Former British amusement park
Loudoun Castle
was a
theme park
set around the ruins of the 19th century
Loudoun Castle
near
Galston
, in the
Loudoun
area of
Ayrshire
,
Scotland
,
United Kingdom
. The park opened in 1995, and closed at the end of the 2010 season. The park's mascot was Rory the Lion.
History
[
edit
]
The park was opened in 1995 by a company based in London and has since been through the hands of travelling showman Raymond Codona to its current owner, Henk Bembom's Parkware Ltd. Bembom took over the park in 2002 and invested £5 million during his first year there, followed by an additional £2 million in the second.
[1]
Bembom continued to bring new rides and attractions to the park each year, including another £2 million of investment in 2007.
[2]
In winter 2006, Parkware moved all their operations and ride stock to Loudoun from their previous storage buildings in
Margate
.
On 15 July 2007, 18-year-old ride operator Mark Blackwood fell 80 feet (24 m) from a roller coaster he was pushing, the Rat, which had got stuck. He was taken to Crosshouse Hospital in
Kilmarnock
for treatment but died there on 16 July 2007.
[3]
After a two-week trial, the jury found the park owners not guilty of failing to provide proper training and supervision at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Saturday 10 October 2009.
[4]
In September 2010 it was announced that the park had closed, Bembom stating that it was "no longer economically viable." There were no clear indications as to the future use of the site, whether the current owners intend to sell the business on as a 'going concern' or if they intended to use the site for other purposes.
[5]
As of February 2011
[update]
a number of rides were for sale, including Twist 'n' Shout, Goldrush, Barnstormer, Wacky Worm, Crows Nest and Jammy Dodgems.
[
citation needed
]
As a
Category A listed building
, the possibilities for any redevelopment of the ruins of Loudon Castle proper, as opposed to this adjacent theme park, are severely limited by law.
Rides
[
edit
]
The Plough and The Rat rides at Loudoun Castle
Many of the rides at Loudoun Castle had been operated at
Dreamland Margate
in Kent when it was owned by Bembom Brothers. A few of these rides can be seen in the
Only Fools and Horses
1989 Christmas Special "
The Jolly Boys' Outing
", in which the Trotters and many other male cast members visit Dreamland Margate.
In 2009, Loudoun Castle had five
roller coasters
:
Also in the park were various
thrill rides
including:
- Barnstormer – a 140-foot-tall (43 m) shot-and-drop tower built by
S&S Power
. Relocated from the defunct
Pleasureland Southport
, the ride was officially opened on 23 May 2006 by
The MacDonald Brothers
.
- Loggers Leap – Loudoun's original
log flume
- Black Pearl – an inverting
Pirate ship
. Relocated to Lightwater Valley.
- The Captains Wheel – an
Enterprise
ride. Relocated to Avonturenpark Hellendoorn.
- The Plough – the largest
Chair-O-Planes
ride in the world (originally operated as The Apollo 14 at Ponypark Slagharen)
- The Crow's Nest – a
HUSS
Troika
- The Milk Churn – Round-Up made by Frank Hrubetz – Now at Treasure Island Stourport www.stourportfair.co.uk
- HMS
Flora McDougal
– a HUSS
Swinging Ship ride
. Relocated to Lightwater Valley.
References
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Operated by
Merlin Entertainments
:
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Operated by Gulliver's Theme Parks:
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Other amusement parks:
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Proposed parks:
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Defunct parks
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