Six speakers will be talking on various aspects of the history and heritage of amusement parks, from their early twentieth-century origins to the demise of many in the early twenty-first century.

The speakers and their subjects are:

The rise of the seaside amusement park: international perspectives
John K Walton, University of the Basque Country

‘A fortune in a thrill!’ Early amusement parks in Britain
Josie Kane, University of Westminster

Battersea Park: plans to build, plans to forget
Ian Trowell, University of Sheffield

Last night of the fair: heritage, culture and closure of Southport’s Pleasureland
Anya Chapman, Liverpool Hope University

Delivering the dream: saving Britain's amusement park heritage and the reawakening of Margate's Dreamland
Nick Laister, RPS Planning and Development & The Dreamland Trust

Places can be booked online and, although the conference runs for three days, it is possible to book for the Thursday only. Click here for more details of the morning amusement parks session ('Fairgrounds for Debate' features on Thursday 15 April). IfA Conference website

"CASE ONE: Dreamland, Margate" is on pages 20 and 21, where architectural historian Allan Brodie starts the series with "the makings of a success story" as he briefly sets out the history of Dreamland, bringing it right up-to-date with the park's closure and Scenic Railway fire. The article states:

"Work is about to begin on the creation of the world's first heritage amusement park, due to open in 2012. Thirteen vintage rides have been collected and there are plans to obtain another 15." Magazine website

"I have worked on a number of heritage projects in the past but too many museums take themselves too seriously. I like this project because it is rooted in fun. I also believe a heritage project like this needs to be run as a business that stands on its own two feet, and that means making a place that people want to go to and will be willing to part with money to visit.” Full interview...

Margate Historical Society blog features a downloadable article about Dreamland in the 1930s.

Jonathan then joined his two new team members, Jan Leandro and Graham Ward at the Dreamland site as Nick Laister, Peter Beck and Nick Dermott showed the Trust's new staff around the Dreamland Cinema building and the amusement park to see the challenge that lies before them. They paused briefly for a photo opportunity (right).

Jonathan, Jan and Graham were then introduced to various key people in the Dreamland project with whom they will be working over the coming months, with a small welcome celebration in the evening.

More recently Jonathan project directed Birmingham’s Thinktank Science Centre and for the last five years has been member of British Waterways’ senior management team.

Chairman of The Dreamland Trust, Nick Laister, said: “I would like to welcome Jonathan to The Dreamland Trust. He has a reputation for action and for successfully bringing forward first-class heritage attractions delivered with commercial and creative flair. With Jonathan’s excellent track record, I am sure that we will be able to deliver a Dreamland that Margate can be proud of.”
 
The Dreamland Margate project is being led by The Dreamland Trust, a not-for-profit company. The Trust is developing an exciting theme park from the past on the Dreamland site, giving visitors to Margate an opportunity to enjoy spectacular historic amusement park rides. The rides will be built around the centre piece of the park, the Scenic Railway, the oldest surviving roller coaster in the UK and the fourth oldest in the world. Restoration work will also be carried out on the Grade II*-listed Dreamland cinema building, creating a major new visitor attraction of international significance.
 
Jonathan Bryant says: “I am inspired by all that The Dreamland Trust and its partners have achieved to date and am looking forward to bringing Dreamland back to life as a firm family favourite for the 21st century.”
 
Jonathan joins The Dreamland Trust in January 2010. Jonathan is currently interim chief executive at Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust which is working with Haringey Council to refurbish and develop the 1930’s listed civic buildings and assembly hall.  From January his commitments to Dreamland and Hornsey Town Hall will run concurrently.
 
The Trust has also appointed Jan Leandro as Audience Development Officer and Graham Ward as Project Archivist, both of whom start in January 2010.

The news was covered today by UK attractions industry magazine Attractions Management and Us industry magazine Amusement Today.

Simon Whitehead has kindly donated this book to the Trust and Joyland Books is selling it on the Trust's behalf. 100% of the proceeds of this sale will go towards building the world's first amusement park of thrilling historic rides at Dreamland Margate.

This book is currently for sale as an auction item at the Joyland Books Secondhand Shop.

Click here to go straight to the auction. This auction closes on Sunday 20th December 2009. The current highest bid will be displayed here on a daily basis.

The short piece about Dreamland on ITV1's Meridian Tonight is currently viewable on the ITV.com website.

The Culture 24 website features the Dreamland news prominently. Attractions Management also featured the news, as did InterPark and Planning Magazine.

The £3.7m grant is also creating much excitement at the Save Dreamland Forum and at the Thanet Waves blog (which features the front cover of the Thanet Times, for those who are not in the area).

It was fitting that she announced the 2009 funding from Dreamland Margate, which is the biggest recipient of funding this year.

Nick Laister (Chair of The Dreamland Trust), Derek Harding (Margate Renewal Partnership), Peter Beck and Toby Hunter (Dreamland owners MTCRC) showed the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport around the Dreamland site and explained to her exactly what this funding will achieve.

