Camelot Theme Park

[@pjmeee]

Happy days 🙏❤💯👊👍

[@layneinchains848]

So glad you took the time to get shots of the park, especially when it was bouncing, brings back lots of happy memories! Thank you.

[@kashy1116]

Wow this is a pleasant blast from the past and childhood memories!

[@natevans6727]

Aww brings back so many memories i had forgotten about the pink dragon ride

[@damianjones7554]

The Beast was always my favourite ride, still cant believe this place is gone.

[@Properbellend]

Same, makes me kind of emotional, childhood ruined.

[@pipsta]

Damian Jones Hello, I just started the petition "Government funding: Reopen Camelot theme park!" and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name. My goal is to reach 100 signatures and I need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here: www.change.org/p/government-funding-reopen-camelot-theme-park?recruiter=265831091&

[@Properbellend]

Pipsta What the hell you smoking? You really think they'll reopen Camelot? You need your head testing.

[@pipsta]

thunder cunt My friend did a petition for another theme park in the us. It got reopened. I have done many successful petitions before. my last one reopened my local 1940s theatre.

[@pipsta]

if enough people want it opened then a company will see money to be made. It is possible. I've done things before I never thought would make a difference but what's the point in just giving up. I might as well try at least

[@nickkellie]

I used to go there in the late 80s/early 90s before I emigrated to the USA. Wow so sad to g hear it’s gone

[@nerdicwarrior]

I have so many memories of family trips to Camelot. The last time I went was with school when I was only 12. So sad that it's now dead. T_T

[@kelliemariemarshall]

Nice one this gives me goosebumps! Thanks for your time and effort!

[@kaideneeles401]

bring back Camelot

[@bobnudd]

Thank you for uploading this , i live 2 miles away from what was Camalot theme park and spent nearly every saturday in the park (i knew every hole in the fence ) its a shame to see it was it is now its still there but in ruins such a shame as my kids would of loved it as i did in the late 80s :(

[@queenJC99]

Loved it in the 90s, last time I ever went was in my early teens.

[@soundseeker63]

I went here in 1992, I remember I got a friction burn on my hand going down the helter-skelter. Shame it closed down but I guess it became a bit outdated over time and didn't appeal to families with older kids. Sobering to think all the kids we saw here will now be well into their 30s!

[@stuartbarrett8721]

Can't understand how a place like this could go under.. it's not as if it was the scale of say Alton Towers, it was a compact little place with more than enough going on.

[@FannyLerouxTime]

It still confuses me as to why they re-painted the stage for the jousting in brown and cream. I still can't make sense of why they closed behind the castle as the kids area. It confuses me why the owners made the park smaller and then complained people stopped going! I'm in a documentary about Camelot "the fall of Camelot" it's called and it's on KZbin. I absolutely think Camelot was set up to fail. It's such a shame.

[@FannyLerouxTime]

