Scenic Railway, Empty promises?
News that Thanet council will ensure Dreamland's Scenic Railway will be brought back from ruin by serving a repairs notice on the owners if necessary is welcome. Many of Margate's residents see it as the last remaining attraction to the town. I remember the same being said when the arcade on the seafront was destroyed by fire a few years ago, leaving a hole where it had stood. The council stated it would ensure it was rebuilt as soon as possible and as a matter of urgency, but nothing has happened. Perhaps now it can ensure it is put on the list with the Dreamland cinema and Scenic Railway and have them all done up together. It's never nice to have derelict buildings left to rot, but especially when they are in such prominent places. Perhaps a council officer can explain why the arcade was never rebuilt.
TS McElligot, Arthur Road, Cliftonville.
 

Pier Pressure
How dare Terry Adams (Thanet Times, April 22) equate the Scenic Railway to Tracey Emin's bed. Being a seaside town, people expect a fun park and arcades. I agree that Margate needs a clean-up. The High Street needs more shops open, Arlington House needs painting or got rid of, and all the boarded-up shops around it need pulling down or refurbishing. Our beaches are lovely, and the Old Town looks promising with the shell ladies etc, but the rest of Margate looks shoddy. Mr Adams said that local people do not go there: of course not, they take their children to Chessington, Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, and their money goes with them. Most seaside towns have a pier, we do not. If money can be found for the Turner Contemporary then we should find some to build a new pier. Do we really want to be known as "Margate, the place with all the luxury flats" ?
Diane Alger, Fulham Avenue, Margate.
 

Tourists can see the real Margate
It's good to see the open-top bus tours are coming back to the area in time for Summer - but what will the tourists actually see? There's the burnt-out rollercoaster, the closed-down amusement park, the boarded-up shop fronts and the scruffy pubs. Oh, and the charity shops. Will all these be on the agenda for sightseeing? To my mind they should be as they are exactly what Margate is all about.
Anna Phillips, Margate.

Dreamland rebuild is a great idea
I feel that last week's blogger Simon Moores deserves a pat on the back for his enthusiasm. The vision of a new Dreamland emerging from what we have now is one which is fully shared by many people who have the future of our town at heart. Margate once thrived and it can easily do so again, and Dreamland is one of the keys to this. In the words of a famous film - "build it and they shall come".
Colin Pawson, Margate.
 

Scenic Railway repairs wait
The owners of Margate's Scenic Railway are waiting for a report from English Heritage on the extent of the damage to the ride before repair work can begin.

The Grade II listed ride partly burned down last month in an arson attack.

The Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company is now awaiting a report from English Heritage which will make recommendations on how best to proceed.

Ross Stewart, an MTCRC director, said: "Once we have received the report from English Heritage, who will be able to tell us what is salvageable and what needs to be rebuilt, we will have a meeting with Thanet council along with English Heritage and our engineers to decide how best to move forward."

Roller coaster architecture expert Jacobs was commissioned by MTCRC to carry out a condition survey to determine the stability of the structure.

It found the workshop was completely destroyed and the station has 50 per cent damage.

Jacobs' report said: "With the majority of the structure undamaged overall stability is satisfactory. The areas of concern are the fire-damaged ends of the structure, which have several damaged posts, braces and track boards which could easily become detached and fall."

Certain frames remain standing at each end but are heavily fire damaged and as a result of the collapse leaning towards the workshop area.

The station has been damaged and approximately half of the roof panels have collapsed with several of the steel posts to the roof deformed.

The report recommends that: "The station roof should be completely removed and the damaged steel post scrapped as it would not be possible to determine how the fire has affected the steel post. To ensure the stability of the track it is recommended to temporarily provide additional braces to undamaged frames adjacent to the damaged sections and remove damaged frames."
 

Scenic Railway aftermath
‘Veiled threats’ in Dreamland

Thanet council is threatening to buy Margate’s Scenic Railway if repair work is not carried out by the owners of the Grade II listed ride.

The move for compulsory purchase of the railway, which partially burned down two weeks ago, and the nearby Dreamland cinema was agreed on Wednesday after being added as a last-minute item to the agenda of the council’s planning committee.

The move has infuriated Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company managing director Toby Hunter, whose company owns the site. He dubbed the council’s hasty move “a nasty bit of work”.

Speaking exclusively to the Isle of Thanet Gazette, Mr Hunter said: “I’m more than happy to have a discourse with the council. They’ve had years to purchase it and now it’s gone up in flames they suddenly want it. Who’s going to foot the bill to buy it, the taxpayers?”

On Wednesday planning committee members authorised notices, a works notice and an urgent works notice to preserve and repair the ride and cinema if necessary. The report for Nick Dermott, the council’s heritage development advisor, said: “Dreamland could not be said to have operated in any real sense since 2006. The Scenic Railway is a structure that requires regular maintenance and this has not taken place for the last two years leading to serious concerns with regards the deterioration of the condition of the ride.”

