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Talbot Street Tuesday

That said, I also realise that we had a pretty sizable history update on the site recently that I have not yet had chance to properly show off. So, as a one-off treat, please allow me to present the rarest of sights... A Talbot Street Wednesday!

The hotel side of the resort has seen a lot of chopping and changing (and dare we say downgrading) this closed season, with the loss of the Spa, as well as several of the resort's themed suites and rooms.

They join a rich line-up of former resort attractions. We've gathered a selection of the former attractions from around the hotel complex in our brand-new Resort of the Past section of the site. Like the Pirate Bill Kid Club, which operated out of the upper floor of the Pirate Lagoon Pool during the 90s.

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I vaguely remember this. And the lagoon pool. From what I recall it was a few hours where the rents could hit the bar and have a beer whilst we were occupied with Butlins style entertainment
 
All signs suggest that this year the Ruins of Alton Towers will be open to explore again, after several years closed to the public.

So what better time to have a look at our brand-new guide to the Towers: their construction, decline and what is left today.

The ruins are a fascinating glimpse into the past of this important piece of UK heritage and well worth a look, in between rides, if they are open next time you're in the park.

towers-labelled.jpg
 
Just wondering what went on with the bangeueting hall window? I see in appears different to what it is now in the pre wat tea room photo. The window appears VERY different? I did not think they did any work that late into the houses life.
 
Excellent writeup there, @Squiggs! Given the two proposed new scare maze tents it would be nice if there were no mazes in the Towers this Scarefest and such they'd be accessible then for the first time in years (my only regular visit is Scarefest nowadays). Loved the views from the roof and would be nice to go up there again!
 
BarryZola said:
Good write-up on the ruins 👍
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Thanks, I've been meaning to get something up for a while, as it's always been a bit of a gap on Towers Street.

DistortAMG said:
Just wondering what went on with the bangeueting hall window? I see in appears different to what it is now in the pre wat tea room photo. The window appears VERY different? I did not think they did any work that late into the houses life.
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Ah, the window in the Tea Room picture is the 'other' window in the Banqueting Hall. So much time is spent discussing the celebrated bay window in the north wall of the room, it is often overlooked that there's another quite beautiful original stained-glass window in the south wall of the room too. I've just added a picture of it into the site galleries, as it seemed like an omission to not have one in there:
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Needless to say, there's still quite a lot of Towers and Gardens related bits and pieces I would like to get onto the site, so hopefully I can get a steady stream of additional info up in the coming months.
 
Anyone on here get the last copy of Alton Towers - A Gothic Wonderland off Amazon? I had it in my basket and the last copies gone :(
 
If you can, for the same price, get the updated 'Alton Towers Past & Present' as it has a few updated bits and pieces. Gothic Wonderland has the best cover art though.
 
BarryZola said:
If you can, for the same price, get the updated 'Alton Towers Past & Present' as it has a few updated bits and pieces. Gothic Wonderland has the best cover art though.
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Ive seen GW for £8 and PP is £10 so not much in it. So whats the difference? Does PP have more information?
 
Yeah, just more info at the back (updates between the time of the 2 prints). It might actually be an extra chapter (at Drayton at the moment so can't check).
 
Did you know that 2024 marks 100 years since Alton Towers became a full-time tourist attraction?

Alton Towers reopened to the general public on Easter Monday, 1924, having been sold by the estate of the Earl of Shrewsbury earlier that same year. At that point, it had been over 20 years since the 20th Earl had last permitted guests to buy tickets to explore the Alton Towers.

The pictures below are from the 1924 guidebook:

Gardens.jpgConservatories.jpgAlton Towers.jpgChoragic Monument.jpg
 
Squiggs said:
Did you know that 2024 marks 100 years since Alton Towers became a full-time tourist attraction?

Alton Towers reopened to the general public on Easter Monday, 1924, having been sold by the estate of the Earl of Shrewsbury earlier that same year. At that point, it had been over 20 years since the 20th Earl had last permitted guests to buy tickets to explore the Alton Towers.

The pictures below are from the 1924 guidebook:

Gardens.jpgConservatories.jpgAlton Towers.jpgChoragic Monument.jpg
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If I'm correct, wasn't the tourist attraction at the time, made to raise money to try and restore the towers? Then later down the line it started evolving into a themepark slowly to what we know today?
 
EarthlyKnight27 said:
If I'm correct, wasn't the tourist attraction at the time, made to raise money to try and restore the towers? Then later down the line it started evolving into a themepark slowly to what we know today?
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Not that I'm aware of. It's certainly not something I recall ever seeing documented at the time, and originally the new owner wasn't planning to open it as a tourist attraction, but explored turning it into a hospital first.

Ironically, the only owner of Alton Towers who had restoration on his agenda was John Broome, the man who started the park's journey to be a theme park. At the same time he was installing the Corkscrew, he was also responsible for installing the concrete flooring in the Towers, which provide the access we have today (or at least, that we used to have).
 
Squiggs said:
Not that I'm aware of. It's certainly not something I recall ever seeing documented at the time, and originally the new owner wasn't planning to open it as a tourist attraction, but explored turning it into a hospital first.
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A hospital?! Who was that? What kind of hospital? I didn't know that.
 
In 1924 the Towers were purchased by a local lawyer called Mr. C. H. Cowlishaw and he reportedly initially offered the property to the Governors of the North Staffordshire Infirmary to open a Convalescent Home. The plans were short-lived and a couple of months later things had moved on, and the plan pivoted to open the grounds to the public instead.
 
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