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The
history of the Pleasure Beach can be traced to 1896
and one man’s vision of an American-style amusement
park, the fundamental principle of which is to make
adults feel like children again, and to inspire gaiety
of a primarily innocent character - William George
Bean (1868 - 1929).
Before long the Pleasure Beach was attracting ever-growing
numbers of visitors to Blackpool and Bean, a most
innovative entrepreneur continually raised the bar
and installed ever more ambitious rides and attractions
to entertain the masses. 1 August 1904 saw the opening
of the Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim Captive Flying Machine,
an attraction that still wows the crowds of today!
Other attractions installed under Bean were the River
Caves, Switchback Railway and later, the Big Dipper.
When Bean died unexpectedly, the Pleasure Beach reins
were passed to his daughter, Lillian Doris Thompson
(1903 – 2004) and her husband Leonard Thompson
(until 1976). By now, the Pleasure Beach was welcoming
unprecedented numbers of visitors and the rides and
attractions came thick and fast: the internationally
acclaimed racing wooden roller coaster, the Grand
National; the Wild Mouse wooden coaster, the Ice Drome
and show, and the world’s largest Fun House
to name but a few. The flourishing Pleasure Beach
enjoyed decades of growth and prosperity.
Upon Leonard Thompson’s death in 1976, directorship
was passed to his only son [William] Geoffrey Thompson
(1936 – 2004) and Lillian Doris took the position
of Company Chairman. It was Geoffrey who brought us
the newest and most exciting rides and attractions
to the Pleasure Beach: the Steeplechase; the Revolution,
Space Invader, Avalanche and in 1994 debuted the biggest,
fastest, most exhilarating ride of your life, the
record-breaking Pepsi Max Big One roller coaster.
Surely the Pleasure Beach couldn’t have enjoyed
a more remarkable success! In 1996 The Pleasure Beach
celebrated its centenary to terrific fanfare and a
yearlong celebration.
To bring the story up to date, In 2004 Geoffrey’s
eldest daughter Amanda Thompson took over as Managing
Director. Who knows what delights Amanda has for us,
and what subsequent years will bring. For now the
secret is safe, but what is known is that across four
generations, the Thompson family have never ceased
to thrill, amaze and astound the faithful patrons
of The Pleasure Beach, Blackpool. No wonder they call
it The Entertainment Adventure Capital of The World.
Source: A Century Of Fun (Peter Bennett) |
©
CLUB PLEASURE BEACH | last updated
28 September, 2006
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