Kurshaal Kursaal Preparations (1956)

Southend-on-Sea, Essex.
Panning high angle L/S of the Kursaal amusement park out of season and devoid of crowds.
Several shots in the amusement park show workers cleaning and checking the rides before the summer season. Cleaned merry-go-round horses are put back in place; the water chute lake is cleaned by two men with brooms and the debris piled beside it. Other men are seen sawing wood, tightening bolts and so on. Another man works high up on the run down to the water chute.
M/S of John Martin, manager of the scenic railway / roller coaster, looking around at the length of the ride, built in 1937. He then climbs onto it and walks along the track. M/S of him on the brow of one of the drops as he checks the line gauge at several places; commentator says it takes him a whole day to check the entire ride.
John stops and looks around, over the length of the ride, then signals to a man on the ground below to start the ride up. An old man in a hat starts the motor which sets the chain in motion that takes the roller coaster cars to the top of the first summit; C/U of the motor going round. M/S of John on the first summit, checking the chain as it turns round. Commentator says at this point in the ride, the cars are disengaged from the chain and complete the journey under their own momentum.
M/S of John, cigarette in hand, getting into a car at the start of the ride; this is the acid test we are told. He signals for the ride to start. We then see various shots of the roller coaster ride, some are point of view shots from the ride. We finish with a shot of the cars speeding towards us down from a summit; the cars go over our heads, causing a blackout (of the film, not me).
Note: neg is quite scratched and dirty. On file is a news cutting about cleaning the rides in Battersea Festival Gardens which obviously inspired this story.
FILM ID:41.23
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[@Ricksta66]

Amazing footage of days gone by. I lived in Southend when I was a child and spent every possible moment in the Kursaal, but unfortunately never got to ride the Scenic Railway that's featured here. I can clearly remember them pulling down, bit by bit till it was completely gone I wish I could go back in time.

[@anthonymcdonnell5384]

the water chute from there ended up atblackpool and last o perated in 2007

[@sparky30368]

Wow, love the footage. shame the wooden coaster did not survive today.

[@robertlangley1664]

Went to Southend in the late sixties on a firms outing and it took me about two day to get over it

[@luciatilyard2827]

There's still a fun fair there, at S-on-S. But, I thought the Kursal, was the strange Victorian building looking away from the pier? For anyone who's interested, Prince Regent made Southend popular, and there are a few lovely Regency houses along the sea front.