Drayton Manor Theme Park
Drayton Manor is a theme park and zoo in the grounds of the former Drayton Manor, in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, England, UK. It covers 280 acres, of which about 113 acres are in use, and hosts about 1.5 million people each year. It is the fourth largest amusement park in the UK by land area at 280 acres. The park is also home to Thomas Land and Drayton Manor Zoo, home to over 100 animals, including Red pandas, Eurasian lynx, Sumatran tigers and variety of monkeys and gibbons.
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| Slogan | Get that Drayton Manor Feeling |
|---|---|
| Location | Drayton Bassett, Tamworth, Staffordshire, England |
| Coordinates | 52°36′39″N 1°42′48″W |
| Owner | Looping Group |
| Opened | 1 April 1950 |
| Operating season | Theme Park Main season: March – November Drayton's Magical Christmas: late November to December February Half Term: selected days in February Drayton Manor Zoo Year-round Drayton Manor Hotel Year-round Conference Centre Year-round |
| Area | 280 acres |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 40+ |
| Roller coasters | 4 |
| Water rides | 2 (one currently closed) |
| Website | draytonmanor |
On 3 August 2020 Drayton Manor Park was sold to Looping Group, who own two other attractions in the UK, West Midland Safari Park and Pleasurewood Hills.[1]
History
The land on which the theme park was built on once belonged to the Peel family. Drayton Manor mansion, built for Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet in 1835, had been reduced to ruins by 1926. The British Army requisitioned it as a training post during World War II. After the war, entrepreneurs George and Vera Bryan borrowed £6,000 and bought the land (and the 17 huts that the army had constructed during their stay). In 1950, they opened a small amusement park with just a handful of children's rides. In 1954, Mrs Molly Badham, who later opened the nearby Twycross Zoo, joined forces with the Bryans and opened a small zoo to complement the amusement park. The amusement park grew slowly in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, but in the late 1980s, the park began to install bigger and more thrilling rides to attract customers from all over the United Kingdom.
In February 2020, the park suffered flood damage from Storm Dennis. Following this, the park was required to remain shut until July 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. On 3 August 2020, the park entered administration and was bought by the Looping Group.
Rides and attractions
Family rides
| # | Name | Opened | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4D Cinema | 2009 | Simworx | A 4D cinema which shows a short film. It is currently showing Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas 4D. |
| 2 | Carousel | 1958 | Savage | A vintage merry go round ride. The height limit is 0.9m alone. |
| 3 | Dodgems Ahoy! | 1990 | I.E. Park | A dodgems ride with a pirate theme. The height limit is 1.2m with an adult and 1.45m to drive. |
| 4 | Drunken Barrels | 2006 | Intamin | A teacup style spinning barrels ride on a circular platform that has an extending arm that lifts the platform up to 45 degrees. The height limit is 1m. Drunken Barrels replaced Cyclone a HUSS Enterprise that's now at Thorpe Park under the name 'Zodiac'. |
| 5 | Flying Dutchman | 1983 | Intamin | A wave swinger ride. The height limit is 1m. |
| 6 | Jolly Buccaneer | 1992 | Mack Rides | A spinning boat with a pirate theme. The height limit is 1m. |
| 7 | Polperro Express | 1971/2003 | Severn Lamb | A 2 ft long (610 mm) narrow gauge train ride that goes around the park via Splash Canyon and Shockwave. The new Polperro Express locomotive (2003) is based on the Severn Lamb Texan model with a face lift to be a more English style loco/train rather than classic western American. |
| 8 | Sherrif's Showdown | 2000 (2018 it became Sheriff's Showdown) | I.E. Park | An indoor laser shoot out ride with a wild west theme. The height limit is 1m. It was previously known as "Golden Nuggets: Wild West Shootout" until it was refurbished in 2018, with a new gun system and new theming elements. |
| 9 | The Haunting | 1996 | Vekoma | A madhouse ride themed as an old and haunted vicarage. The height limit is 1.2m and the rider must be accompanied by an adult. The attraction had a minor refurbishment with a different story in 2015. |
Thrill rides
| # | Name | Opened | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accelerator | 2011 as
