AN abandoned UK theme park with rollercoasters and cable cars left to rot could reopen again after 25 years.
It was once referred to as one of the country’s first “genuine” theme parks but was forced to shut for good in 1999.
An abandoned UK theme park with rollercoasters and cable cars left to rot could reopen again[/caption]
Frontierland in Morecambe, Lancashire, closed in 1999[/caption]
Rides including The Wild Mouse, The Rattler, Polo Tower and Chair-o-Planes.[/caption]
Frontierland in Morecambe, Lancashire, opened its doors for the first time in 1906 and the site where the park once stood is now eerily vacant.
In the following years, it would go on to be sold to the Thompson family, who owned Blackpool Pleasure Beach, in 1936.
This was when it was called the West End Amusement Park but 50 years later, the park was given an overhaul due to plummeting visitor numbers.
It was turned into Frontierland which opened in 1987 with a Wild West theme and was known as one of the first “genuine” theme parks in the UK.
There were an array of log flumes, rollercoasters and cable cars with rides including The Wild Mouse, The Rattler, Polo Tower and Chair-o-Planes.
It even had a timber rollercoaster at one point in its rich history called the Cyclone, which was built by an American engineer for the Paris World Exposition in 1937.
But, over the years, attendance to the park continued to crater despite the addition of new rides.
This included the 150-foot Big Wheel which swiftly removed due to complaints from neighbouring residents in 1982.
The Sky Ride was also introduced in 1989 which allowed visitors to fly over the park and out over the promenade before looping back round.
And a 150-foot Polo Tower was installed in 1993 which became a Morecambe landmark.
Frontierland was eventually forced to start downsizing in 1998 – just two years it would close for good with many of the rides demolished or moved to other parks.
The “Rattler” was relocated to the Pleasure Beach while “The Wild Mouse” and “Chair-o-Plans” were moved to Southport Pleasureland park which closed in 2006.
However, it was later bought by Lancaster City Council in 2021 with the council keen on inviting developers to submit proposals on what to do with the site.
According to the BBC, a Frontierland Project Board was set up in 2023 in an effort to push forward plans for the site.
Around 35 developers interested in doing so were invited to submit their proposals and tenders to the council last year.
However, any new plans for the abandoned park have yet to been announced and it continues to lay derelict and deserted.
It’s not the only forgotten attraction in the UK either.
Just this week, The Sun reported that a 100-year-old attraction is one step closer to finally reopening after a £7.7 million revamp.
Hilsea Lido in Portsmouth, which first opened in 1935, has been closed since 2022 for a huge renovation as part of the government’s Levelling Up programme.
And it was reported earlier this month than an abandoned £250 million theme park has now scrapped its reopening plans leaving fans devastated.
Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire, Wales, closed back in March last year due to declining visitor numbers and since has been left to rot.
The park first opened in 1906 under a different name[/caption]
Plummeting visitor numbers eventually led to its closure[/caption]