Pictured to the right in front of the Scenic Railway (l to r): Nick Laister, Margaret Hodge MP, Roger Gale MP, Sandy Ezekiel, Derek Harding and Peter Beck.

There have been numerous reports of the visit and the £3.7m grant. Here are some of the most interesting:

Television:

The BBC's South East Today covered the news, including interviews with Nick Laister and Margaret Hodge MP and footage of the visit on both the lunchtime and evening news. Click here to view the lunchtime news and here to view the extended coverage in the evening news.

ITV1's Meridian News in the south east also gave extensive coverage in the evening news. Click here to view.

Radio:

BBC Radio 2 News covered the Dreamland story on Monday morning and BBC Radio Kent featured the news item prominently all day, generally based around interviews with Nick Laister and Derek Harding. Click here to listen to a lengthy item about Dreamland on the Andy Garland show, with listeners phoning in with their thoughts on the project and interviews with site owner Toby Hunter and Dreamland Trust chair Nick Laister.

Nick Laister also appeared on KMFM and Heart FM.

Internet:

The following websites carried news of Dreamland's cash injection: BBC News website, Kent News, Leisure Management Magazine and property website TheMoveChannel.

Newspapers:

There has been much coverage in the local and national press: Kent Online (including an audio recording of Margaret Hodge in which she talks about how much she likes the Dreamland proposals), The Isle of Thanet Gazette, a somewhat inaccurate report about Prince Charles setting up a vintage amusement park(!) in the Daily Express along with a similar report in the Daily Mail.

Magazines:

Building Magazine and Regeneration & Renewal Magazine.

Blogs:
 

The upbeat Nemesis Republic, the unceasingly defeatist blog Eastcliff Richard, some good wishes from Thanet Waves and a mention in Thanet Press among others.

The news is also featured on the Thanet District Council website and the DCMS website.

It will allow the Grade II-listed Scenic Railway roller coaster, built in 1920 and the oldest roller coaster in the UK, to be restored to its former glory. As well as securing the long-term future of one of the best-loved seaside structures in the country, the funding will allow the creation of the world’s first amusement park exclusively comprised of thrilling historic rides.
 
CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) Chief Executive Richard Simmons, who has led the project on behalf of the Government, commenting on the seven coastal resorts that will be receiving a grant, said:

“These seven projects all demonstrate how culture can be a catalyst to recapture the flair that these places enjoyed in their heyday. I especially like the plan to regenerate Dreamland in Margate, and showcase the country’s oldest rollercoaster, a listed scenic railway. It is ambitious projects like this, creating new national attractions, that can rekindle the English love affair with our seaside.”

The Dreamland Margate project is being led by The Dreamland Trust, a not-for-profit company born out of the Save Dreamland Campaign. The £3.7m grant will help to create an exciting theme park from the past on the Dreamland site, giving visitors the chance to enjoy spectacular historic amusement park rides. Many of these have been rescued by The Dreamland Trust from amusement parks across the UK over the past decade and many are the last surviving examples of their type.

“The Scenic Railway roller coaster has not operated since 2006 and was badly damaged by fire following an arson attack last year. This grant should now secure the future of this remarkable structure and allow work to start on rebuilding it next year, along with all the other rides that we have rescued.
 
“On behalf of the Dreamland Trust, I would like to thank our partners in the bid, and in particular Derek Harding of the Margate Renewal Partnership, Peter Beck and Toby Hunter of Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company and Nick Dermott of Thanet District Council. We simply could not have achieved this without them. I very much look forward to working with them over the coming months as we reinstate Dreamland at the heart of Margate."

The official announcement on the CABE website can be viewed here, which draws attention to the fact that Dreamland was the proposal that excited them the most.

The article is in the Autumn 2009 issue of English Heritage's Conservation Bulletin magazine. Author, EH's Planning and Development Regional Director for the South-East Region, Andy Brown, has positive words about the Dreamland project in the article, which is  called 'A creative future for seaside resorts: Margate, Turner and beyond':

"The rebirth of the Dreamland amusement park would compliment (sic) perfectly the Turner Contemporary in conserving the distinctive character of the place. In July the HLF awarded a development grant of £384,500 which may allow the flagship Grade II* listed cinema to become the gateway to the world’s first amusement park exclusively of historic rides...At the time of writing, a decision is awaited on the application to the Sea Change funding programme for a substantial investment in this project." Read in full...

In other news, the 6 November 2009 issue of Planning Magazine, the journal of the Royal Town Planning Institute, featured a major article on seaside regeneration, looking at how a mix of cultural regeneration and higher education is being increasingly seen as a way through the ongoing uncertainty over economic prospects and restrictions on public spending. The article, which is based around an interview with University of Sussex director Professor Fred Gray, includes a section on Margate, with reference to the Dreamland project.

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