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Blackpool Winter Gardens Steel Coaster?

Lofty

Lofty

CF Legend
I've never heard of this and I've worked at The Winter Gardens. I'll get in touch with some history buffs I know there and let you know more about it :D
 
furie

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
I adrore these challenges, even though they're often fruitless or lead to dead ends.

So, it was built in 1902 in the gardens between the Empress Buildings and the ballroom:
http://www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk ... 1-1937.htm

It's called a "circular switchback" on that page, but the term means something else generally for rides at that time (small "Ark" or "Speedway" type of rides). So it's hard to find anything on them.

This book (The Incredible Scream Machine):
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Qtyo ... er&f=false

mentions a patent or description of a "circular switchback" on page 47 on the top right hand of the page. This may describe something similar to the ride here in Blackpool. This was 1891.

If you then look at "The Golden Age of Roller Coasters" (I own this book thanks to Tomatron, it's superb):
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4d9o ... er&f=false

At the bottom of page 11 there's a large "circular looking" switchback built by L.A. Thompson in 1888 - so the two rides aren't the same.

One of the oldest steel coasters was the Aerial Glide that used to sit in Shipley Glen until about ten years ago. That was a single seat "swing chair" that ran under the tracks (the world's first invert in fact) and it looked very similar in "metal work" to this, so maybe the same manufacturer, but doubtful (just looking at rides opened at the same time.

Anyway, that's all speculation and possibilities, I have of course hit the jackpot

There is video footage of the ride in operation in its opening year. The footage was found alongside a whole host of films made in the early 1900's in a basement in Lancashire - it's been restored and most of the stuff is available online.

Here's where the jackpot falls short - the video of the ride isn't available on general release. You need to contact the BFI to request a license for it, and you may need to travel to the British Film Institute to actually view it. So it's there, but it requires leg work now I'm afraid.

http://www.filmarchives-online.eu/viewD ... 96ede6bad4

If the film ever becomes available, it'll be here:
http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b8b7e44fb

There are loads of other Blackpool reels available, but I don't think any of the Pleasure Beach if you wanted to explore further.

So, it's not much I'm afraid, but it may start to help point you in the right direction a little.
 
Lofty

Lofty

CF Legend
Yeah, you've got no chance Professor Vanessa with things like this. I've met her on many occasions and did a show for Showzam, I wouldn't go expecting to get the answer. If it's nothing to do with the Arts Council or Performance, you're barking up the wrong tree with her.
 
Robbie

Robbie

Hyper Poster
Lofty said:
Yeah, you've got no chance Professor Vanessa with things like this. I've met her on many occasions and did a show for Showzam, I wouldn't go expecting to get the answer. If it's nothing to do with the Arts Council or Performance, you're barking up the wrong tree with her.
Click to expand...
Oh, that's completely the opposite from the many times I've worked with her. She's a know-all and can be hard work but I've always found her open and helpful.
 
Lofty

Lofty

CF Legend
Robbie said:
She's a know-all and can be hard work
Click to expand...
THIS is all I remember her by. I had a pretty hard time working with her to be honest and many other things happened which made me put off of her from the beginning.

On a side not, Showzam seems a bit kind of hit and miss this year, which is a shame, I know of a few people/artists who pulled out last minute. Are you involved this year Robbie? :)
 
Robbie

Robbie

Hyper Poster
Lofty said:
Robbie said:
She's a know-all and can be hard work
Click to expand...
THIS is all I remember her by. I had a pretty hard time working with her to be honest and many other things happened which made me put off of her from the beginning.
Click to expand...
:) Her disgust at peas is still legendary round these parts.
On a side not, Showzam seems a bit kind of hit and miss this year, which is a shame, I know of a few people/artists who pulled out last minute. Are you involved this year Robbie? :)
Click to expand...
I've never been involved with Showzam - I know Vanessa from touring the Mitchell & Kenyon films to a few venues, and a couple of other film archive projects. But it does seem a bit half-hearted this year - definitely scaled back from the past and lacking something. I don't know anything but as an outsider it looks to have lost the support of the Powers That Be.
 
A

ashtonrick

Roller Poster
Thanks guys - excellent info from Furie as always! Shame that film reel isn't available online as I'd love to see what this ride actually did - very intriguing indeed and VERY early for a steel coaster, although as you correctly say the Aerial Glide was around at this time but this looks to be much grander in scale from the picture I originally linked to. Let you all know if I find anything more out!
 
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