Attraction Tracker

Thorpe Park

History

Earlier history 19 entries · 1930 – 2008
  1. 1930
    Site clearance begins Thorpe Park Estate demolished

    Much of the land was bought from the Lord of the Manor around 1930 and the estate was demolished.

  2. 1941
    Site clearance begins Gravel extraction begins

    Ready Mixed Concrete extracted gravel from the site for around thirty years. The worked-out pits flooded and became the park's lakes.

  3. 1970
    Project announced RMC begins planning a leisure attraction

    With the pits worked out, RMC started planning a leisure attraction, partly as a showcase for reclaiming quarry land.

  4. 1971
    Project announced Leisure Sport Ltd formed

    RMC formed the subsidiary Leisure Sport Ltd, with the founding theme "The History of the British People as a Maritime Nation".

  5. 1975
    Award won World Water Ski Championships held on the lake
  6. 24 May 1979
    Opening day Thorpe Park opens

    Officially opened by Lord Louis Mountbatten — his last public appearance before his assassination later that year. The opening line-up was the Mountbatten Pavilion, Model World, a WWI aircraft and Schneider Trophy display, the Invaders of Britain exhibits, and the lakes and historic watercraft.

  7. 1981
    Major investment announced Cinema 180 opens — a UK first

    The park's first children's ride area was added the same year.

  8. 1983
    Major investment announced Park switches to Pay One Price admission

    Admission model changed alongside the opening of Magic Mill, Phantom Fantasia, the Treasure Island Railway and the Thorpe Belle.

  9. 1983
    Award won Filming location for The Benny Hill Show

    The park doubled as a filming location between 1983 and 1989.

  10. 1987
    Major investment announced Thunder River and European Square open

    A £2m-plus investment.

  11. 1989
    Major investment announced Canada Creek opens for the 10th anniversary

    With Logger's Leap, billed as Britain's highest log flume, and the Canada Creek Railway. The Thorpe Park Rangers mascots debuted.

  12. 1991
    Major investment announced Fantasy Reef opens with Depth Charge

    Depth Charge was the UK's first four-lane waterslide.

  13. 1994
    Major investment announced Ranger County opens

    With Chief Ranger's Carousel, Mr Monkey's Banana Ride and the Ranger County Arena.

  14. 1998
    Ownership change RMC sells the park to The Tussauds Group

    Tussauds dropped the family and educational identity and rebuilt Thorpe as a teen and adult thrill park.

  15. 21 July 2000
    Fire Major fire destroys the Magic Mill building

    The fire destroyed the building housing Mr Rabbit's Tropical Travels and Wicked Witches Haunt. The cleared land became the site of Nemesis Inferno.

  16. 2001
    Major investment announced Lost City opens

    A new area with the thrill trio Detonator, Vortex and Zodiac.

  17. May 2007
    Ownership change Blackstone buys Tussauds and merges it into Merlin

    Blackstone bought The Tussauds Group for US$1.9bn.

  18. 17 July 2007
    Ownership change Sale-and-leaseback of the Thorpe Park property

    Merlin sold the property to Prestbury and took a renewable 35-year lease. The freehold later passed to LXi REIT and then to LondonMetric Property after their March 2024 merger.

  19. 2008
    Retheme Area names removed from park maps

    Named areas disappeared from maps, returned as "Island Territories" in 2016, and were largely dropped again from 2021 — though the names live on in signage and fan use.

  1. 2010
    Project announced Five-year development plan published
  2. 2014
    Major investment announced Angry Birds Land opens

    With Angry Birds 4D, King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems and Detonator: Bombs Away.

  3. 2019
    Major investment announced Park turns 40

    Marked with BounceZilla, the Jungle Escape escape rooms and a one-off GameFX event.

  4. July 2020
    Season opens COVID-19 delays the season to July

    The season opened late with social distancing and capacity limits. Fright Nights was cut to two outdoor mazes plus new scare zones.

  5. 2021
    Site clearance begins Old Town closes for Project Exodus

    Old Town closed along with Rocky Express and Timber Tug Boat, clearing the site for what became Hyperia.

  6. October 2023
    Project announced Project Exodus revealed as Hyperia
  7. 2024
    Retheme New logo and "Feel-Good Thrills" branding

    The park's strapline changed from "An Island Like No Other" to "The Home of Feel-Good Thrills". The Sparkle Project refurbished presentation park-wide.

  8. 2026
    Major investment announced The Launchpad opens

    Roughly half of Amity Beach converted into an all-season chill-out zone with seating, canopies and kiosks. The smaller family beach and splash pool remain.

Events

What is here

Rides 19

Shows 1

Staying over 1

Facilities 2

Areas

What used to be here

Rides 24

Experiences 5

Shows 8

Exhibits 4

Staying over 1

Facilities 2

Everything else 2

8 mazes and other event attractions are listed under Events instead — an event ending for the year is not the same as an attraction being removed.

Pictures

Thorpe Park Logo - 1979-1998
Thorpe Park Logo - 1979-1998
Thorpe Park Logo - 1999-2000
Thorpe Park Logo - 1999-2000
Thorpe Park Logo - 2023 - Current
Thorpe Park Logo - 2023 - Current
Thorpe Park Logo - 2008-2023
Thorpe Park Logo - 2008-2023
Thorpe Park Logo - 2001–2023
Thorpe Park Logo - 2001–2023
Thorpe Park Logo - 2004 - 2007
Thorpe Park Logo - 2004 - 2007

Sources

  1. Thorpe Park — Complete History & Timeline (compiled) — Whole-venue history.
ven00100 23 opens · 46 gone · 14 areas