Dreamland’s Pendulum ride sold and transported to Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach

January 24, 2022 Kathy Bailes News 27

The Pendulum

Dreamland’s Pendulum thrillseeker ride has been transported to its new home in Great Yarmouth’s Pleasure Beach site.

The Pendulum, which has capacity for 16 people at a time, opened at Dreamland in 2019 and one of nine new rides. The 8-tonne ride was dismantled ready for its trip by Thanet Crane Hire.

The firm said on social media: “We were happy to help with the dismantling of this ride ready for its new home, with two of our 40t cranes working in tandem.”

According to Pleasure Beach bosses the Pendulum was one of six rides that were up for sale.

Rides made by Zamperla and installed at the Margate amusement park in 2018 were advertised on specialist website Interlink.

Among the rides was the Endeavour – named Dreamcatcher following a public competition- which had more than 2,900 entries.  Also listed as available was the Zamperla Jumping Star.

Being dismantled by Thanet Crane Hire

Other rides sold are understood to be the Air Race, Up Up and Away and Soaring Seagulls,

Previously confirmed as sold last year was the Zamperla Twister Coaster (Pinball X)  which was relocated to Flamingo Park in Hastings.

The Pinball X ride before being removed from Dreamland

Since reopening in May last year, following closures due to the pandemic, Dreamland has concentrated on live music events with big names such as UB40 featuring Ali Campbell & Astro, Billy Ocean, The Specials and Kaiser Chiefs. 

Park bosses have previously said that rides including the Scenic Railway will return to operation as usual this year.

Last month a Dreamland spokesperson said: “Through the winter months we are carrying out essential maintenance works across the park and reviewing our ride line up for our reopening in 2022.

“Some rides are leaving and some will be coming, but we are not in a position just yet to announce what visitors can expect.  We will be confirming our full line up in the new year.”

 

Planning for 2022 also includes some large-scale performance with The Beat, Craig David, Paul Weller, Sister Sledge and others booked in.

27 Comments

  2. it looks like its game over for dreamland then , i wonder how long it will be before its smothered in unafordable housing ?

  3. Here we go, another nail in the Dreamland amusement park coffin – courtesy of the inept management at TDC.
    No news of any new (better?) rides?

  4. After all the goodwill, hours spent by volunteer groups in saving the park, TDC have let these ****s renege on all the promises they made in order to gain control from the council. The whole operation is bent, corrupt and stinks. What a poxy, lousy bunch TDC are, and always have been.

    • TDC are heavily involved with it too. Sold on the cheap, then the car park thrown in at a later date to keep them sweet. Since then the Dreamland chief gets on the Margate Town Deal and sweet talks £8 million in funding out of them. Corruption gone rife but nobody is listening or doing anything to stop it. This clear out of rides looks like just another stab at getting even more funding under coercion. The rides are what is important about Dreamland and what kept them going all the decades. The change of use without planning permission to a music venue won’t. It will be all over again soon once the money is secured. And the Godden’s Gap is still in the seafront facade. They are no more than land bankers.

  5. And where’s all the classic rides ? Jets , swinging chairs , caterpillar , brooklands speedway or the ark ?
    All classic vintage rides, completely refurbished with public money … yet suddenly vanished from the park last year ?? 😳🤔🤔🤔

  6. Dreamland selling of rides but getting 4 million from the town thingy. You have to wonder where this money is going

  8. The people of Thanet wanted the park to run as a park not a music venture we have the wintergardens the theatre royal for that I believe the original company that wanted houses there and a smaller park Margate estates is behind it so much secrecy who owns it now as Arrowgrass went bust the Labour administration at TDC allowed this to happen the cinema doesn’t need to be another part of entertainment it should still be one with restaurants and other activities there including the original ballroom and return the Compton theatre organ back into use could have organ entertainment there to raise money for restoration.I would put all these decisions down to the civil servants at TDC who really run the council it’s about time the members stood up to them or get rid.

  9. So, now Dreamland will no longer be a funfair? I thought it was decreed that Dreamland was an asset to the area and that it is needed over and above the historical and much cherished Winter Gardens.
    I can’t say much but the Winter Gardens WILL be closing in August this year, temporarily or permanently who knows? That is in the lap of the gods. And TDC!!!!! If you are passionate about the Winter Gardens reopening after necessary repairs, then you should make your voice heard.

  10. They have already started digging up the car park, apparently that’s been sold as well.

  12. Much of margate’s derelict and valuable real estate is now in the hands of a small number of individuals associated with the bankrupt offshore hedge fund Arrowgrass in one guise or another. This real estate on paper at least , worth hundreds of millions of pounds including the extensive assets and land around the town and land associated with Dreamland.
    Regrettably TDC senior officers and members of both political parties must take responsibility for this along with the running down of the vintage park through their initial and more recent poor financial decision making in selling off the assets in what one can only say was a fire sale.
    Unfortunately Dreamland seems to make far more money through its music activities than through the vintage rides and the modern amusement rides. The music and concerts provide easy money for the company who are not interested in anything other than serving their own interests. Dreamland was meant to be a vintage rides / entertainment park not primarily a music venue.

  14. Since the announcement of the London Resort development, dreamland can not compete with a brand new resort. The margate estate was destined for the land bankers.

    The Godden sale continues…

    • Has the London Resort actually received permission yet? If not, it may never be built- there are significant objections to it, and much of Swanscombe peninsula is now an SSSI.

  15. I must be one of the few who was against reviving Dreamland on its present site. Would’ve been far better to build a road through it and pedestrianise the seafront, and then relocate the fun fair elsewhere (i.e. The Lido or Hartsdown Park). Maybe this should be the aim now?

  16. This is what happened to the BIG WHEEL in 1997,when it was sold to a mexican theme park,and look what happened to dreamland alfter that a few years later IT SHUT DOWN Maybe the time has come for dreamland? God knows how much money has been spent on the place? Rebuilding the rollercoaster,for one thing.and the other rides were crap. I will always remember the great rides,like the LOOPING STAR MARY ROSE THE 3D CINEMA LADY BIRD RIDE They were great.

  18. People that hang on to dreamland being great again like the 60’s etc are they the same people that hang onto manston being a pvt airport ?

    Thanet needs to move on and stop living in the past an unprofitable ex airport and old out of date rides theme park arent the way to go !

  19. Manston Airport have never had investors like RSP before willing to put £300 Million into the site. That’s my opinion like it or lump it.

    TDC have always been toxic, selling the family jewels until finally there’s nothing left to sell.

    • RSP don’t have anything like £300M to invest. This was made clear in their responses to the ExA during the DCO hearings.
      What they hope is that on successful granting of the DCO, RSP will be able to turn to (unspecified) investors and banks for the vast bulk of the money (now substantially more that £300M) needed to resurrect the defunct airport.

  20. Dreamland is about concerts. That’s what the CEO has always wanted. The problem is that its no use in the winter. So give them money a large junk of money from “town deal” which they wanted so they can develop the old cinema/bingo hall/sunshine rooms into a new venue which is what they have stated they want to do. Seems TDC and MPs think this is a great idea. That is why the Winter Gardens (owned by Thanet rate payers) will never reopen once it has closed. And thats what owners of Dreamland want

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