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.

 

[rob666]

Theme parks generally were a big thing through the nineties, and Drayton fed off that fad, and rode the wagon of popularity.
I was there with work a lot at the time, they simply stopped getting the crowds in on a regular basis...very quiet on any schoolday right through the season.
The zoo also costs lots, but is completely out of fashion, it needs to go.
Some of the best times in my working life were spent at Drayton on the old campsite, we were given the run of the park by the one security guard in the night...nothing like playing murder in the dark in an empty theme park in the middle of the night.

 

[IDB]

Some of the best times in my working life were spent at Drayton on the old campsite, we were given the run of the park by the one security guard in the night...nothing like playing murder in the dark in an empty theme park in the middle of the night.

Also have memories of being able to wander around wherever you liked with no hassle. Urban Exploring they call it these days.

 

[Benzin]

I'd also wager that the issues with noise complaints with the neighbours had a bit of a hand with development, especially at top of the hill.

Not one particular thing can be the sole reason for the "decline".

 

[AltonLover123]

I'd also wager that the issues with noise complaints with the neighbours had a bit of a hand with development, especially at top of the hill.

Not one particular thing can be the sole reason for the "decline".

Yes. Plus the lack of space for Development. Alton had acres and acres of space they could expand into. Drayton is a lot more limited.

 

[Excalibur]

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.

Was Vikings really a solid investment through? They got the UKs first Nebular and didn’t advertise or scream about it? They also just named the area “Vikings” and theming (if any) is minimal. It was old Excalibur themed boxes painted up and chucked about. Admittedly they went back and added Viking statues but that’s about it. I wouldn’t call the area immersive. It’s pretty average. Yes it’s investment but and should be appreciated at all costs, but personally I think it’s such a dull area. Yet to see frontier falls yet so can’t comment on that front.

 

[AltonLover123]

Was Vikings really a solid investment through? They got the UKs first Nebular and didn’t advertise or scream about it? They also just named the area “Vikings” and theming (if any) is minimal. It was old Excalibur themed boxes painted up and chucked about. Admittedly they went back and added Viking statues but that’s about it. I wouldn’t call the area immersive. It’s pretty average. Yes it’s investment but and should be appreciated at all costs, but personally I think it’s such a dull area. Yet to see frontier falls yet so can’t comment on that front.

I did say there was zero immersion in my post.

It’s solid in the fact it was a whole new area (barring buffalo) and clearly helped the park enough to warrant bringing in goldrush two years later.

 

[Matt N]

Frontier Falls is a solid start to an area, but it seems a bit unfinished to me.

Gold Rush is themed nicely, and some of the Western facades and things as well as Drunken Barrels are nicely done. The Haunting remains completely unchanged, but I'd argue that's maybe tucked away enough that it's not too much of a problem.

The weakest aspect of it for me is how Accelerator now sticks out like a complete sore thumb. They clearly wanted to retheme it, as they did apply minor changes to the entrance, but it's still bright green and modern and futuristically-themed, and from what I ascertain (it was shut on the day I visited), the queue is still exactly the same. I also wasn't entirely sure where Frontier Falls started and ended as a result, as you have the odd halfway house of Accelerator's new sign while maintaining the exact same aesthetic otherwise alongside Flying Dutchman just kept in that area completely unthemed as well.

It seems like the will to create a full themed area was there on Drayton Manor's part, and what's there looks really nice, but it seems like the budget available couldn't quite match that will, leading to a slightly incomplete-feeling area, in my personal view.

 

[Excalibur]

It’s weird how they’ve revisited Western again as Klondike and Shockwave were loosely themed around that. Even the black revolver! I get it’s an easy theme to pick but the above mentioned I’d say was a lot more detailed?

 

[Benzin]

Black Revolver wasn't exactly themed past the building facade.

 

[Excalibur]

Black Revolver wasn't exactly themed past the building facade.

I mean, how else are you meant to theme a waltzers in the dark exactly?

 

[DistortAMG]

I think the rapids incident and COVID, were the straws that broke the camels back to speak.

The finances of the park were not in a healthy state for many years leading up to those events. This is probably why we saw minimal investments which were usually cheap Zamperla rides for Thomas Land, for many years.

They could not even afford to replace the chassis for the X car on G-force which I believe was quoted around half a million, so it added to the list of ride closures.

Here's another ETPA video recently uploaded, showing Maelstrom on opening day. Without a doubt on of the best themed flat rides in the country. Shame the entrance submarine was removed many years ago though.

Farmer studios were doing lots of work for Drayton at this time, Storm Force 10 in 1999, this in 2002, then Excalibur in 2003.



Excalibur, which was the replacement for Rorys Jungle Cruise actually had two companies piching to the park to get the contract.

