ChristmasPud
TS Member
The John Broome era at Alton Towers was a very different time for the park, formed a lot of what makes Alton Towers a cut above the rest today and established in the public conscious. But also a time from which the park moved on from.
It was the first big theme park in the UK, at a time when most similar offerings were seaside amusement parks (of which Blackpool was king). Although, after Talbot Street, the park seemed to quickly lose interest in creating themed areas & attractions sadly.
The park was popular and well esteemed, great care was clearly taken in those days to create a good day out. It didn't hold back on thrills, while also continuing a sense of the place's heritage. It gave classic attractions such as Black Hole, Around The World, Doom & Sons, the flume and rapids, but also a whole lot of bolted-down funfair rides.
John Broome himself was well known to have a giant ego and be somewhat hell bent on becoming Britain's Walt Disney. This gave him the idea of turning Alton Towers into a vast leisure park in the woods, but also limited the park into being continually compared to Disney (by intention). It only really became its own thing during the Tussauds period.
Broome squandered Alton Towers in his final years of ownership, in favour of pouring all resources and money into the disasterous Battersea project. But you got to admire his determination.
There's an interesting article written by his son on the Battersea plans here. His son says some very genuine stuff about the loss of entrepreneurship today, but ultimately it was an impossible idea and the building very restrictive.
Worth a read (with a pinch of salt!).
https://www.londonlaunch.com/be-inspired/battersea-power-station-the-lost-plans/
In it, he claims that Broome's friends at American company LARC are the world's leading theme park designers (huh?) and that they created all of Alton Towers. This is not true, LARC did the original Towers Street and the rapids pre-Katanga Canyon. The best of Alton Towers was actually by Sparks in the UK.
Discuss your memories of this era here!
It was the first big theme park in the UK, at a time when most similar offerings were seaside amusement parks (of which Blackpool was king). Although, after Talbot Street, the park seemed to quickly lose interest in creating themed areas & attractions sadly.
The park was popular and well esteemed, great care was clearly taken in those days to create a good day out. It didn't hold back on thrills, while also continuing a sense of the place's heritage. It gave classic attractions such as Black Hole, Around The World, Doom & Sons, the flume and rapids, but also a whole lot of bolted-down funfair rides.
John Broome himself was well known to have a giant ego and be somewhat hell bent on becoming Britain's Walt Disney. This gave him the idea of turning Alton Towers into a vast leisure park in the woods, but also limited the park into being continually compared to Disney (by intention). It only really became its own thing during the Tussauds period.
Broome squandered Alton Towers in his final years of ownership, in favour of pouring all resources and money into the disasterous Battersea project. But you got to admire his determination.
There's an interesting article written by his son on the Battersea plans here. His son says some very genuine stuff about the loss of entrepreneurship today, but ultimately it was an impossible idea and the building very restrictive.
Worth a read (with a pinch of salt!).
https://www.londonlaunch.com/be-inspired/battersea-power-station-the-lost-plans/
In it, he claims that Broome's friends at American company LARC are the world's leading theme park designers (huh?) and that they created all of Alton Towers. This is not true, LARC did the original Towers Street and the rapids pre-Katanga Canyon. The best of Alton Towers was actually by Sparks in the UK.
Discuss your memories of this era here!
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