Ben 10: Ultimate Mission (2017 as Accelerator |
Vekoma | A junior boomerang roller coaster that reaches speeds of up to 62 km/h on a 180m long track and reaches a height of 20m. The height limit is 1m and the rider must be over 4 years old. Riders below 1.2m must be accompanied by an adult. |
| 2 | Air Race | 2014 | Zamperla | An inverting aeroplane ride, which replaced Black Revolvers. The height limit is 1.2m. |
| 3 | Apocalypse | 2000 | Intamin | A stand-up and sit-down drop tower ride with a 54m drop. The height limit is 1.2m for sit-down and 1.4m for stand-up. It was the first stand-up drop tower in the world. |
| 4 | The Buffalo | 1987 | Zamperla | A powered roller coaster that goes over the lake for added effect. The height limit is 1m alone. |
| 5 | Maelstrom | 2002 | Intamin | A gyro swing ride with 32 outward-facing seats on a circular gondola. The height limit is 1.3m. |
| 6 | Pandemonium | 2004 | Fabbri | A 360° swinging inverter ride. The height limit was originally 1.2m, however this has now been altered to 1.4m when it was refurbished in 2017. This may have been due to extra safety precautions being put in place following the 2017 Splash Canyon incident. |
| 7 | Shockwave | 1994 | Intamin | A stand-up roller coaster that reaches speeds of up to 85 km/h on a 500m long track and reaches a height of "almost" 36m with 4 inversions: a loop, a zero-gravity roll and a double corkscrew. The height limit is 1.4m. After 1994 (when "Stand Up" from Skara Sommerland, Sweden was relocated to La Ronde, Canada as "Cobra") and up to 2014 (after which "Freestyle" opened at Cavallino Matto, Italy, after being relocated there from Canada's Wonderland where it operated as "SkyRider"), it was the only stand-up roller coaster in Europe, but it is still the only one with a zero-gravity roll in the world. It is also the only Intamin stand-up coaster left in operation after Cobra at La Ronde closed in 2016. |
| 8 | Splash Canyon | 1993 | Intamin | A 455m long river rapids ride. The height limit is 0.9m with an adult and 1.1m alone. As of 2017 the ride is SBNO after an incident of that year. |
| 9 | Stormforce 10 | 1999 | BEAR GmbH | A 500m long flume ride formerly sponsored by the RNLI and has 3 drops including a 9m backwards drop. The height limit was originally 1.2m, however it was changed to 1.3m, and riders under 14 must be accompanied by someone over 16. |
| 10 | The Bounty | 2007 | Intamin | A swinging pirate ship that swings to an angle of 75 degrees. The height limit is 1.2m. The Bounty replaced the old Pirate Ship which operated until 2006. |
Thomas Land rides
| # | Name | Opened | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bertie Bus | 2008 | Zamperla | A crazy bus ride. In partnership with Arriva. |
| 2 | Blue Mountain Engines | 2011 | Zamperla | A junior regetta ride. Relocated in 2015. |
| 3 | Captain's Sea Adventure | 2015 | Zamperla | A watermania ride. |
| 4 | Cranky's Drop Tower | 2008 | Zamperla | An 8m high sky drop ride. |
| 5 | Diesel's Locomotive Mayhem | 2008 | Zamperla | A demolition derby ride featuring themed cars resembling the Diesels. |
| 6 | Flynn´s Fire Rescue | 2015 | Zamperla | A fire brigade ride. In partnership with West Midlands Fire Service. |
| 7 | Harold's Helicopter Tours | 2008 | Zamperla | A samba tower ride. |
| 8 | James and the Red Balloon | 2017 | Zamperla | A samba balloon ride. |
| 9 | Jeremy Jet's Flying Academy | 2008 | Zamperla | An aero top jet ride. |
| 10 | Lady's Carousel | 2008 | Zamperla | A junior carousel ride. |
| 11 | Rocking Bulstrode | 2008 | Zamperla | A rockin' tug ride. |
| 12 | Sodor Classic Cars | 1958 | Supercar | A car ride. |
| 13 | Toby's Tram Express | 2015 | Zamperla | A barnyard ride. |
| 14 | Troublesome Trucks Runaway Rollercoaster | 2008 | Gerstlauer | A junior roller coaster located in Thomas Land. The height limit is 1m with an adult and 1.2m alone. |
| 15 | Winston's Whistle-Stop Tours | 2013 | Zamperla | An aerial ride. |
| 16 | Thomas, Rosie and Percy Engine Tours | 2008 | Metallbau Emmeln | A themed train ride. Thomas and Percy were the original engines, with Rosie being added in 2009. The Rosie train had a repaint in 2019, to be a burgundy colour, contrary to the original pink. |
| 17 | Terence's Driving School | 2008 | SB International | A driving school ride. Relocated in 2011. |
| 18 | Spencer's Outdoor Adventure | 2008 | Unknown | An outdoor adventure play area. |
| 19 | Emily's Adventure Play | 2008 | Unknown | An indoor soft play area. |