I will add... The entertainment staff lived on site, if you ever rode on "the rack", you may have noticed caravans behind the ride, that's where they lived! The horses did live at Camelot for the summer season, but during the colder months they were housed elsewhere as the stables at Camelot didn't have heating. I'm trying to think what I can tell you as an ex staff member. Oh, during the closed months the rides were all stripped bare and that's when they were inspected for things like rust etc. I do have to say, minus the 2 incidents, well, 3 really but one never got published to the media, the maintenance team at Camelot were absolutely brilliant, minus one time when I was helping a maintenance guy on the dungeons of doom and a broken car being taken off the track ran over my foot (I wanted to cry but couldn't as I'm "manly") and yeah, those cars were heavy lol. Erm, oh, for anyone wondering there was usually 3 shows a day on a quiet day, 4 or 5 if it was busy. Just before you reached the galleon, there's a building to the right, that was a small theatre with specialist magic tricks shown, they may do upto 4 shows a day if it was busy, the Jousting was upto 2 shows a day, but the season I worked there attendance was low, so most days there was 1 show and it was cancelled if it was raining. Although it's an outdoor park, most of the rides are weather dependent. For example the Galleon, the wheel when wet couldn't stop the boat effectively, so we often requested (as ride operators) to close the ride when it was raining. The building which replaced the original castle, where they had a roller rink and later dogems, was called the "Family Entertainment Center", we were told to stop calling it the FEC over the radios as it sounded too much like fuck. When Camelot first opened all guests had to walk through the small village in order to get upto the 2nd part of the park, those buildings used to be real shops where people could buy fresh bread and watch the actors do their trade. The shops closed and were boarded up, apart from 1 which just housed a manequin. "The beast" has been the name of 2 rides in Camelot. The indoor coaster many know as the beast was originally called "Knightmare", then "The Beast" and later "Venom". The venom had live animals in the queue area, however Camelot weren't looking after them correctly and were fined which is why the live animals were never seen again. The Knightmare, the beast and the venom were all the same ride, just with different theming. The ride is still operational to this day going as Morgawr, go to rcdb.com/9036.htm for more information or look it up on KZbin. It's like a little Camelot all in one now, it's an outdoor coaster, but the train is now a dragon! Pendragon's plunge was a horrible ride to work on and for some reason it never broke down! The galleon was my favourite ride to operate and I still remember the speech I had to give "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the galleon, please raise your arms for the lap bars as they are about to lower. While the ride is in motion please keep your hands, arms and legs inside the boat at all times". At the end it'd be "Thank you for riding the Galleon, please raise your arms as the lapbars are about to move. When exiting please leave to the left of the platform remembering to take all your personal belongings with you. Thank you again for riding the Galleon and enjoy the rest of your day here at the magical kingdom of Camelot". What else? Oh! The Rack died it's death at Camelot. The manufacturer of the ride went bust around the time of the 2008 credit crunch, so new parts for it were harder to come by as time went on, which is why in later videos you can hear the ride squeaking as it did it's routine. Eventually the decision was made to let the ride breakdown and not recover it. The small rabbit garden ride next to the dungeons of doom also had the same fate. The tower of terror did have a fire in its final season at Camelot. The gauntlet that replaced tower of terror was KIND of the same ride as tower of terror was, but it was an upgraded version. The Gauntlet is the ride which decapitated a member of the maintenance team. Yes, somebody did fall around 50ft to the ground on Excalibur 2. They survived but had managed to wriggle out of the restraints of the ride. Excalibur 2 is still in operation to this day. The Galleon is no longer in operation, the ride was sold for scrap, however the boat was a part of a garden feature at Southport Fair. Oh, I should say, the gauntlet is still an operational rollercoaster, it did work at Southport fairground, but I'm not too sure of its location these days. Mary was the name of the shire horse in the Camelot petting farm, she passed away I'm told, in the final season of Camelot. It's believed among former staff that Mary took the soul of Camelot with her when she passed. No, horses didn't die due to being worked in the joust show. During hotter days the show may be cancelled to protect the horses, but usually the horses were wet with cold water after the show. I have this wealth of knowledge and I am open to any questions people have! So, any questions?

[@FannyLerouxTime]

Oh and to finally add... Remember there was 2 ponds at the top end of the site? One had boats on that you could steer for a few mins for 20p, the other had nothing on it? That other one was actually the septic tank for the site. If it was a hot and busy day then often the level would go down and yeah, it smelled. Well, that's why.

[@melissawalmsley1366]

I'm so glad someone remember the beast ride great!1989 when we used to go red haired bloke ran the beast fancied him like mad if you read this ginger man I was the one with long black hair who came nearly every weekend never did get your name.....

[@mikechick221]

what happened to the rack it was my favert ride dose it lay any were today

[@FoxyLoxley73]

This park had potential...

[@shifty2755]

If you still want to go on the caterpillar ride. Its at gulliver's world now.

[@AirtimeThrills]

This is the only footage on KZbin I know of that shows the Beast in action, do you mind if I use that clip for a video I am making? I'd give on screen credit and link back to this video. Please let me know, thanks!

[@DavidTyler]

its sad to see the park go

[@pipsta]

David Tyler Hello, I just started the petition "Government funding: Reopen Camelot theme park!" and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name. My goal is to reach 100 signatures and I need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here: www.change.org/p/government-funding-reopen-camelot-theme-park?recruiter=265831091&

[@liddabean]

@@pipsta Its not gone well has it

[@pipsta]

@@liddabean No XD

[@chrisarmstrong5276]

Dragon flyer turned into a diesel powered coaster

[@littleparky]

Hi I was wondering if i could use your footage for a documentary I am making about Camelot, i can credit you in the final film

[@peteroliverbrotherpete2014]

yes you can use my footage your documentary

[@fletchforever82]

Lucy Parkinson did you make a documentary

[@julieturner30]

:( i wanted to go but now it is abandond

[@pipsta]

Julie Turner Hello, I just started the petition "Government funding: Reopen Camelot theme park!" and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name. My goal is to reach 100 signatures and I need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here: www.change.org/p/government-funding-reopen-camelot-theme-park?recruiter=265831091&

[@fletchforever82]

As if you were slagging off Camelot 😲

[@uzijn]

No footage of Bassett's Driving School? :(

[@fletchforever82]

uzijn was it there in 93

[@uzijn]

@@fletchforever82 I think so. I went in around 2000 and it was there then, maybe it wasn't built as early as '93.

[@fletchforever82]

I think it was probably a bit later because the park kept quite in theme until mid 90s

[@uzijn]

@@fletchforever82 I might see if I can find any contacts who will be able to provided maps, plans or any info from back then. It'll be interesting to see a history of what changes were made in the park over time.

[@fletchforever82]

uzijn definitely, shame there is no footage from when it first opened

[@kells77]

Make no wonder it went bust it was shit