Abandoned Children’s Amusement Park, England

This Abandoned Children’s Amusement Park is a closed-down family attraction somewhere in England. For four glorious decades, the colourful attraction entertained generations of kids with its wholesome homemade rides. Sadly, the park closed down around five years ago.

The atmosphere of the abandoned children’s amusement park is an eerie one, like something from a post-apocalyptic movie. Once filled with the screams of excited children, now it is a desolate place. It is mostly silent, apart from the creak of a carousel slowly rotating in the breeze and the click of my camera shutter.

History – Building a dream play paradise

The park opened in the 1970s, founded by a talented and passionate husband-and-wife duo. The husband, a skilled engineer and craftsman, had a dream of opening a play paradise for toddlers and young children. He had noticed a lack of affordable family entertainment, somewhere to bring smiles but also remain accessible to everyone. He secured a plot of land and literally built his dream from the ground up. His skilled hands designed and built almost all of the rides, giving the park a whimsical, rustic charm! He toiled for hours in the shed at the bottom of his garden.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the amusement park thrived, becoming a popular spot for weekend family outings and birthday parties. True to his vision, low admission prices meant the park was a hit among low-income families looking for a cheap-and-cheerful day out.

The dream fades – Why did the amusement park close?

Sadly, the park started to struggle over the following decades. The physical demands of maintaining vintage machinery became difficult for the couple who were in their late 60s. They retired, passing on control to their children. The charm of the quaint, colourful park and its ageing rides was also beginning to fade, too. Its popularity was already declining. On top of these issues, the site became a target for break-ins and arson attacks. The park struggled to remain open, closing frequently for repairs. Eventually, the park announced it would not re-open after the Christmas holidays. Despite community-led crowdfunding attempts, the park was unable to reopen.

The park stands abandoned, a sad scene of broken sun-faded rides that nature is reclaiming. At the time of my visit, it had been closed for around five years.

Classic rides at the Abandoned Children’s Amusement Park

• A giant 4-lane slide, a wide blue plastic wave slide where children would once race down as they sat on coconut mats.
• A large lattice-tower Helter Skelter with its orange chute wrapping around the central structure, which contains the stairs. This one definitely has mixed themes: Wild West horseshoes and a snake-shaped exit, along with a large “New York” sign and Santa Claus climbing the Tower.
• Traditional swing boats in red, yellow, white and blue. It is decorated with floral scroll patterns.
• A long line of trampolines, which ran almost the full length of the park.
• Kids’ train ride, with a red locomotive designed to look like a steam engine. The train ride followed a short track through a jungle scene, with various animal sculptures, including giraffes and elephants.
• A water-themed carousel with four swan-shaped carts, the base decorated with underwater sea creature artwork.
• An animal carousel with fibreglass animals for children to ride on. These include a yellow giraffe, a bright pink elephant, a running fox, an ostrich and a kangaroo. The fox looks suspiciously like Basil Brush.
• A larger covered carousel is located beneath a yellow, blue, and red-striped canopy. The revolving deck features various small vehicles, including steam trains, tanks, a scooter and a JCB.
• A standalone, coin- or token-operated rocking ride shaped like Noah’s Ark. It is painted yellow with a blue roof, featuring animal characters including a panda holding bamboo, a toucan perched on the roof, a lion, and a snake.