When you think of theme parks, your mind might immediately wander to the sprawling Disney World in Florida, or perhaps closer to home with the adrenaline-fuelled rides of Alton Towers and Thorpe Park. However, just a mere 20 years ago, our coastlines and countryside were dotted with many more amusement parks.
The Lancashire coast still echoes with the screams of rollercoaster riders, the sweet scent of candyfloss, and the rhythmic clatter of rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Yet, just a stone’s throw away, another park lies frozen in time, abandoned and left to decay.
While countless individuals may harbour fond childhood memories of family outings, all that remains of those halcyon days at one particular park are the memories themselves. Coastal Lancashire, and Morecambe in particular, has captivated many hearts over the decades.
Its promenade, retro amusements, and sweeping views across the bay continue to attract visitors from far and wide. But beneath this familiar seaside facade, there are pockets of the town that seem to belong to a bygone era, and one such place is Frontierland.
Frontierland first swung open its park gates back in 1987 following the redevelopment of Morecambe Pleasure Park. It proudly proclaimed itself as one of the UK’s first “genuine” theme parks, reports the Mirror.
The park was owned by Geoffrey Thomson, the managing director of the much-loved Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Pleasureland Southport.
The attraction boasted log flumes, a Wild West theme, rollercoasters and cable rides, providing a vibrant getaway for countless families across the generations.
The location had operated as a theme park since 1906, and once featured a timber rollercoaster named the Cyclone, which was designed and constructed by American engineer Harry Traver in 1937 for the Paris World Exposition.
A subsequent addition was a 150-foot Big Wheel, which had to be swiftly dismantled in 1982 due to complaints from residents.
However, as footfall kept declining at the park, and Morecambe overall, the attraction decided to start scaling back just 10 years after opening, and merely two years afterwards, in 2000, it would close permanently.
Numerous rides were either demolished or relocated to Thompson’s two other venues.
The “Rattler” was transferred to the Pleasure Beach, whilst “The Wild Mouse” and “Chair-o-Plans were relocated to the Southport location, which would also shut in 2006.
For the following two decades, the remainder of the park stayed abandoned, frozen in time and gradually deteriorating into wasteland.
Following years of neglect, Lancaster City Council purchased the location in 2021 and has welcomed interested parties to submit development proposals.
Earlier this year, reports emerged that the town council was examining development schemes.
Despite 35 developers expressing interest in pursuing Frontierland concepts and being ready to present proposals and bids to the council, no updates have been announced, leaving much of the park abandoned as a relic of bygone days.
