Drayton Manor Park

[jon81uk]

I often wonder what went wrong at Drayton.

I only visited for the first time in 2009, but was always aware of it before then, and in the early 00s they seemed to be on top game. Even on my first visit in 2009, it seemed pretty thriving.

The problems with the park seemed to start long before the floods and covid. They had a period of stagnation for nearly ten years, during which time countless rides were being closed and not replaced.

Some people say that building the hotel was what killed the park. Perhaps that’s why Thorpe Park have been reluctant to build one for so many years.

I think G-Force was a bad investment, it was a new concept and didn't really deliver. Then they had a hit with Thomas Land, so just kept opening more and more Thomas stuff. Ben 10 (now accelerator) didn't really lead to anything further so stood on its own a bit.

Maybe if they had done something different instead of G-Force the upward trajectory would have continued, but that ride was what killed their 90s boom I think. Thomas Land effectively saved the park, but also made it focused too heavily on one thing.

 

[WillPS]

They bagged a winner with Thomas Land because Thomas is pretty evergreen. They tried to repeat the success with Cartoon Street/Ben 10 but unfortunately they picked a franchise which was far less proven and by the time the attraction opened had already sort of faded from relevance. They should have gone for something with a bit more heritage - I think a Scooby Doo attraction was in the works but binned off in the wake of the perceived failure of Ben 10?

Ironically, Ben 10 then had another period of popularity not long after the license expired and the ride was renamed Accelerator.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

I often wonder what went wrong at Drayton.

A child died. The settlement, on top of the fine, which Drayton Manor Park and Zoo had to pay was crippling but they probably could have scraped by if it weren't for COVID. A culmination of unfortunate events.

 

[Ted]

They bagged a winner with Thomas Land because Thomas is pretty evergreen.

I always found the explanation of them not going with the apparent original idea of a Bob the Builder Land not going ahead because the IP was limited for attractions (If I remember correctly, I could be wrong), but Thomas was more suitable as an IP. Most of the rides there are not really themed to the trains. I think the reality was that they found Thomas to be a golden ticket and went with it.

 

[AltonLover123]

I completely agree. This was like the golden era for Drayton and it seemed that Colin took full creative control over everything installed until it fizzled out towards then end and I’m guessing that was due to money and budgets.

Shame really as I know Looping group have invested but to me it still feels half hearted. No where near the same immersion as back in the day!

Vikings is solid but there’s zero immersion.

Goldrush on the other hand is leaps and bounds ahead. Even the retheme of frontier falls was done well. It’s just a shame The Haunting is in the middle of it (let’s not even talk about the exit to the ride).

I think the future is bright for Drayton if Goldrush is anything to go by.

That said, they can’t really expand massively but they can still improve and add bits here and there.

 

[Enter Valhalla]

A child died. The settlement, on top of the fine, which Drayton Manor Park and Zoo had to pay was crippling but they probably could have scraped by if it weren't for COVID. A culmination of unfortunate events.

I’d actually forgotten about the death on the rapids, but Drayton was already in decline for a number of years before that happened. Prior to 2017, which I think was the year that happened, we’d already seen Excalibur, Pirates Adventure, the Cable Cars, Drayton Queen and probably some other rides close without replacements as well as the park in general starting to look pretty tired.

Whilst there’s no doubt that the 2017 rapids incident really accelerated the decline, the demise of the park had already begun long before. And I do wonder what caused that, when in the late 90s and most of the 00s it seemed to be pretty successful.