Camelot Theme Park

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Camelot Theme Park
File:Camelotthemepark.jpg
Camelot's logo, 2006
LocationCharnock Richard, Lancashire, England
Opened1984
OwnerPrime Resorts
SloganThe land of great knights, and amazing days!
Operating seasonApril - October
Attractions
Total27 attractions in
Roller coasters5
Water rides2
Websitewww.camelotthemepark.co.uk

Camelot Theme Park is a resort and Theme Park in Charnock Richard, Chorley, Lancashire, England based on the legend of Camelot. The site is owned by Prime Resorts and is home to Excalibur 2 and one of the UK's first Spinning Coasters, the Whirlwind.

Past

Ride Removals

  • Tower of Terror was a steel sit-down roller coaster manufactured by Schwarzkopf. It was removed in 2000 to make way for a Vekoma Invertigo, and also due to cost issues as the ride was leased along with the original Excalibur from the Bembom Brothers. However, planning permission was denied for this ride so the park was forced to replace the ride with a Pinfari ZL42, which is still operating at the park and is called "The Gauntlet". While the ride was being taken down, a polystyrene castle which was part of the rides theming was burned down when some sparks from a saw hit it. The ride itself was unscathed, and is now operating as Twist N' Shout at Henk Bembom's Loudoun Castle.
  • Excalibur Was removed with the Tower of Terror. It stood originally on the site of the Whirlwind, however the space the Tower of Terror originally took up was more than enough space for the replacement Pinfari rollercoaster and the Excalibur 2 (Fabbri Evolution). This left a site vacant, which was later used for the Whirlwind
  • Venom was a steel powered dark-roller coaster. It was removed in 2005 due to increasing safety regulations with indoor rollercoasters. While operated, the ride was enclosed inside a building and kept in the dark. When first opened, the ride was originally called "The Beast" and kept inside a mountain themed building. This building was removed in 2001 to make way for an extension to the castle, which would have created a new indoor entertainment center. However, when it became apparent the park could close within the next few years the plans were largely scaled back, leaving room for the ride to stay. The building and ride were then rebuilt, but was themed as a snake, in a snakes lair. The ride is now owned by Williams Amusements and the castle was extended to include the new indoor entertainment centre and Dodgems ride.
  • The Sorcerer was a roller coaster manufactured by Pinfari. It was installed in 1995 however removed in 1997 to make way for The Quintain. The park also considered it too small a rollercoaster and it was not as popular with guests as the park hoped. Its presence was faded by the ever popular Tower of Terror
  • The Quintain was a Huss Flipper and was removed before the 2006 season started and was replaced by a carousel. It was thought by many guests that the ride was not suitable for the target audience of the park.

Present

Rides

  • Excalibur 2 a Fabbri Evolution.
  • Whirlwind a Maurer Söhne Xtended SC 2000.
  • The Gauntlet a Pinfari ZL42.
  • The Rack a Vekoma Canyon Trip.
  • Dragon Flyer an on-site made diesel powered roller coaster.
  • Junior Dragon Coaster.
  • Caterpillar Capers a Pinfari Big Apple MB28.
  • The Galleon a swinging pirate ship.
  • Falcon’s Flight Zamperla Balloon Ride.
  • Go Karts (extra charge).
  • Pendragon’s Plunge A three tube water slide.
  • Log Flume.
  • Cup & Sorcerer a teacup ride.
  • Kingdom in the Clouds a Ferris wheel.
  • Bertie’s Driving School (extra charge).
  • Playland Express.
  • Leverets.
  • Sir Lancelot’s Chargers a two tier carousel.
  • Junior jousting horses.
  • Human cannonball.
  • Clown around.
  • Carousel.
  • Sky divers.
  • Towers of Fun A soft play area.
  • Jousting Knight Dodgems.
  • Merlin’s Indoor Playland.
  • Dungeons of Doom a haunted house ride.

Shows

  • Jousting Tournament A live joust performed by Camelots own knights, led by an actor playing King Arthur. Performed in the Avalon Arena.
  • Merlin's Magic Show Performed in Merlin's castle this show demonstrates some of Merlin's magical skills
  • Merlin's School of Wizardry Performed in Merlin's castle, Merlin's School of Wizardry teaches some of Merlin's magic to the audience.

Declining attendance

Camelot has seen a major downturn in attendance in recent years. In 1995, Camelot's attendance was 500,000 visitors throughout the season [1]. In 2005 Camelot's attendance was only 336,204 visitors [2].

Future

Closure

It is believed Camelot will close within the next 7-10 years due to dropping attendance figures and lack of income. This is dependent on Prime Resorts obtaining planning permission for a new housing and leisure development [3].

New Rides

Camelot is believed to be opening a new ride for the 2007 season [4]. While the type of the new ride hasn't been officially confirmed by Camelot, the ride appears to be a roller coaster relocated from Kobe Portopialand [5]. The ride is currently in storage on-site [6].

Criticism

In a survey of healthy food available at leading tourist attractions in the UK, Camelot came joint bottom scoring only one point [7].



References

  1. ^ "Visits to Tourist Attractions in Lancashire, 1995-2004". Lancashire County Council. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
  2. ^ "Major Attractions in the Northwest". NWDA Research Team. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
  3. ^ "Proposals for Camelot redevelopment". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
  4. ^ "Camelot Theme Parks opening times & new ride announcement". Camelot Theme Park. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
  5. ^ "Unknown Roller coaster (Camelot Theme Park)". RCDB. Retrieved 2006-10-10.
  6. ^ "BMRX at Camelot?". UK Rides. Retrieved 2006-10-10.
  7. ^ "Tourist attractions 'unhealthy'". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
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