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Corkscrew

I never got to ride or in fact see the corkscrew, both my parents did and they both thought it was okay but nothing on nemesis (obviously).
Those are some great photo's @Squiggs and it shows that corkscrew was so bare in terms of theming/infastrucutre, it was literally just the rid the ride on a concrete slab.
 
Ahh The Corkscrew. The headache inducer more like. I genuinely remember the scream I let out on the first drop when my dad took me on it for the first time in the late 90s. The scariest bit was reaching the crest of the lift hill. The sound of the lift hill motor whining and reverberating around festival park and ug land was the sound of my childhood at Alton Towers.
 
I still today hear the Corkscrew lift hill motor whine in my head when I walk into the area. It just reminds me of childhood summers in Festival Park, which back then was THE main area of the park, crammed full of attractions. It was never the same when it's "plaza" kind of area was ruined by Rita, which seemed to relegate Corkie to the shadows. Such a colourful area. Enterprise, the Magic Carpet (I think it was 1001 Nights?), Wave Swinger, one of those hammer thump bell like games (no idea what they're called) like out of cartoons. All centered around this twisted metal structure with that lift hill sound.

Corkie has been gone for well over a decade now but I still half expect to see it there. If I remember correctly, Thirteens photo booth is the exact same one as Corkscrews? It certainly seems like it is as whenever I'm near it, I turn around and i expect to see Corkscrews brightly coloured tent covered station. Is it the same photo building does anyone know? Because I always get a feeling of familiarity when I'm near it to the point of loosing my bearings or am I imagining it?
 
Alsty said:
One thing I remember is waiting in the bays as the train rolled in. No air gates, just the assumption you wouldn't walk in front of a moving train.
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Yes, although (I think?) there was a step you were asked to keep behind and they did at least control batching in to those bays. I was amazed when I visited Carowinds and their bays were just an unmanaged extension of the queue - meaning there was nothing to stop people crushing up behind you.
 
Matt.GC said:
If I remember correctly, Thirteens photo booth is the exact same one as Corkscrews? It certainly seems like it is as whenever I'm near it, I turn around and i expect to see Corkscrews brightly coloured tent covered station. Is it the same photo building does anyone know? Because I always get a feeling of familiarity when I'm near it to the point of loosing my bearings or am I imagining it?
Click to expand...

You're not imagining it, the photo booth is Corkscrew's old unit.
 
Squiggs said:
You're not imagining it, the photo booth is Corkscrew's old unit.
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Was just about to say that!

Festival Park and Ug Land (pre Rita) were amazing areas to be in. Whilst I can’t remember all of the Ug Land attractions I do remember: Corkscrew, Ug Bugs, Boneshaker, Ug Swinger, Soak-a-Saurus, arcade area, the fountains, a play area, a hammer throw game and several food outlets.

Now all we have is 2 coasters that are open for half a day due to never ending maintenance problems, an arcade, a tatty food stall and a load of mothballed buildings that are conveniently themed to a rotting forest to help them blend into the area without investment.
 
s_g_k said:
Was just about to say that!

Festival Park and Ug Land (pre Rita) were amazing areas to be in. Whilst I can’t remember all of the Ug Land attractions I do remember: Corkscrew, Ug Bugs, Boneshaker, Ug Swinger, Soak-a-Saurus, arcade area, the fountains, a play area, a hammer throw game and several food outlets.

Now all we have is 2 coasters that are open for half a day due to never ending maintenance problems, an arcade, a tatty food stall and a load of mothballed buildings that are conveniently themed to a rotting forest to help them blend into the area without investment.
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The arcade has long gone! It’s just two coasters, some food kiosks and a hut with lockers in.
 
The scary little museum of stuffed animals in human clothes and poses is long gone.
Thankfully.
Gave me nightmares for years.
 
Taxidermy in "household" poses.
You know the dogs playing poker or pool pictures, a bit like that...glass mahogany cage and dimmed lights stuff, whiff of mothballs in the air, old man in a white coat sucking aniseed balls in the corner watching over it all, asking you to keep moving in sinister tones.
Scarier than most modern halloween walk throughs and ghost trains.
All in a little shed near the Corky entrance.
 
They had taxidermy of dogs?! Crikey, I thought the 'natural' history bit of the museum at Wollaton Hall was beyond the pale.
 
No dogs, just like the famous pictures that had dogs in human poses.
It was called the Wildlife Museum or something like that.
Squirrels, moles, badgers, ducks and that kind of stuff, sat around a dining table and fireside scene in Victorian clothing.
 
It was the Wildlife Museum...the actual glass cabinets within it changed over the years...the weird stuff went quite early on.
I think there were quite a few more in the main towers building between the gift shop (now hex queue) and model railway.
Add on the railway, planetarium, paddling pool and sea lions...you young uns don't know what you are missing!
Edit...
Anthropomorphic taxidermy...a Victorian tradition!
Worth a google image search...here come my nightmares again.
 
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