Blackgang Chine has misplaced about 350 metres of land to coastal erosion within the final 75 years.
Blackgang Chine introduces Extinction trip in 2023
The UK’s oldest theme park is teetering on the sting of a cliff because it opens for its 183rd yr. Blackgang Chine within the Isle of Wight has misplaced roughly 350 metres of land to coastal erosion within the final 75 years, usually a results of rain on its layers of clay.
The amusement park, which opened its doorways in 1843, has needed to transfer or lose well-known sights such because the Cliffhanger rollercoaster to cease them falling into the waves beneath. 1000’s of holidaymakers and thrill-seekers flock to Blackgang Chine yearly, spanning generations.
Blackgang Chine within the Isle of Wight has misplaced roughly 350 metres of land to coastal erosion (Picture: SWNS) The day’s greatest headlines in UK and World information and extra Subscribe Invalid e-mail
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A drone pilot, who requested to not be named, mentioned: “I’ve seen many adjustments over the shoreline of the south of the Isle of Wight over time.
“However barely extra so since I’ve been flying drones, lots of that are on account of local weather change and wetter winters we’re experiencing, blended in with dry summers.”
The park is near Alum Bay, which is understood for its vibrant sand cliffs and blue water.
Landslips alongside the Chine’s shoreline date again to the late 1700s with vital cliff falls in 1928, 1961 and 1994.
Round 3.5 metres of land is misplaced annually alongside this crumbling stretch of shoreline.
A landslide in January 1994 noticed houses, caravans and chalets evacuated whereas some sights needed to be moved inland.
Blackgang Chine has continued to draw guests to new rides and outdated favourites, together with The Crooked Home, Cowboy City and Adventureland. Extinction – a 360-degree cliff-edge swing – was unveiled in 2023 regardless of the ever-changing shoreline.
Alexander Dabell based the park after realising the potential attraction of the land to Victorian holidaymakers.
In December 2025, Blackgang Chine’s fourth era proprietor Francis Richmond Dabell handed away aged 101.
Mr Dabell was hailed as a pioneer find methods to handle the land to make sure the park’s survival. He took up the reins of the amusement park in 1947.
A spokesperson for the park advised an area newspaper in February: “We’re all the time monitoring the land, and can take the suitable motion as and when is required – security of the employees, company, in addition to preserving any sights, are all the time our prime precedence.”
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