At the meeting Cllr Clive Hart raised the concern that although 20 per cent of the Scenic Railway would need to be completely rebuilt the other 80 per cent would still need work done to it as it has sat unmaintained for the past two years. Officers agreed works would also cover the remaining 80 per cent to ensure the ride would be operational.

Council officers considered it “reasonable to expect that the ride might be repaired and operational by Easter 2009.”

Mr Hunter said his company, which includes businessman Jimmy Godden as a major shareholder, is happy to comply with the urgent works notice but says the repairs notice is not justified.

Ross Stewart, a MTCRC director, viewed the move to order repairs to the Scenic Railway as a “thinly veiled threat” by the council.

Mr Stewart said: “Before this happened we were having a very positive relationship and progressed very well. Dreamland is not crippled and on its knees. Instead of pulling together they’re finger-pointing and attacking us.

“The inclusion of the whole site and cinema is not justified and significantly alters the context of discussion when it comes to resolving the primary issue, which is the repair of the Scenic Railway, as opposed to secondary issues related to the implication of the repair notice and consequent compulsory purchase orders. We will therefore be seeking legal advice on this matter and have instructed Barton Willmore architects to approach Queen’s Counsel to clarify our obligation.”

English Heritage visited the site on Wednesday to assess the damage. Reports from the police and fire brigade have not yet been received. Planning committee member Ken Gregory said: “The thing is if we don’t get these powers through then six months down the line it might not be fixed and the people of Thanet wouldn’t be happy about that.”

Thanet council leader Sandy Ezekiel says that the first priority since the fire is to get the ride repaired. He said: “It’s possible that it can be rebuilt and that’s exactly what we will be pushing for. Obviously it’s our hope that the owners of the site will carry out the work that is required without the need for any further action from the council but we feel that this site is so important to Margate that we need to ensure that happens.”

The police are currently awaiting results taken by forensic scientists at the site and are following a number of inquiries as to what the motivation would be for someone to torch the railway.

Planning explained

Urgent Works Notice: The council has power under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to undertake urgent works necessary for the preservation of unoccupied listed buildings and buildings in conservation areas. The costs can be recovered from the owners.

Repairs Notice: The council has power under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to serve a notice on the owner of a dilapidated listed building setting out the repairs necessary to properly preserve it.

Compulsory Purchase Order: When land is bought without the agreement of the owner.

Mixed reaction to council’s plan

Sarah Vickery of the Save Dreamland Campaign is pleased with the news. She said: “I think it is the best news we could have hoped for really. From the moment the fire happened the council have been firm on what they think should happen, especially Cllr Ezekiel who was immediately on site. This is really the best response we could have hoped for.”

Thule Howard who watched the Scenic Railway collapse thinks it might be a little too late. She said: “It’s good news but what will they do with it? It all seems just a little bit too late, they’ve had years to stop the downfall in its tracks and haven’t done anything about it. Plus, where would the money come from?”

Lucy Evans from Margate is keen to see the whole site rebuilt. She said: “It’s great news especially after all the uncertainty that has surrounded the site. It’s been empty for so long and nobody really knows what is going to happen to the site but I think if the council got hold of it they could try and make it great again. I’m sure that if it gets done up people and businesses will want to come back to Margate.”

And from the letters page:

Vision, not dreams

I read, in a state of bewildered fascination, the mawkish nonsense being pumped out from all directions with regard to the demise of the scenic railway. A Grade II listed structure, they have got to be joking, it is nothing more than a pile of clapped out firewood that has stood as testimony to Margate’s decline over the last 40 years. Who on earth thinks that it is an archaeological gem? The same people that think Tracey Emin’s bed is a work of art no doubt!

I simply cannot understand why so many people want to keep this tired structure and stay rooted in the past. When you look around the immediate area and see the decline and decay that is so prevalent, particularly along the seafront, high street and the back streets of parts of Cliftonville, it’s really depressing and it’s simply because so many people are resistant to change and are rooted into a mindset that somehow we have got to resurrect the Margate of yesteryear.

I spent a large part of my teenage years, in the mid-to late-60s, in and around the seafront area and the evidence of decline was there to see, even in those distant times. Dreamland was seedy, tired and jaded then and only busy for around three to four months of the year. In the remaining months it stood completely redundant. Is this what people want to return to?

The whole seafront area needs a total revamp and has got to be changed and a way has got to be found to erase those hideous, gaudy penny arcades that represent Margate. Do people seriously think that these amenities are going to attract people to the area to spend their leisure time? And that goes for any kind of half-hearted revitalised Dreamland. Margate needs real change because in its current state even local people feel no desire to go there. It needs bold vision and the provision of amenities that are more in keeping with what a broader cross section of people want. It has to provide a range of facilities that will attract people all-year-round.
Terry Adams, Broadstairs.
 

