Thorpe Park, formerly also known as Thorpe Park Resort, is a theme park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertainments and includes rides, themed cabins, live events and Hyperia, the United Kingdom's tallest and fastest rollercoaster. In 2019, Thorpe Park was the UK's third most visited theme park, behind Alton Towers and Legoland Windsor. However, in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the park only had a 125-day operation season, along with limited capacity, leading to massively reduced visitor numbers.
Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a 128 acres theme park, zoo and hotel complex in Chessington, Greater London, England, around 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Central London. The complex originally opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931; the theme park aspect was developed by The Tussauds Group, debuting on 7 July 1987 as one of the first combined animal-amusement parks in the UK. The theme park, which features over 40 rides, is now owned by Merlin Entertainments, following its merger with The Tussauds Group in 2007. Under Merlin, Chessington has been increasingly developed into a resort and tourist destination, including two on-site hotels, swimming pools, a campground, spa and fitness facilities.
John Richard Wardley is a British developer for theme parks in the UK and Europe: an innovator of special effects, dark rides and roller coasters in the themed attraction industry.
The American Adventure was a theme park in Derbyshire, England, quite close to both Nottingham and Derby on the edge of Heanor. The park for many years had a number of large white-knuckle attractions, but in 2005 was rethemed as a 'family' park aimed at the under-14 market. In January 2007, the owners announced that it would not reopen for the new season, and the rides would be sold off.
Dragon's Fury is a steel spinning roller coaster located at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in southwest London, England. Manufactured by Maurer AG, the ride opened on 27 March 2004 and features individual four-person cars that spin independently on a horizontal axis.
Samurai is a Mondial Top Scan ride located at Thorpe Park in the United Kingdom. It was originally installed at nearby Chessington World of Adventures in 1999, being transferred to Thorpe Park at the end of the 2003 season, and has operated at Thorpe Park since 2004. The song played on the ride is a modified version of "Burly Brawl", from the soundtrack of The Matrix Reloaded.
Tomb Blaster is a dark ride that opened in 2002 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in London. Riders travel in trains through a series of crypts, shooting laser guns at targets for high scores.
Tiger Rock is a flume ride at the theme park Chessington World of Adventures in Chessington, southwest London, England. The ride was manufactured by Mack Rides, based on a concept designed by John Wardley, and opened in 1987. It is located in the Land of the Tiger area of the park that was formerly known as Mystic East. The ride was originally extensively themed, although the majority of its scenic design was later removed due to lack of maintenance and durability over time. A contest was held in 2014 that focused on possible new themes for the ride. In September 2017, the ride closed for refurbishment and reemerged on 5 May 2018 as Tiger Rock.
Bubbleworks was a dark water ride opened in 1990 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in Greater London, England. It took riders through animated scenes of a comical factory producing fizzy pop. The original ride closed, to be redesigned in 2006 with a sponsorship by Imperial Leather toiletries, with the majority of the animations removed. The new Bubbleworks then closed in September 2016 to be replaced by The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure.
The 5th Dimension was a dark ride at the Chessington World of Adventures Resort in southwest London, England, when the theme park opened and was the first major special effects attraction of its kind in the UK. The ride closed at the end of the 1993 season and was replaced by Terror Tomb, which in turn has been replaced by Tomb Blaster. The ride was designed with cars that could stop and rotate to face what was happening in the scene; the same transit system is in use today.
Terror Tomb was a dark ride attraction at Chessington World of Adventures in southwest London, England, themed as an adventure inside a haunted tomb. The ride opened in March 25th 1994 along with the Forbidden Kingdom area. All music was composed by Graham Smart, including the hard rock song featured in the ride's finale.
Zufari: Ride into Africa is an off-road safari trail jeep ride at Chessington World of Adventures, a zoo and theme park in London. A 22-acre site landscaped to look like an African reserve, it is home to animals such as giraffes, white rhinos, ostriches, blesbok, nile lechwe and more.
Elmer's Flying Jumbos is a Red Baron ride operating at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in London. Originally in the area of Toytown, it later moved to the Zufari area and then finally Adventure Point. In the spring of 2020, it was renamed Elmer's Flying Jumbos. As of May 2023, the Chessington ride continues to operate after a long 36 years.
Tiny Truckers is a children's rail ride operated at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in London. Originally opened in 1993 under the name ToyTown Truckers. As of May 2023, the ride continues to operate.
Hocus Pocus Hall was a gothic-themed house of mirrors at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in southwest London, England. Originally the site of several mansions dating back to 1348, Burnt Stub Mansion was a private feature for years, before opening as Hocus Pocus Hall in 2003. It closed in 2018 to be redeveloped as Room On The Broom: A Magical Journey.
Scorpion Express was a mine train themed powered roller coaster at Chessington World of Adventures in Greater London, England. It opened with the theme park in 1987 as the Runaway Train. The original ride was closed in 2012 for refurbishment and reopened on 14 March 2014, with the same track layout but new name and theming. Scorpion Express is set in a small mining village, featuring an animated metalwork scorpion.
Black Buccaneer was a swinging pirate ship that operated at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in southwest London, England from 1988 to 2018 in the Pirates' Cove section of the park. After operating for 30 years, the ride has been replaced by Blue Barnacle in 2021.
Safari Skyway was a monorail ride that opened in 1986 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, in the Market Square area. Manufactured by Mack Rides, the ride gave guests a guided tour of Chessington Zoo, and in its first year, the construction of Chessington World of Adventures theme park. The ride ran for almost thirty years before closing abruptly in late July 2015. In early January 2016, the park announced that the ride would be retired due to continuous troubles with maintenance for the ride.
The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure is a dark water ride that opened in March 2017 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in Greater London, England, developed by Merlin Entertainments. It takes riders through scenes based on The Gruffalo franchise. The scenes consist largely of digital projection and include clips from the 2009 animated film The Gruffalo.
Croc Drop is an SBF Visa drop tower flat ride, which opened in April 2021 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in southwest London, England, forming part of the park's Forbidden Kingdom section.