| 20 | Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition | 2009 | HIT Entertainment | An indoor miniature model railway exhibition with the original models from the first twelve series of the TV series. |
Other rides and attractions
| # | Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryan's Works Museum | 1990 | A large collection of penny slot machines. |
| 2 | Dino Trail | Walk-through prehistoric dinosaurs. | |
| 3 | Crazy Golf | 1992 | A crazy golf course. |
| 4 | HB Games | 1950 | A number of arcade games. |
| 5 | Test Track | 2019 | A pay-per-ride car attraction for small children. |
Past rides
| # | Name | Opened | Closed | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Log Flume | 1981 | 1998 | Reverchon Industries | The original Log Flume replaced by Stormforce 10. Parts of the original Log Flume were used to lengthen Klondike Creek that used to be at Flamingo Land. |
| 2 | Klondike Gold Mine (Python Coaster) | 1984/1995 | 2004 | Pinfari | A Pinfari roller coaster that was sold to Funland in Hayling Island (Now removed there) and replaced by G-Force. Now travelling. |
| 3 | G Force | 2005 | 2018 | Maurer Söhne | The world's first X-Car steel rollercoaster with a unique Loop inversion lift hill that reached speeds of 43 mph (70 km) on a 1263 ft long track (385m) and a height of 82 ft (25m) with 3 inversions (loop, bent Cuban eight); height limit 1.35m. Closed after maintenance issues and it constantly breaking down. It did not operate for the 2019 Season and was deconstructed during the 2019-2020 off season. The ride is currently in storage in The Netherlands |
| 4 | Jumbo Jet | 1981 | 1983 | Anton Schwarzkopf | A City Jet coaster replaced by Python Looping Coaster. Was subsequently moved to Nigloland in France and now operates at Parc de la Vallée. |
| 5 | Super Dragon | 1984 | 2007 | Pinfari | A Pinfari MD31 coaster that was sold to Funland in Hayling Island & replaced by Troublesome Trucks. |
| 6 | Haunted Crypt | c.1970s | 2001 | Orton & Spooner | A ghost train ride, later replaced by an indoor play area. |
| 7 | Paratower | 1982 | 1997 | Vekoma | A Parachute Tower, sold to Pleasure Island Family Theme Park |
| 8 | Black Revolver | 1980 | 2010 | Jackson | An enclosed waltzer. Replaced by Air Race. Now operates at Rainbow Park, Hunstanton. |
| 9 | Sombrero | 1998 | 2010 | Soriani & Moser | A Polyp ride replaced by Accelerator. |
| 10 | Jungle Cruise | 1976 | 2001 | Alan Hawes/Bennett | A river raft ride replaced by Excalibur. |
| 11 | Excalibur | 2003 | 2011 | BEAR GmbH | Tow boat ride that took riders on a humorous tour of a Medieval village with an indoor finale. Designed by Farmer Studios. Currently SBNO. |
| 12 | Sky Flyer | 1989 | 2003 | Vekoma | Vekoma Skyflyer, opened by John Pertwee. Upgraded to Pandemonium in 2004. |
| 13 | Tea Cups | 1988 | 2004 | Zamperla | A Tea Cups ride replaced by G-Force. Now located at Adventure Wonderland. |
| 14 | Pirate Ship | 1982 | 2003 | HUSS Park Attractions | A Pirate Ship replaced by Bounty. G-Force stands where Pirate Ship once was. |
| 15 | Snake Train | 1950 | 1995 | In House | A land train replaced by The Haunting. |
| 16 | Cyclone | 2003 | 2005 | HUSS Park Attractions | An Enterprise ride, relocated to Thorpe Park as Zodiac. |
| 17 | Cine 180 | 1985 | 2003 | OmniVision Technologies & Ferretti Brothers | A 180-degree cinema. |
| 18 | Balloon Race | 1987 | 1997 | Zamperla | A Wave Swinger ride where Maelstrom is currently located. |
| 19 | Quasar | 1985 | 1987 | A.R.M. | Sold to showman Michael Phillips in September 1987. |
| 20 | Octopus | 1984 | 1997 | Soriani & Moser | Polyp ride. |
| 21 | Rowing Boats | 1950 | c.1997 | Rowing Boats on the lake that were removed due to the popularity of Drayton Queen. | |
| 22 | Junior Carousel | 1986 | 2007 | Modern Products | A carousel. |
| 23 | Flying Jumbos | 1998 | 2007 | Zamperla | Elephant shaped jets. |
| 24 | Junior Combat Star | 1986 | 1997 | Modern Products | Junior Jets. |
| 25 | Cadbury's Junior Pirate Ship (Operated By Cadbury) | 1986 | 2007 | Modern Products | Junior Pirate Ship. Was sold to Funland in Hayling Island but has now been removed there. |
| 26 | Kiddie Concorde Jets | 1986 | 1997 | Modern Products | Junior Jets. |
| 27 | Lunar Carousel | 1986 | 2007 | I.E. Park | Carousel |
| 28 | Giant Slide | 1985 | 2002 | Astroglide. | |
| 29 | Cleo | 1986 | 1997 | Modern Products | Junior magic carpet. |
| 30 | Red Baron | 1986 | 1997 | Soriani & Moser | Junior Jets. |