It’s all gone

Well, it happened! The Scenic Railway at Dreamland, Margate has caught fire. The last remaining evidence of fun and laughter, gone. I’ve watched over the last 15 years, things going from bad to worse. People have tried to put the zing back into Margate with no avail.

To me it’s a major part of my childhood and teenage years wiped out as if it did not exist. Going down to Dreamland on a Sunday afternoon spending 6d on the ducks (winning a prize each time), then either a hot dog or candy floss before returning home for tea. Thursday night was firework night, with all the crowds shouting oh and ah! They were happy times of good clean fun had by all. Then when I was older I was allowed to go to the Dreamland ballroom, if I was lucky to see a live band on Saturday with a support band. Then on Sunday the support band and Mick Tee as the resident DJ, this was about 1968-70. I met my future husband at one of these dances, they were great. We’d walk through Dreamland most weekends playing bingo, riding the river caves, or riding in the bumper cars. I have some lovely memories of my teenage years at Dreamland, also going to the cinema to see one of the latest films showing. I must also mention the morning cinema on Saturday, a free ice lolly if it was your birthday. These are a few of my memories. They were a very special part of my growing up in Margate. I realise things must change, but are they always for the best?Carole Howard, third generation in Margate.
 

Scenic Railway must be repaired

Restoring Margate’s Scenic Railway, which was badly damaged in an arson attack, has been made a legal requirement by the local authority. Thanet council’s planning committee on Wednesday last week gave officers the power to serve statutory notices under the Planning Act on the owners of the Dreamland site, home of the railway.

Members discussed measures to ensure the Grade-II listed Scenic Railway was preserved and repaired. It is hoped the owners, the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, will carry out the work necessary to rebuild the ride, which opened in 1920.

Planning officers believe the rollercoaster will be up and running again by next Easter.

A blaze at the amusement park destroyed 20 per cent of the ride’s tracks, the workshops where the trains were stored and part of the ‘station’. Police have been treating the incident as arson.

And from the letters page:

Scenic rebuild is credit to council

Credit where it’s due. Congratulations to Thanet council for having the courage and determination to have the Scenic Railway rebuilt. There may be some who will try to throw a spanner in the works, but I am sure the majority of people, both residents and visitors, will back the council to the hilt. As a visitor since 1936 and a resident since 1945 I just want to say “Thank you Thanet council”.
Betty Renz, Cliftonville
 

Scenic owners may have to repair ride

Thanet council’s planning committee has voted unanimously in favour of taking legal steps to ensure Dreamland’s fire damaged Scenic Railway is repaired. Members gave officers the power to serve repair notices on the park’s owners, Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company (MTCRC), compelling it to bring back the 1920 ride to operating condition.

The committee heard that council officers were already working with MTCRC and its consulting engineers. At the moment they are in the process of deciding which additional parts of the Scenic’s structure can be removed before restoration can go ahead.

Hopes are high that work can be completed on the railway by Easter 2009.

Issuing the order is seen as a last-ditch move by the council but gives it the option of compulsorily purchasing the entire 15 acre park site and paying for the work to be done before reselling it again on the open market.

Subject to further legal advice, the council might include the 1935 cinema building on the seafront in the same order.

Moving agreement to the notice, Cllr Steve Ward told the meeting: “The Scenic Railway is one of the most important pieces of equipment left in Margate. There will be degradation of the whole structure if the council doesn’t agree with the officers’ recommendation.

“I hope the Scenic Railway will be running by next summer at the latest and our officers will be working with the owners to ensure that happens.”

Cllr Ezekiel told Thanet Extra after the meeting he was delighted at the decision and confirmed MTCRC was already working closely with the council. He said: “This is the right decision for Thanet and a vital tool in our armoury.

“Although the Scenic Railway is like Trigger’s broom, people love it dearly.”

Sarah Vickery, of the Save Dreamland Campaign, was among those watching proceedings from a packed public gallery. She said: “This is a robust stand by the council and it’s very good news. It’s interesting to note that legal advice will be sought to include the cinema in the order.

“This has needed restoration for years but its demise hasn’t been as dramatic as the Scenic Railway.”

Finding new uses for old cinemas was a problem facing many places up and down the country, she said, and a lot of creative thinking would be needed to decide how to best use the Dreamland building.

