The History Of Frontierland | The UK's Forgotten Theme Park

[@marklee7565]

I’m now 55 years old and I have very vivid memories of this place and even though I lived in Leeds as a kid I visited at every opportunity I could even if it was only to come over on the first train out of Leeds and catch the last train back in the evening. I’m just glad I was able to experience this magical place as it has so so many happy memories for me. Thank you for posting this video ❤️

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

@@marklee7565 you’re very welcome! I’m glad I could remind of some of those memories!

[@CoasterChicken]

Such a well researched video! Love stuff like this. Keep it up

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

@@CoasterChicken thank you so much for the kind words! Don’t worry, I intend on making more videos!

[@niallh8129]

I loved going here as a child, then one day I went (probably the year 2000) and almost all of it was fenced off with no access. The only rides operating where a hanful of travelling rides and i can remember just the log flume starting up (possibly for the last time) years later I learnt the history of the park. Years of neglect to Morecambe by the Lancaster City Council, the closure of the bubbles fun pool, the ending of the Morecambe illuminations, the disaster of Blobby Land, the derilict Midland hotel and the general lack of serious investment in the town the BPB company decided to pull the plug, starting in 1998 closing the back section of the park and at the end of 1999 closing the rest leaving only a small section operating in the 2000 season, after that season the park was abandoned with everything either demolished in situ or rides removed to other parks across the country. The polo tower survived until around 2017/2018 as it served as mobile phone mast. The log flume concrete section still survives, and that's about it! Fun fact for many years, the litter bins at Southport pleasureland used to have bands around them, saying Morecambe Pleasure Park. Obviously, these disappeared when that park closed!

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

It’s a shame the park went away. It coulda been a nice small “permanent fair” type of place. At least the memories are there

[@niallh8129]

@Coaster_Cray_Cray yes it could of been a Southport type park, but sadly at the time Morecambe was seen as finished and there was no investment forth coming. Lancaster City Council had simply given up on Morecambe. Southport had people with vision and was able to have a much better outcome and now a successful operation even though it literally had to rise from the rubble....

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

@@niallh8129 let’s hope the Eden project changes things!

[@zombiemosher1139]

This one comes to my mind every now & then. I was only there once maybe twice, but it was around the time I was getting interested in roller coasters. This was the early 80s. I was definitely on the Texas Tornado & Mine Train. Sad to see it's demise.

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

I would’ve loved to have visited! It’s a shame the park went away!

[@slotselectagamblingchannel7452]

Who can remember texas tornado with the backwards train ride 😂

[@JesusIsLord105]

Me! But I was so young I was too scared to go backwards 😂 now I wish I could do it

[@clintonjames5963]

I still have a t-towel from Frontierland that has the price sticker on it and a baseball cap and pin badges never used or opened. My lasting memories of the place include sailing past residents' lounge windows on your log-flume boat as they stared at you and you at them! (a surreal experience for the rider). Racing through the trees on the Texas Tornado and crossing the promenade on your Skyride gondola - your feet seemingly millimeters from the passing double-decker buses and lorries.

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

Sounds like a blast! I wish I could’ve visited, but unfortunately time took the park before I was born. Those memories sound so precious, and I’d love to see that t-towel!

[@PeterPumpkinEater75]

That’s amazing, still got my Frontier Fred plush from the early 1990s, there’s not even any photographs of him on google. Talk about rare!

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

@PeterPumpkinEater75 that’s incredible! I didn’t find anything out about Frontier Fred when doing my research! Very rare indeed!!

[@oddsandwindsocks5905]

Nicely put together video. I hate seeing parks die like this

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

Thank you so much, there is another on the way! So do I, it’s such a shame this place closed because I feel it would be such a fun little place to visit. Sadly though, I do feel the park would close either way if it survived into Amanda Thompson’s reign. Maybe they can bring life into the park again when Eden Project is built but I’m not too hopeful.

[@russell-di8js]

You'll love Rhyl then cos they 100% bulldozed it out of existence!

[@user-kat4w]

Most of the rides at morecambe were re hashed, the haunted silver mine was infact the scream machine, again which can be seen during conversion on my website, the film the entertainer was shot at Morecambe Pleasure Park, the rides in the film, AutoScooter, Cyclone and Rocket Ride. Fun City was a bingo hall before that an ice theatre and before that an aircraft hanger

[@iaindouglas4829]

Spent many a time as a kid with my younger brother and parents walking around Frontierland and Morecambe prom' every Summer as we waited to pick the Heysham/Belfast overnight ferry

[@FairGround7DeLorean]

Loved this ❤️ should do one on American adventure next. I miss that park 😢

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

@@FairGround7DeLorean I would love to do a video on The American Adventure! Time ticks, we’ll see where the future takes us!

[@RetroAdzz]

Or Action Park. The most infamous park ever 😅

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

I’ll add it to the list! That place is quite infamous so making a video on that would be lots of fun!

[@itsbritneybby]

I loved American adventure aswell I went to go to the park in 2004 and it was closed I didn't read about it online b4 hand I just thought it was shut as was a week day A few years ago I looked it up cuz I wanted to go and found out it had changed to houses and sounds silly but I cried it was a part of my childhood lost and i wanted to take my kids, it was such a fun park I have the best memories from early 90s

[@dave0smeg]

I spent many hours there as a child before the rebrand. It's sad to see that now Morecambe has nothing in the way of tourism to bring the families in.

