Thorpe Park (Established 1979)
Dates
- Existence: Established 1979
Biography
Thorpe Park is one of the largest amusement parks in the UK, located in Thorpe, Surrey, England. Thorpe Park is operated by Merlin Entertainments and includes amusement rides, a hotel, cafes and restaurants, a games arcade, lakes and parkland, a replica Stone Age cave, Celtic farm, Norman castle and Viking camp and ancient water vehicles and aircraft.
After demolition of the Thorpe Park Estate in the 1930s, the site became an outdoor sports and later in 1979 it was opened as a theme park and started to develop its attractions. Thorpe Park holds some of the most iconic amusement rides in the UK including Colossus, Nemesis Inferno, Stealth (the UK's fastest rollercoaster), Saw – The Ride, The Swarm, The Walking Dead, Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon and Angry Birds themed land.
In 1998, The Tussauds Group bought the park and operated it until 2007, when Blackstone Group purchased The Tussauds Group and the company was merged into Merlin Entertainments. Dubai International Capital also gained 20% of Merlin Entertainments at this point. On 17 July 2007, Merlin sold Thorpe Park and other assets including Alton Towers, to private investor Nick Leslau and his investment firm Prestbury under a sale and leaseback agreement for thirty five years, which allows Merlin to continue running the attractions.
Thorpe Park also runs a programme of annual and one-off events including Oktoberfest and Fright Nights.
Found in 11 Collections and/or Records:
Frankie Roberto Collection
Photographs, programmes, plans, trade and advertising material, tickets, badges and other items of ephemera for British theme parks and attractions, including Alton Towers, Pleasure Land, Thorpe Park and Legoland.
Maps and Guides for Various Theme Parks, 1980, 1988, 2003 - 2007
Maps and guides for various different theme parks including Thorpe Park, Disneyland Paris and Legoland.
Maps and Plans, 1980 - 1981, 1988
Various maps and guides for various different theme parks including Thorpe Park, Disneyland Paris, Alton Towers and Legoland.
Photographs, c1900 - 1999
Photographs and postcards of Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adverntures, Crystal Palace and Thorpe Park, showing sites, rides and other amusements.
Pin Badges, c1920 - 1999
Pin badges of varying sizes and designs from different attractions and theme parks including, 18 from Alton Towers, 3 from Chester Zoo, 3 from Paultons Park, 3 from Thorpe Park, 2 from Flamingo Park Zoo, 1 from American Theme Park, 1 from West Midland Safari Park, 1 from Drayton Manor Park, 1 from Woburn Abbey, 1 from Woburn Wild Animal Kingdom, 1 from National Railway Museum, 1 from British Museum, 1 from Science Museum and 1 from Techniquest.
Thorpe Park Postcard, c1922 - 1999
Postcard with photographs from Tidal Wave ride at Thorpe Park, including light blue, dark blue and white logo.
Thorpe Park Postcard, c1922 - 1999
Postcard with photographs from Vortex ride at Thorpe Park, including orange type.
Thorpe Park Postcard, c1922 - 1999
Postcard with photographs from Detonator ride at Thorpe Park, including black, white and red logo.
Thorpe Park Postcard, c1922 - 1999
Orange postcard with blue, white and orange type, from the ride Colossus at Thorpe Park.
Tickets, c1920 - 1999
Tickets to various attractions, including Thorpe Park and Alton Towers.
Various, c1920 - 2006
A range of items from British theme parks and attractions such as zoos and museums including badges, pins and booklets.