Trigger’s broom

• Trigger’s broom is a reference to Only Fools and Horses character Trigger, the roadsweeper portrayed by Roger Lloyd-Pack, a known supporter of the Save Dreamland Campaign. Trigger had owned the broom for many years, replacing its handle and head several times.
• A Christmas special of the programme, entitled The Jolly Boys Outing, was made at Dreamland, then Bemboms theme park, in 1989 and has been repeated on TV several times since.
   

A week in Thanet – keeping you up to date

The owners of Margate’s Dreamland have said they will rebuild the historic Scenic Railway if they can find copies of the plans. Toby Hunter, from the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, said they were “hacked off” at the blaze which devastated part of the Grade II listed funfair ride. He said it formed a central part of his firm’s plans for the site, as the focus of a heritage theme park. He said the company’s priority would be to make the site safe then to look at whether the ride can be reconstructed.
 

It will be rebuilt

The Scenic Railway could rise from the ashes of the blaze that destroyed the centre section of the historic ride and be back on track by next Easter. That is the optimistic prediction put forward by district council officers in a report to planning committee members this week.

It is hoped that the owners of the site, the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, which is responsible for the listed roller coaster, will carry out the necessary rebuilding and repair work. However, the council has asked for its officers to be given powers to serve Statutory Notices under the Planning Act if needed. This would require the owners of the Scenic Railway to put the structure back to the condition it was in at the time it was listed. If the specified repairs are not carried out, then, depending on the type of notice issued, a compulsory purchase process would begin or the council could carry out the work itself and claim the cost of this work back from the site owners. The report says members could serve a similar notice on the Dreamland cinema building, which is also listed.

Council leader Cllr Sandy Ezekiel said: “Our first priority since the fire has been to get the Scenic Railway repaired. It’s clear that, although the fire was exceptionally serious, it is possible that it can be rebuilt and that’s exactly what we will be pushing for.

“Obviously it is our hope that the owners of the site will carry out the work that is required without the need for any further action from the council, but we feel that this site is so important to Margate and the local community that we need to ensure that happens.

“That’s why the planning committee is being asked to give officers these powers, so that if the repairs are not carried out by the owners, we can take legal action to ensure that the Scenic Railway is repaired and brought back into use. I’m sure that’s a move that local people will warmly welcome.”

Discussions between the council and the owners and their agents are continuing about this and also about security on the seafront Dreamland amusement park site.

Council officers state in the report that it is “considered reasonable to expect that the ride might be repaired and operational by Easter 2009”. 

A late report was put on Wednesday’s planning agenda asking members to authorise the serving of Statutory Notices to preserve and repair the structure if necessary. The ride, which first opened in 1920, became the first amusement park ride to be Grade II listed in 2002 and is the oldest roller coaster in the country. The fire destroyed about 20 per cent of the tracks, the workshop where the cars were housed and part of the ‘station’. The engine house, containing the electric motors and winding gear, survived.

Plea made to rebuild our railway

London-based Twentieth Century Society, which works to ensure post-1914 buildings are preserved, has lent its backing to calls for the Scenic Railway to be rebuilt. It also expresses concern for the future of the now empty Dreamland cinema, which, like the railway, is also a listed building.

The society points out that the Scenic Railway was rebuilt after two serious fires in 1949 and 1957 and added: “This is a tragic loss and a terrible blow to all those who have campaigned locally and nationally to protect and preserve this rare and delightful structure.

“The Scenic Railway was a remarkable survival and its grade-two listing is an acknowledgement of its national significance.

“The people of Margate were immensely proud of the railway and the society hopes its reconstruction will be seriously considered as an option. In the meantime the society remains concerned for the Dreamland cinema.”

Mick’s model tribute is history in making

As Margate people cherish the real thing, so the town’s deputy mayor Cllr Mick Tomlinson cherishes his scale model of Dreamland’s Scenic Railway. Built in exacting detail, it is about 64 times smaller than the grade two-listed structure.

Mick, 62, has a lifelong passion for model-making and first built his balsa wood replica 44 years ago when he was an apprentice cable jointer for Seeboard. At the time, it took him two years to make the eight-feet long model in two sections which can easily be transported. He has replaced parts as changes to the full size version were made.

In the 1960s, Mick’s model was just one of many he built as he miniaturized all of the rides in Dreamland park – and for a long time they were on show in the cinema’s foyer and at special events.

He was inspired by Dreamland’s former owner Eric Iles after completing a model of the park’s popular Paratrooper ride in 1964.

Mick said: “I took it to show Dreamland’s advertising manager Alan Dick and he was very impressed. Almost immediately, that model was seen by Eric and he said it would be wonderful if there was a model of every ride in the park – and in the years that followed, that’s what I did.”

By the early 1970s, Mick had joined Dreamland’s staff, initially as electrician and maintenance manager, and then took over responsibility for the company’s advertising. By 1980, Mick was able to add a scale model of the 150-feet high Big Wheel.