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

It’s sad what the place has become. We can only hope the Eden Project will bring enough people in for the town to finally redevelop Frontierland. I’m sure that area being an eyesore isn’t doing much for the Eden Project site down the road

[@kirstydiamond6987]

I have loads memories if the eden project is a sucess and a new theme park

[@jonnymingham3119]

11:45 I'm 100% certain that's me on the waltzer trying to spin it

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

@@jonnymingham3119 that’s so cool! Hope that’s made your day!

[@ae5668]

My mother and father used to take both my sisters and me here pritty much every other weekend in the summers of 86-90, the wooden coaster was by far the best ride there, by the early 90's the park seemed to start to look run down and grotty. the stampede was horrid i remember the cars having sand bags in them.

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

It’s sad this park went extinct, it did seem to be a nice charming park (despite not looking the best). It’s awesome you had so many opportunities to visit Frontierland, I’m sure those memories are cherished!

[@Adzcantsing]

Still walk past when i visit three times a year. Was sad when they started knocking it down in 1999. Child hood park gone

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

It’s a shame it’s gone. Hopefully the site will house something new eventually! I hope a nature walk to compliment Eden Project, maybe with art spaces throughout to replace the artist wall!

[@Adzcantsing]

@Coaster_Cray_Cray I think the fair that occupies the old bubbles fun pool will go there. Another attraction that clossed when frontierland went. I dont like how aldi is on the promenade just doesn't fit in.

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

Hopefully that fair will become a bit more permanent, more like the current Southport Pleasureland! May be wishful thinking but it would be nice for the Frontierland site to be used for a park again. Morecambe ain’t what it used to be, that’s for sure!

[@Adzcantsing]

@Coaster_Cray_Cray definitely I could talk all day about frontierland and pleasureland. I'm glad Norman Wallace saved pleasureland and they have something

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

@@Adzcantsing if you’d ever like to discuss Frontierland, feel free to contact me on Instagram. I’d love to learn more! The link to my instagram is in the description!

[@StoneAgeProductionsAdventure]

God I remember going on stampede as a small child. Cyclone also had a backwards train at one point.

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

How did Stampede feel like to ride? From what I heard, it wasn’t the smoothest coaster out there!

[@StoneAgeProductionsAdventure]

@@Full.Circuit.Thrills I was very young and from what I remember it was a good ride and yeah smooth. The ride op rode with us but lounged across the back seat as we lapped it again and again. 😆

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

@@StoneAgeProductionsAdventure sounds like a right laugh! Thats what parks like Frontierland are about, it’s a shame it didn’t survive into the 21st century. I feel it would still be a fun way out today

[@StoneAgeProductionsAdventure]

@@Full.Circuit.Thrills Yeah, I was gutted when they announced it was closing. Many fond memories of visiting there, Southport and Blackpool Pleasure Beach

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

Let’s hope its future replacement will bring some sort of joy to the world. Anything is better than how it’s been left for the last 24 years

[@PeterPumpkinEater75]

Does anyone remember the Hard Luck Bears animatronic show that operated at the park?

[@martinporter4980]

Pretty sure that resided at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. There was a sign for it on a dividing “wall” on the left side boundary of the now defunct Virginia Reel wooden spinning coaster. I saw that riding it in July 1982 (oblivious to it being its final ever season then). I never went into see the Hard Luck Bears show but have been intrigued ever since. Loved The Reel though, such a unique coaster, and now completely extinct.

[@PeterPumpkinEater75]

@@martinporter4980 Hard luck bears was relocated to Frontierland around 94 I believe. The bears originally used the programmed show and music supplied by their manufacturer Creative Engineering however around 1982 Blackpool recorded their own audio for it changing the characters from American hillbillies to being from various parts of the UK. I always wondered if Frontierland used the original tape or if they too had unique show material

[@seany84uk]

I visited here 2 or 3 times a year from the late 80s up until its closure. The council should have stepped in to try save the park.

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

It’s a shame, it could’ve been a nice little day park if it survived. I’d go there!

[@owenjohn1192]

No mention of the Jet Star 2 that resided @ the park for 1 year! (1981)

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

@@owenjohn1192 I’m so sorry! I couldn’t find much information about it! It would’ve been nice for it to stay around for more than a year however! It would’ve complimented the park well leading into the 90’s!

[@owenjohn1192]

@@Full.Circuit.Thrills RCDB?

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

@@owenjohn1192 unfortunately there isn’t much information on there either! There is a link to a photo however! I wouldn’t have liked to have speculated what happened to the ride as I wanted to make the video more educational rather than speculative, and I couldn’t find a specific reason as to why it was removed. I can only assume it was for the same reason as the Ferris wheel. Either way this was my first time making a video like this, so I know I can improve. I just hope you liked the video besides this omission!

[@joshomasprime2474]

Can you do mr marvel’s in Scarborough?

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

I’ll add it to my list!

[@joshomasprime2474]

@@Full.Circuit.Thrills thanks. Btw it opened in 1984 and closed in 2002

[@kosmicfactz]

Frontierland was my childhood! Great vid, very nostalgic and quite sad in parts Also, pretty sure Texas Tornado used to run a backwards train occasionally, unless I've made that up..

[@Full.Circuit.Thrills]

Thank you for the input!! I really appreciate it! I remember reading somewhere that one of Texas Tornado’s trains had a backward facing front car! Very unique for a British coaster!

[@marklee7565]

Yes it did indeed run backwards at times

[@splittieful]

no Country Bears?