Space Leisure, who have a long history with the park with themeing for rides such as Pirate Adventure, Golden Nuggets, Splash Canyon, The Haunting and Apocalypse to name a few, pitched a boat ride, themed around Dinosours, similar to Jurassic Park in the way the ride would be delivered. With a serious and semi realistic tone.

Then Farmer Studios, also responsible for some major attractions at the park, Storm Force 10 and Maelstrom, pitched their idea of a boat ride themed around Camalot and Dragons in a cartoony medieval style with a tongue in cheek story and a much more joking and less serious tone. This is the idea that ultimately won and Exclibur opened a few years later. One of the reasons it won was because the Bryan's favoured a British story rooted in English myths and legends for their themepark, in the center of England.

This final ETPA video (I am not at all linked to them, but they are great videos), shows Rorys Jungle Cruise in 2001, on its final year of operation, before it was removed for Excalibur.

What is interesting is the people in the boat are the people who were designing a replacement that ultimately ended up as Excalibur. What is unclear however, is if the people in the boat are from Farmer Studios or Space Leisure as both designed an attraction for the site, and it is clear in the video that they have not yet decided on a theme, layout or anything and what ultimately ended up as Excalibur was in the very early stages of being designed.


From: https://youtu.be/gLx--mm4aK8?si=KbLTnjCn6XKu6Qsg

 

[rob666]

... whole new area (barring buffalo) ...

The ride I was assured was being pulled from the line up, around the millennium, because it was clapped out and needed replacing urgently.

 

[AltonLover123]

I think the rapids incident and COVID, were the straws that broke the camels back to speak.

The finances of the park were not in a healthy state for many years leading up to those events. This is probably why we saw minimal investments which were usually cheap Zamperla rides for Thomas Land, for many years.

They could not even afford to replace the chassis for the X car on G-force which I believe was quoted around half a million, so it added to the list of ride closures.

Here's another ETPA video recently uploaded, showing Maelstrom on opening day. Without a doubt on of the best themed flat rides in the country. Shame the entrance submarine was removed many years ago though.

Farmer studios were doing lots of work for Drayton at this time, Storm Force 10 in 1999, this in 2002, then Excalibur in 2003.



Excalibur, which was the replacement for Rorys Jungle Cruise actually had two companies piching to the park to get the contract.

Space Leisure, who have a long history with the park with themeing for rides such as Pirate Adventure, Golden Nuggets, Splash Canyon, The Haunting and Apocalypse to name a few, pitched a boat ride, themed around Dinosours, similar to Jurassic Park in the way the ride would be delivered. With a serious and semi realistic tone.

Then Farmer Studios, also responsible for some major attractions at the park, Storm Force 10 and Maelstrom, pitched their idea of a boat ride themed around Camalot and Dragons in a cartoony medieval style with a tongue in cheek story and a much more joking and less serious tone. This is the idea that ultimately won and Exclibur opened a few years later. One of the reasons it won was because the Bryan's favoured a British story rooted in English myths and legends for their themepark, in the center of England.

This final ETPA video (I am not at all linked to them, but they are great videos), shows Rorys Jungle Cruise in 2001, on its final year of operation, before it was removed for Excalibur.

What is interesting is the people in the boat are the people who were designing a replacement that ultimately ended up as Excalibur. What is unclear however, is if the people in the boat are from Farmer Studios or Space Leisure as both designed an attraction for the site, and it is clear in the video that they have not yet decided on a theme, layout or anything and what ultimately ended up as Excalibur was in the very early stages of being designed.


From: https://youtu.be/gLx--mm4aK8?si=KbLTnjCn6XKu6Qsg

I always forget Maelstroms restraints used to be red.

It truly is an amazingly themed ride.

 

[Severed_lime]

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.

+1 for Goldrush

Frontier Falls is a solid start to an area, but it seems a bit unfinished to me.

Gold Rush is themed nicely, and some of the Western facades and things as well as Drunken Barrels are nicely done. The Haunting remains completely unchanged, but I'd argue that's maybe tucked away enough that it's not too much of a problem.

The weakest aspect of it for me is how Accelerator now sticks out like a complete sore thumb. They clearly wanted to retheme it, as they did apply minor changes to the entrance, but it's still bright green and modern and futuristically-themed, and from what I ascertain (it was shut on the day I visited), the queue is still exactly the same. I also wasn't entirely sure where Frontier Falls started and ended as a result, as you have the odd halfway house of Accelerator's new sign while maintaining the exact same aesthetic otherwise alongside Flying Dutchman just kept in that area completely unthemed as well.

It seems like the will to create a full themed area was there on Drayton Manor's part, and what's there looks really nice, but it seems like the budget available couldn't quite match that will, leading to a slightly incomplete-feeling area, in my personal view.

Agree, Frontier Falls does feel a bit unfinished. It looks really good but I think there needs to more opportunities for interaction with the structures. As it stands there is just one part where you can pretend to be in jail. I was expecting 'American Adventure' style shootouts etc .