His flair for model-making hasn’t waned as Mick is planning to make an entirely new replica of the park set in the 1960s.

He added: “The 1960s were good times for Dreamland and there were plenty of great rides then. “I hope to start sometime in the next 12 months and the idea is that the finished version will be on permanent display in Margate’s old town.”

‘We’re determined to save attraction’

Pressure group Save Dreamland Campaign has been inundated with offers of support and is working with the park’s owners Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, (MTCRC).

Campaign leader Nick Laister said: “I am heartened by the huge response from the people of Margate and from around the country who have all expressed their outrage that this much-loved listed building could have been damaged in this way.

“Dreamland’s owners acted swiftly to assess the damage, and I have told MTCRC boss Toby Hunter we will do everything we can to help restore the ride.

“I have contacted as many people in the industry as possible to satisfy myself that the skills and expertise are available to rebuild the Scenic Railway. Repairing the damage may not be as arduous as first thought.

“People who know the Scenic Railway well, and who have maintained the ride over the years, are willing to get involved with the restoration.

“In addition, Blackpool Pleasure Beach has confirmed it would project manage the restoration, from design through to operation, using its team of wooden roller coaster experts.

“They rebuilt a fire-damaged wooden coaster at the park in 2004, built several replica wooden coasters as far away as Mexico and India, and maintain the large number of historic roller coasters at the huge Lancashire amusement park.

“With the hundreds of photographs available, significant expertise at the council – and even a privately-owned scale model of the ride – I am convinced a rebuild is possible and achievable.”

Support rolls in for Scenic Railway to rise from ashes

Dozens of Kent Online readers – the Kent Messenger Group’s rolling news website – added tributes to Dreamland’s Scenic Railway in the aftermath of last week’s devastating fire. It wasn’t just Thanet residents who logged their thoughts but people from other parts of the country. Their comments ranged from a simple one line expression of sorrow to a five verse poem.

The furthest reader of our coverage to add a comment was Karen Millen, signing in from Barbados, believed to be the fashion shop queen. She said: “I loved this ride as a child and feel very sad that it has now gone.”

Closer to home, Hilary Brooke from Margate, wrote: “I and all my friends are heartbroken but not at all surprised at this arson attack.

“The Scenic Railway has been a blot on the landscape for potential developers for some years!

“All we can hope is it must be rebuilt or one of the last remaining pieces of history in Margate will become another block of hideous flats.”

Mike Turner, living in Cambridgeshire these days, stated: “We moved to Westgate in 1947, my parents running a guest house.

“You can bet I loved Dreamland and the Scenic Railway. I am devastated at this fire, though we were used to one in Dreamland most autumns.

“Even when I was 15 I wondered just why the town never invested the profits or moved forward with the times, because there is still much that could be done with such a resource. For me it is criminal what has been and is happening in this historic seaside town.”

John Humphrey, from Sevenoaks, wondered if there are any detailed plans. He said: “Without these, even if the money and other resources are available. I don’t see how the ride can be rebuilt so that it would work.

“Are there experts who can work out the measurements accurately to produce a new set of drawings?"

Kent man Dave Peters added his remark: “Yet again, Thanet suffers another fire when something blocks the building of more houses.

“Bring the theme park back, build houses elsewhere. Margate won’t be a holiday destination again but as a day trip town it should be great.”

Sue Cairns, of Margate said: “They must rebuild the Scenic Railway, it has so many happy memories for so many.

“Whoever did this needs reprimanding. “We have already lost the Lido, the pier and the rest of Dreamland, We cannot let this part of Margate’s history be demolished.

Donald Cook from Chatham recalls: “I went on it during my childhood years as did my sisters and my gran.

“What a great loss to Margate. Let’s hope it will be like the phoenix and rise again. I hope they rebuild it and keeps the next generation as happy as I was all those years ago.”
 

POLICE DOGS FIND CLUES IN RAILWAY WRECKAGE

Police dogs brought in to investigate the blaze which devastated Margate's Scenic Railway have found traces of accelerants.

A source told the Thanet Times that the presence of an accelerant such as petrol helped confirm to police that the fire which started last Monday was arson.

The owners of the Scenic Railway and Dreamland fun park, have pledged to rebuild the ride if they can find the blueprints.

Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company chairman Toby Hunter said they were "hacked off" by the blaze, which set back their plans to use the railway as the centrepiece of a heritage fun park.

The firm wants to build homes, shops, restaurants and cafes on the former amusement park site and hopes to submit plans to Thanet council.

From the letters page:

Fire enquiry

There needs to be an immediate enquiry into the Dreamland roller coaster fire. To burn down such a spaced out and solid structure would need careful planning and plenty of time, to soak each pillar and post with a suitable flammable substance. But more importantly, Thanet council needs to make a stand by insisting that the owners and insurers pay for the cost of rebuilding this much-loved landmark as soon as possible, and to remain responsible for its future upkeep. Our heritage must be protected.
S Banyard, King Street, Sandwich.

