Graeme
Mega Poster
Part 1 - A Floral Failure
I said in the Clacton Blues thread that, in 2021, the Essex resort was briefly home to two large ferris wheels. It has always puzzled me as to where exactly the Pavilion wheel went… I believe it made its way to Felixstowe, and so I endeavoured to find out for sure.
Felixstowe has long intrigued me, as I always got the sense it had a hidden history that I didn’t experience. In fact, it definitely did. Of all the seaside resorts in East Anglia, it has perhaps risen higher and fallen further than most.
I’ve always heard stories, through the family, about how they got stuck on a wooden coaster there. At school, in the 1980s, my friend also told me he rode a coaster called “Cat & Mouse”. It puzzled me for years what he was referring to, although the mists have cleared somewhat since…
Parking near the pier, I decided to first explore the seafront gardens. Up and down I went, past palm trees, lookouts and waterfalls. I thought it was absolutely fantastic, like a mini-Blackgang Chine.
Next, I spent half an hour or so on the pier itself. I seem to recall riding an Astroglide here, in the ‘90s, although that has long gone. Most of the pier is now blocked off.
The pier arcade, though, is very good. I thought it had quite a nice vibe, and I spent a few quid trying to win a Bingo from Bluey keyring. Unfortunately, it didn’t shift much. The prizes here are excellent - they had two of those “Quarter Arcades” - Bubble Bobble and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I’m very tempted to get one now I’ve seen them running, and I don’t think it’d be too much of a rip-off if you traded in your tickets for one.
However, it was lunchtime, so I got some fish & chips and sat in the seafront plaza. Unfortunately, some seagulls tried the intimidation tactic and flew around defecating on us! Well, I was having none of it. I closed my food up, shook my fist at the ringleader and moved to a different bench.
Gulls dealt with, it was time to head to Manning’s Amusement Park. Formerly Butlins, the place has a rich past, and I was really looking forward to seeing the wheel. There was only one problem.
It wasn’t there.
I had somehow missed the story about it being taken down for the winter. Oh well, it just gives me an excuse to go back. It is well worth delving into the history of the place, though, as much light has been shed on it since I first started investigating.
They did indeed have a wooden coaster, and a large one at that. The ride was either called Thriller or Big Dipper, depending on the source. It was there from 1932 until it was scrapped in 1976. This was a side-friction coaster, of the type that was very typical at seasides, but from pictures it appears more special than most. It looked on a par with the Steel Stella!
Thriller/Big Dipper was replaced in 1977 by Mad Mouse. It was built by Maxwell and was either a wooden coaster or hybrid. It lasted until 1982, when it was moved to Southport Pleasureland and operated for two more seasons. I can’t find any pictures of this one at all.
Mad Mouse was replaced in 1983 by a Schwarzkopf Wildcat 45m, which lasted until 1986. This is almost certainly what my friend was referring to. It moved to Lightwater Valley and opened in 1987 as The Rat Ride. I did visit the park when they had the Rat, but had no idea of its heritage.
If anyone can shed any more light on these coasters, I'd be very grateful.
Like the Southend Cyclone, I missed all these rides by a cat’s whisker. I would go on to ride my first coaster - Ladybird at Pleasurewood Hills - the year after Felixstowe removed Wildcat, so it really was a close thing. Manning’s is not a huge amusement park, so I assume all three coasters were in the same location - to the left of the main building as you view it from the seafront.
I really miss the coaster design of old, when they were stacked masses of wood, full of turns and adventure. They weren’t just a thrill, which to me is only half the point of them. I can’t help but feel today’s designs, that aim to get up and down as steeply as possible, are missing some of the charm.
Oh well, that’s progress.
As for me, I can only hope a coaster soars into the skyline at Felixstowe once again, alongside the big wheel… My mission had failed, in a way, but I still had a nice time and got a bit of a tan. Felixstowe is a great place to visit, even now, and I look forward to returning.
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