| 31 | Ladybirds | 1986 | 2007 | Modern Products | |
| 32 | Frog Hopper | 1998 | 2007 | Zamperla | A Small drop tower. Sold to Funland in Hayling Island. |
| 33 | Mini Balloons | 1998 | 2007 | Zamperla | Samba Balloons. Sold to Funland in Hayling Island. |
| 34 | Arriva Crazy Bus | 1998 | 2007 | Zamperla | Crazy Bus Replaced by Bertie Bus. |
| 35 | Whirly Copters | 1998 | 2007 | Modern Products | Junior Ferris Wheel. Was sold to Funland in Hayling Island but has now been removed there. |
| 36 | Waltzer | 1965 | 1979 | Lakin | Replaced by a newer model in 1980. |
| 37 | Dodgems | 1952 | 1989 | Orton & Spooner | Replaced by a new set in 1990. |
| 38 | Roller Coaster | 1960s | 1983 | Supercar | Small oval roller coaster. Replaced by Super Dragon. |
| 39 | Pirate Raft Ride | 1998 | 2007 | Zamperla | Junior jets. Relocated to Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach. |
| 41 | Mississippi Showboat | 1988 | 1994 | S.D.C | A showboat-themed fun house. Closed and didn't operate for the 1994 season. Was left SBNO at Drayton Manor for years until the end of 2016 when it was removed. |
| 42 | Big Wheel | 1986 | 2017 | Helmut Hauser | A ferris Wheel. Replaced by a pay for ride themed around Accelerator |
| 43 | Pirate Adventure | 1990 | 2015 | Mack Rides | A pirate themed water dark ride. It closed in 2016 with various parts sold off at a private auction in 2020. |
| 44 | Chair Lift | 1964 | 2017 | British Chairlifts | The chair lift offered a view from the entrance to the back of the park; height limit none / 16 years alone. Removed and put into storage. |
| 45 | Drayton Queen | 1992 | 2016 | Severn Lamb | The Drayton Queen was a paddleboat that gave people rides around the lake, in the 2018 season its now decommissioned and left in a storage area by Splash Canyon. It was removed from the park in 2019 confirming it to never be returning. |
| 46 | VertiGo | 2016 | 2019 | Ropes Course, Inc | A high ropes adventure course. |
Zoo
Drayton Manor is also home to a 15-acre (6 ha) zoo. It contains over 100 species from all over the world.
Accommodation
Drayton Manor Hotel
In 2009, plans for a hotel at Drayton Manor were submitted to Lichfield District Council. Planning permission for the hotel was granted in 2007, though the applicants felt that the scheme could benefit from further improvements without increasing the site area required.
The 4-star hotel with 150 well-appointed contemporary guest rooms including 15 Thomas & Friends themed bedrooms is designed to primarily meet the demand from park visitors as the park is attracting families from all over the UK, especially since the arrival of Thomas Land.
The Camping and Caravanning Club
The Camping and Caravan Club have a site at Drayton Manor. On the site there is 90 pitches, Glamping tents (available through Ready Camp) and a children's playground.
Events
February Half Term
The park opens for 1 week during February, this includes Thomas Land, the Zoo and selected rides. During this period, maintenance is still taking place which means that none of the thrill rides are open.
Eggs-ellent Easter
The park hosts an event in April where they hold Easter-related events, for example, an egg hunt along the course of the Polperro Express. All of the rides are open.
May Half Term
Fireworks
The park host a fireworks event each year. This also includes night time rides as people wait for the fireworks to be set off.
Drayton's Magical Christmas
The park opens in November to celebrate Christmas and also New Years. Only Thomas Land and selected rides are open during this period. Castle of Dreams also opens for this event in the old Excalibur building and houses a visit to Father Christmas.
Incidents
There have been a small number of incidents at the park over the years.
- In 1988, a woman died after her sari got caught in the wheels on the original Rio Grande Polperro Express.
- In 1995, 9 people were injured after a carriage of the Snake Train overturned.
- In 2000, an electrician who was preparing Apocalypse for its launch 2 days later, fell 30ft from the top of the tower onto a safety hatch. He sustained a broken leg and back, and the particular incident was reconstructed in 2001 for the BBC programme 999
- In 2012, a woman died from a heart attack after riding Maelstrom.
- In 2017, an 11-year-old girl died from her injuries after she fell from the Splash Canyon ride and into the water.
- In 2020, the February half-term opening was cancelled due to flooding related to Storm Dennis.