Lack of vision

I read, in a state of bewildered fascination, the mawkish nonsense being pumped out from all directions with regard to the demise of the Scenic Railway. A Grade II listed structure? They have got to be joking, it is nothing more than a pile of clapped-out firewood that has stood as testimony to Margate’s decline over the last 40 years. Who on earth thinks that it is an archaeological gem? The same people that think that Tracey Emin’s bed is a work of art no doubt! The whole seafront area needs a total revamp and has got to be changed, and a way has got to be found to erase those hideous, gaudy penny arcades that in a nutshell represent what Margate is currently about. Margate needs real change, because in its current state even local people feel no desire to go there. It needs bold vision and the provision of amenities that are more in keeping with what a broader cross-section of people want.
Terry Adams, Masons Rise, Broadstairs.
 

UNLUCKY JIM

There was an air of inevitability about the fire which last week destroyed much of Margate's Scenic Railway, a grade II-listed wooden rollercoaster, once the centrepiece of Dreamland, a classic seaside amusement park which closed after 80 years in 2003.

The closure left 20 acres of seafront real estate practically deserted and ripe for development by its owner, Jimmy Godden. But the listed rollercoaster was in the middle of the site, and an independent government inspector's report in 2005 went against the supine local council and reiterated protection for it and the amusement park.

That year Godden formed the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company with Reading-based developers Waterbridge, retaining a major stake in Dreamland.

A public "consultation" by Thanet council two years later tried yet again to float the idea of a development, coming up with an unhappy 50-50 compromise of "heritage amusement park" and the usual flats and shops.

This is not the first time Godden has experienced misfortune with his seafront developments. In 1998 his Pleasurama fun park in Ramsgate burned down in the midst of a campaign to save it from redevelopment. Fortunately on that occasion Godden had the comfort of a substantial insurance payout to soften the blow. In 2003 his Mr G arcade on Margate seafront went up in flames, but again there was consolation in that the hole it left, nicknamed "Godden's Gap" by locals, provided the perfect access road from the seafront into the Dreamland site.

When English Heritage listed the rollercoaster in 2002 Godden described it as "great news" and told the BBC it was "safe in his hands". A year later he closed Dreamland, and now more than a quarter of this historic ride lies in ashes.

Inspector Knacker is treating case as arson.
 

NOT THE END

The owners of Dreamland have pledged to rebuild the scenic railway after it dramatically burned down but need to find the original plans.

Speaking exclusively to the Isle of Thanet Gazette, managing director of the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company Toby Hunter said the firm's engineers had only been allowed back on site yesterday (Thursday) to assess the damage to the 88-year-old railway.

He said Monday's blaze, which police say was started deliberately and which destroyed a large section of the wooden structure as well as the station house and cars, was a huge setback to plans for the former fun park.

The firm's proposals included a heritage theme park with the scenic railway at its centre as well as shops, restaurants, cafes and homes.

Mr Hunter, who heads the company which also counts businessman Jimmy Godden as a major shareholder, said the immediate priority was to see what needed to be done to make the ride safe. Then, he said, work would begin to see if it can be rebuilt. He said: "Once we have determined what needs to be done to make the scenic safe, then our engineers will be piecing together if there is enough information to replace what's been burned down."

Mr Hunter said the firm had no idea how much rebuilding might cost and would be meeting their insurers. He added: "It might sound odd but we have no idea to what extent it's insured. We have had a meeting with our insurers and put them on notice and explained what has happened."

The site was closed on Tuesday as investigators scoured the scene for clues and police announced they were treating the fire as arson. Forensic scientists from the Forensic Science Service in Lambeth, south-east London, were drafted in with specialist dogs teams from Surrey which can detect the use of accelerants.

Experts from English Heritage and Thanet council's conservation officer Nick Dermott were also due to examine the ride on Wednesday.

The fire comes two weeks after the Tivoli arcade was torched and five years after a seafront arcade belonging to Mr Godden caught fire.

Mr Hunter said any idea that the fire had helped the MTCRC's plans was way off the mark. He said: "It's not convenient at all. Any development of this kind has to offer something in terms of payback to the community. There are many ways in which that can be done, for example through social housing.

"If we don't have the scenic then we are going to have to give back something else. The scenic was a fantastic opportunity to give. If we lived in a world where a listed structure could catch fire and then English Heritage would just go away, it would be a very strange world indeed. I can see why people might think that something burning down would be convenient but we are really hacked off."

