinary instance. Having welcomed guests since 1906, this celebrated amusement park was nestled in Morecambe, Lancashire, and was treasured by locals and vacationers alike for generations.
This Morecambe funfair turned such a coveted vacation spot at its peak that it was famously topped Britain’s first “real theme park”.
Buying and selling below the names West Finish Amusement Park, Enjoyable Metropolis and Morecambe Pleasure Park from 1906 to 1986, the funfair was finally rebranded as Frontierland in 1987 and relaunched with a Wild West theme in an try and fight declining customer numbers — a wrestle that numerous different theme parks encountered all through the nation and past.
Frontierland was deeply cherished by the area people, with many fondly sharing their recollections throughout social media.
Posting on Fb, one nostalgic customer recalled: “Cherished this Honest, very blissful recollections. All of us had an Annual Cross.”
One other commented: “Fabulous thanks for sharing. I spent many blissful days there on numerous rides.”
It was typically referred to as Britain’s first “real theme park” (Picture: LancsLive)
In the meantime, one other nostalgic customer shared: “I’ve desires of Frontierland nonetheless being open. I miss that park a lot, it was superior. I used to go each weekend in my teenage years, it was a miniature model of Blackpool Pleasure Seaside however with a Western theme.”
The amusement park was bouht by the Thompson household in 1936, whereas it was nonetheless working as West Finish Amusement Park.
The household additionally personal Blackpool Pleasure Seaside – an iconic British establishment that has survived throughout generations and continues to attract huge crowds right now.
Over time, the Morecambe attraction featured numerous memorable rides and experiences, together with The Rattler, the picket rollercoaster Cyclone, created by American engineer Harry Traver for the Paris World Exposition in 1937, the contentious (and temporary) 150-foot Massive Wheel which was dismantled after neighbour complaints in 1982, the Ghost Practice, The Wild Mouse, and Chair-o-Planes.
The well-known Sky Experience arrived on the funfair in 1989, providing friends the chance to glide above the park and out throughout the promenade earlier than returning.
It was seen as one other try and revitalise the amusement park’s dwindling attendance figures.
The cherished Log Flume water trip lay decaying on the deserted web site till 2009, whereas the Polo Tower notoriously remained derelict and missed till 2017, attributable to a 20-year contract which allowed a cell phone mast to remain on the prime of the construction till the settlement ran out.
The Polo Tower was, in actuality, the ultimate main funding made at Frontierland, and its future was successfully decided shortly thereafter.
Why the treasured theme park closed its doorways
The coastal city of Morecambe itself was grappling with dwindling customer numbers and fading attraction, and Frontierland was no exception, experiencing the exact same repercussions as a consequence.
There was no dramatic or contentious rationalization behind the amusement park’s closure — the straightforward actuality was that the enterprise wasn’t producing ample income to proceed.
Falling attendance compelled Frontierland to start out decreasing operations in 1998, following 92 superb years of delighting households.
The demolition of the theme park was projected to require roughly three seasons to complete, with the rear portion of the park being the primary to vanish.
As the brand new millennium arrived, Frontierland progressively diminished, with sights being offered off and relocated to totally different locations around the globe.
By the top of 2000, Frontierland’s entrance had been shut behind building hoarding, and the park lingered on this pitiful situation — abandoned, crumbling, untouched and uncared for — proper by way of to 2007.
Plans for Frontierland right now
In 2007, the rear portion of Frontierland was transformed into three retail items constructed by Morrisons. These launched in 2008 and have reportedly continued buying and selling ever since.
The remainder of the theme park was deserted to decay, progressively deteriorating over the following twenty years, as pure components steadily reworked it right into a desolate wasteland.
In 2021, Lancaster Metropolis Council acquired the derelict web site and invited potential builders to place ahead proposals for its redevelopment.
An replace issued by Lancaster Metropolis Council in October 2024 confirmed the council was advancing with its improvement technique.
The assertion posted on the council’s web site learn: “Frontierland has been a vacant eyesore on Morecambe’s seafront for over 20 years. For many of this time it was in personal possession and failed to seek out economically viable redevelopment proposals.
“The town council acquired the location in 2021 to make sure its future improvement achieves the perfect final result for Morecambe. The three-hectare (7.5 acre) web site is the biggest improvement alternative in central Morecambe for a few years.”
But regardless of 35 builders registering an curiosity in Frontierland’s future, no substantial information has surfaced for a while, leaving the once-beloved theme park dilapidated and deserted – a mere shadow of its former glory.
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