Dreamland (Established 1919)
Dates
- Existence: Established 1919
Biography
Dreamland is an amusement park and entertainment centre located in the site of the Hall by the Sea in Margate, England.
In 1919 theme park entrepreneur John Henry Iles bought the Hall by the Sea and renamed it Dreamland. Iles developed the site increasing the number of rides and adding a ballroom, a variety cinema and a lido to the attractions.
During the twentieth century Dreamland struggled to survive financially and changed ownership and name in several occasions.
In 2000, the park started to decline once again and a number of rides were sold. The site was sold to Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company in 2005 with the intention of turning it into a residential redevelopment, but these plans were halted when local residents formed Dreamland Trust and campaigned to restore the theme park. In 2013, Thanet District Council took ownership of the site and re-opened it the following year as Re-imagined Dreamland, but once again it struggled financially. After further regeneration and years of financial struggles, Dreamland successfully reopened in 2017. Dreamland celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Research Material, c1900 - 2018
Various photocopies relating to Margate, Dreamland, Hall by the Sea, Sanger Circus and animal performance.
Sanger Family Collection
This collection contains black and white photographs of George Sanger's Circus, photocopies of newspaper cuttings related to the Sanger Family and original drawings for costume designs by June Dick.