Mr Hunter said his company's plans had involved sinking the railway into tanks of water and illuminating it to create a pier effect, adding: "The ride can only be open 150 days a year and the rest of the time it sits on the ground looking very dull. By putting it 'under water' and illuminating it, we were creating something that would complement the shopping and homes we hope to build."

Thanet council has said it can be rebuilt and everything should be done to ensure that happens. Council leader Sandy Ezekiel said: "We are determined that, if possible, the scenic railway should be rebuilt as soon as possible and we would expect the owners to do just that."

Detectives are appealing for witnesses and anyone with any information to contact them at Margate police station on 01843 222076 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

• What are your memories of the scenic railway and what do you think should happen next? Let Thom Morris know on 01843 578994 or email thom.morris@krnmedia.co.uk

WHAT A ROLLER COASTER RIDE

• DREAMLAND opened in Margate in 1920 on the site of a seafront zoo and gardens.
  
  It was owned by showman CC Bartram and businessman John Henry Iles who owned rights to the Scenic Railway, one of a number operating at that time.
  
  Following Iles' bankruptcy in 1938 after an unsuccessful flirtation with the film industry, Dreamland was taken over by his son Eric but soon closed following the outbreak of the Second World War. It reopened on June 6 1946 with the help of money from Billy Butlin, who was chairman of Dreamland from 1946 to 1950.
  
  In the 1980s, the park was taken over by the Bembom Brothers who turned the area into a white-knuckle theme park, drawing two million visitors a year as a pay-on-entry park. It was the second most popular amusement park in the UK beaten only by Alton Towers. Its name reverted to Dreamland, the park was bought by Jimmy Godden in 1995 with the help of an EU grant of more than £800,000. Mr Godden refurbished the entire park, including the Scenic Railway, and removed many rides including the big wheel and the traditional water chute.
   
• The Scenic Railway opened on July 3 1920 and was the oldest operating roller coaster in the UK, one of only two scenic railways still existing of the 38 built in the UK. The other, at the Pleasure Beach in Great Yarmouth, was built in 1932.
  
  A scenic railway does not have under-track wheels, the trains run in troughs which limits the speed and steepness of drops. The ride also has a brakeman who sits on an elevated seat between cars one and two.
  
  In January 2003 the owners announced the park was to close as it was no longer profitable but the railway has run every year since. With the exception of the 1939-45 wartime period, it has operated every summer season since 1920. In 2003 it carried 30,000 passengers. In March 2002 the railway gained grade II listed status.
   
• BBC TV's Only Fools and Horses 1989 Christmas special, titled The Jolly Boys Outing, was filmed in Margate and featured extensive footage of the cast enjoying Dreamland's attractions.
  
  Roger Lloyd Pack, who played Trigger in the comedy show, joined the Save Dreamland campaign in 2003.

A tragedy unfolds

There were anger and tears as hundreds of people watched Margate's famous Scenic Railway go up in flames after it was set on fire by arsonists on Monday.

Onlookers gathered along the length of Belgrave Road and behind the metal fencing that surrounds the car park to witness the UK's oldest roller coaster collapse.

People visibly distressed clasped mobile phones to their ears to let people know what was happening and shot videos and took pictures as the smell of burning wood filled the air.

Firemen from Margate arrived at the scene at 4.45pm and battled the blaze for six hours.

Watch manager Joe Rolfe said: "It was very intense and very high, and blistered the pumps.

"The biggest problem was that the water pressure around that area is very poor and it took a long time to get water onto the fire.

"We set up a water relay to increase the pressure near the fire.

"We managed to get a fire break in the middle and saved the left-hand side, otherwise the whole thing would have gone."

Among those first on the scene were Sarah Vickery and Dave Collard, part of the Save Dreamland Campaign.

Shaking, and with tears in her eyes, Sarah said: "There are people keeping an eye on it but obviously that did no good and the first I knew of it was about 5.20pm. I could see the flames and the smoke and I saw the station catch fire.

"Fires in Margate are not a rare occurrence and it's not the first time I've been told the Scenic was on fire so I was a bit sceptical at first. But as soon as we saw the smoke from the seafront we both knew it was the Scenic. I must admit I cried.

"We'll have to wait to see how much damage there is and whether or not we can rebuild. But if we could, it would run into hundreds of thousands I would have thought."

As the air filled with sirens and thick plumes of black smoke, crews headed to the scene from as far away as Herne Bay and Ashford. About 60 firemen tackled the blaze.

At 5.30pm the top of the rollercoaster, which opened on July 3 1920, collapsed slowly to ashes, leaving about two-thirds of the wooden structure intact.

The train shed was gutted and the three railway cars and carriages from the 1920s, believed to be the only original scenic railway trains in the UK, have been lost.

The structure was meant to have been a centrepiece in the regeneration plans for the Dreamland site.

