Perched on the crumbling cliffs of the Isle of Wight, Blackgang Chine isn’t just UK’s oldest theme park it’s also considered as one of the oldest in the world, having opened its doors in 1843. Located right next to the village of Blackgang, the park has long captivated generations with its quirky attractions, nostalgic charm, and dramatic coastal views. However, this nostalgic treasure is in a race against time, as erosion steadily eats away at the land beneath it.
Known for its eccentric exhibits, from dinosaurs, pirate ships to fairy tale castles, and its cliffside setting, the park attracts both children and adults who come for fun and the breathtaking views but it looks like those sea views come at a cost. The land Blackgang Chine is built on is notoriously unstable. The cliffs sit on a layer of clay known locally as Blue Slipper, an infamously soft and slippery foundation prone to movement.
As a result of frequent landslides and relentless coastal erosion, Blackgang Chine has lost large sections of land over the years. The cliffs beneath the park are literally slipping into the sea, causing buildings, roads, and entire attractions to vanish.
This ongoing geological threat has forced the park to constantly adapt. Attractions are frequently relocated or rebuilt further inland, with the layout evolving almost every year.
On average, the park loses around 3.5 metres of land annually, though this isn’t always gradual, some of the most dramatic cliff collapses occurred in 1928, 1961, and 1994, each time reshaping the park’s boundaries.
In fact, visit the park two years in a row and you’re likely to notice that things have changed. What was once safely inland may now be teetering at the edge, or already claimed by the sea.
Despite the erosion, however, Blackgang Chine has remained remarkably resilient. The park’s management has become adept at relocating attractions inland, rebuilding popular features that have been lost, and designing new ones that work with the unpredictable landscape.
For example, an entire cowboy town was once swallowed by the sea, only to be rebuilt on higher ground. Sleeping Beauty’s Castle was quickly moved in the 1990s when cracks appeared in the land beneath it.
Even the old Blackgang road, once a key route through the area, was closed after slippage in the late 1990s and now forms part of the attraction itself.
This ever-changing layout has become part of the magic, meaning that no two visits to Blackgang Chine are ever quite the same.