The Pleasure Beach

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is one of the UK’s most famous amusement parks, and its history stretches back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was started by William Bean and his partner John Outhwaite in 1896. They bought 30 acres of land, which was then home to a gypsy camp. Bean aimed to create an American-style amusement park for people to enjoy. The park began with just a few basic rides. Over time, it grew a lot, adding more rides and attractions to attract more visitors.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the park continued to expand, introducing some iconic rides. In 1923, they added the Big Dipper, a classic wooden roller coaster that remains popular. They also built the Roller Coaster, now known as Nickelodeon Streak, in 1933. After World War II, the park kept growing, adding new rides and attractions to match changing tastes. In the 1950s and 1960s, they introduced several thrilling rides, making Blackpool Pleasure Beach a top destination for fun.

In recent years, the park has added modern steel roller coasters and themed areas. The Big One, which opened in 1994, was notable for being the tallest and steepest roller coaster in the world at that time. More recently, in 2018, they introduced ICON, the UK’s first double-launch roller coaster. Since opening in 1896, Blackpool Pleasure Beach has grown from a small collection of rides into a large amusement park with a blend of classic and modern attractions.

The moniker “The Pleasure Beach” first showed up in ads in 1905. At that time, the various attractions that had been set up in the sand dunes over the past decade were coming together to form a single, American-style amusement park. The park was designed to blend the natural beauty of the beach with a range of fun attractions. By choosing the name “Pleasure Beach,” the founders wanted to create a welcoming and exciting spot where people could have a great time and enjoy themselves by the sea.

The images below are Blackpool Pleasure Beach views with people strolling on the boardwalk c. 1915. The original Pleasure Beach was built on the sand dunes along the promenade and consisted of a few roundabouts, a Bicycle Railway and several stalls. The first major attraction was British inventor Sir Hiram Maxim’s ‘Captive Flying Machine’, a rotary swing ride of 1904 (the cables for it are visible on the far left of this view). A mill-chute water ride followed in 1905, which opened under the name ‘The River Caves of the World’. In 1907 the park opened its first wooden roller coaster, which was known as The Scenic Railway (pictured centre). It was during this time that the park began to trade under the name Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The ‘Rainbow Wheel’ (centre right) was a Ferris wheel that opened in 1913. ‘Witching Waves’ (left) was a large oval course with a moving metal floor ridden with two-person steerable cars. It opened in 1913. The park is host to many records, including the largest collection of wooden roller coasters (four) of any park in the UK. Sir Hiram Maxims ‘Captive Flying Machine’ is now the oldest amusement park ride in Europe. The Alamy image of Maxim’s Flying Machines was taken from a 1904 vintage postcard.

There are more Pleasure Beach related posts on the timeline: The Big One, Thompson Family Takes Over Pleasure Beach, Pleasure Beach Fire, The Original Coasters Restaurant, Nickelodeon Land at The Pleasure Beach and The Frightening World of 1950s Blackpool Pleasure Beach.