Steve Broadhurst from Probe Security, the company that looks after the site, said: "We didn't see anything during the day."

Scenic fire 'a crying shame'

Retired BBC props master Victor Young, 56, from Margate, said: "I'm not surprised. I thought it was on the cards. Every time I went past there was more and more rubbish around. To me, no one appeared bothered and now it has mysteriously caught alight. The scenic railway is like an antique. It should be restored and rebuilt."

Dave Collard was brakeman on the ride and watched with a professional eye: "Half of the ride has gone. The workshop and station have gone which is where all the trains would have been.

"There are lots of comments about what started it, though there's nothing to prove anything, of course.

"We'll have to wait and see how bad the extent of the damage is. We need to see what the cause is before we can think about what can be done next."

Thanet councillor Alasdair Bruce said: "The Cutty Sark suffered a similar fate but I think feelings are more mixed here. It's a crying shame."

Loved ride had global status

Tony Francis, from Margate, writes: “Despite a spate of text messages stating that ‘organisers have admitted that diverting the Olympic torch through Dreamland in Margate was a mistake’, really the people of Margate standing under that awful black cloud were far from happy.

“Council leader Sandy Ezekiel has already said he wants to see the scenic railway rebuilt. This huge, famous and loved structure was recognised as having worldwide historical importance by English Heritage and protected for so many good reasons. Firstly because it is one of only three surviving in the world (the others in Australia and Denmark), but for those that experienced it, the memorable ride, not computer-operated like modern ‘theme’ rides, but that whole shaking, rumbling wooden terror supposedly ‘controlled’ by the brakeman pulling on his lever. People came from other countries to ride it. To see the same firemen who soaked it to protect it during the burning of Antony Gormley’s Waste Man now helpless, facing the arrogant flames and choking smoke of an arsonist, was gutting. This pride of Margate was extensively and diligently repaired after damage in 1949, before it was listed – and it should be again, at the centre of the Margate fun fair as it always was and as the people want it to be.”

Gerry O’Donnell, from Ramsgate, writes: “There should be a forensic investigation into the fire that partially destroyed Margate’s historic and Grade II roller coaster. Thanet has been blighted by too many substantial fires in recent years. These cannot be held, any more, to be acts of god and/or accident, without intensive assessment.”

Rail blaze brings sadness – but hope for the future

Kayley Purrett, a 19-year-old student at Canterbury College who lives in Arlington House flats overlooking the old Dreamland site, captured events on her mobile phone.

She said: "We didn't see it start but our neighbour said there was a fire and we looked out and saw the smoke billowing. It's a terrible thing to see that gaping hole left.

"My grandmother, Lily Purrett, used to ride on the scenic railway in the 1940s before she moved here. She passed away three years ago so it's really sad that it has gone. It was very moving watching it go.

"If it was an accident it was horrible, but if it was arson it's disgusting. It's a piece of history gone up in smoke."

Claire Blackwell, 29, from Margate, wrote: "I felt compelled to write to you after the fire at the Scenic Railway. As a resident in Margate and a regular visitor when I was a child, I was shocked and saddened by the fire. I am so relieved that we have not lost the railway entirely.

"It looks like about 50-60 per cent has been lost so there is a chance that it could be rebuilt.

"I would just like to voice my opinion and show my support for the re-building of the railway. Margate must preserve every single bit of its history and this is such an important part."

An anonymous comment from a Westbrook resident echoes many people's feelings: "On my way home I saw the palls of smoke over Margate. Personally, I was not surprised that the Scenic Railway was on fire.

"I'm surprised that the fire took hold so quickly given the amount of rain we've had recently. One would have thought that the old timbers would have been quite damp?

"I really think questions need to be asked and proper investigations need to take place as to the number of fires happening in Thanet and particularly in the case of the Scenic Railway, a Grade II listed building.

"I would like to see any perpetrators investigated, bought to justice and made to pay for any reconstruction work."

J R Hughes of Lewis Crescent, Margate, wrote: "On Monday evening, I and crowds of other people witnessed the passing of an old friend.

"Thanet council should now put a total block on all development plans. The future of Dreamland should now be given back to the people to decide.

"I will be very surprised and very sad if the people of Margate let this one get swept under the carpet."

Former Thanet resident Sarah Kenning wrote from London: "Accident or not, anywhere else - where councils care about their town's heritage more than they care about milking their assets for all they are worth - the Scenic Railway would have been better protected.

"The Grade II listed roller coaster was of tremendous importance historically and culturally. For all its talk of regeneration Thanet council did little to safeguard the one lasting symbol of Margate's heyday.

"Was there CCTV monitoring on the derelict site? Was there a sprinkler system? It was made of wood - Duh. Anything within a one-mile radius of Marine Terrace is a known fire risk.