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 2 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.
Various, c1920 - 2006
A range of items from British theme parks and attractions such as zoos and museums including badges, pins and booklets.