Re: Talbot Street Tuesday (Picture Heavy)
For this week's Talbot Street Tuesday we're taking a brief look at Festival Park, the 1980s/90s theme for the area which is today known as Dark Forest.
One of the more distinctive features of the area even today is the series of hexagonal units that make up Forest Feast and Tormented Treats and here we see the concept for the units when they were first built in the late 80s.
As you can see there were originally more of these units than survive today and they were originally intended to have a tent-like overlay, though this never emerged when they were built. The concept seems to suggest the management at the time were planning on bringing a medieval festival theme to the area, with a stone dais built at the centre of the 'tents'. (which also never appeared).
The plans for the units reveal further details, such as the square traced lines showing the buildings they replaced.
The blue unit in the bottom left hand corner still survives today as Tormeneted Treats, whilst the units in the bottom left hand corner (along with the neighboring arcade, which had once been the Wildlife Museum and later Rupert Bear's Magic Show), were demolished as part of the Ug Land project to make way for the water tree house.
Of the units in the upper row, the first two have now been demolished and the site used for Rita's shop, with the next four making up what is now Forest Feast. The 7th hexagon was cut in half as part of the Ug Land Project and is now the shooting gallery, and the final unit was never actually built, but is roughly where Cutter's Tower stands today.
Apologies for the quality of this photo, but this aerial shot gives a good overview of the new catering units not long after they were built.
It also gives a good view of the rest of Festival Park at the time; The Corkscrew needs no explanation, but nestled in the trees behind it can be seen The Beastie in its original home (as The Dragon Coaster). The middle of the picture is dominated by the arcade, with the Wave Swinger (Twirling Toadstool) behind it and beyond that the Enterprise.
Hidden in the trees behind the catering units in the trees to the left of the picture can also be seen the classic spin and spew ride that was The Spider.
Notably, one of the new catering units in Festival ark was home to the park's original Mexican Cantina, so 15 years early than the one we know today.
And yes, you could get a full meal and drink for lest than £2.
In the 90s the 'new' units finally gained some levels of theming, seen here looking distinctly American (not long before they were rethemed into the Bronto Bites units in Ug Land).
Another aerial shot from the mid-90s shows a very different looking Festival Park. The Energizer has arrived towards the bottom of the picture and with the departure of The Spider the Enterprise has moved into it's spot (with the Waveswinger relocated to the Enterprises old space just off the right hand end of the picture.
Notice how much open space that is open to the public can be seen behind the Corkscrew, where it's queueline snakes into. Today this is all part of Rita's ride area.
The empty space in the in the bottom right hand corner of the picture is the area that The Beastie has operated in before being relocated to Forbidden Valley; today Thirteen's entrance, exit and shop can be found here.
Finally this week we return to ground level and move forward to 1997 and the arrival of the Astrodancers into the area, which had relocated from Fantasy World to make way for the construction of Oblivion.
This would also be the final season The Energizer would operate in Festival Park, as it would move the following year to become part of X Sector (on the site now occupied by Submission).