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HAPPILAND: MEMORIES OF A CHILDREN'S FUNFAIR IN SOUTHPORT (PAGE 8 OF 8)
by Gary Radice
Article
: Added January 2007
2006 found themagiceye in a more reflective mood than usual. The death of a parent brought with it those inevitable feelings of sadness, melancholy and loss.
 
Life's like that.
 
There was no escaping the feelings of loss either during a family stroll in late December 2006.
 
I have great memories of the daytrips to Southport as a child but like many seaside towns today, the town can no longer boast an Amusement Park.
 
Not that long ago the two stations at opposite ends of the Lakeside Miniature Railway line were welcoming gateways for excited holidaymakers and day trippers alike to both Pleasureland and Happiland.
 
These parks are pieces of history that should never be forgotten.
 
The site at Pleasureland now stands lifeless, listless, sad and at the mercy of the elements.

The same could be said for Happiland, see right!
 
Happiland was once a small children's amusement park in Southport.
 
Yet whenever I reflect on 'those endless sunny days of childhood', Happiland best describes a 
magical state of mind.
 


Pleasureland on 28 December 2006: "Lifeless, listless, sad and at the mercy of the elements". Photo: themagiceye


The former site of Happiland on 28 December 2006. Photo: themagiceye


Postcard of "Peter Pan Playground". Photo: Ex More

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More on Happiland and Southport
Happiland/Peter Pan's Playground features in 'Pleasureland Memories' by Stephen Copnall
Going, Going, Gone: Southport Pleasureland Auction and Closure

Find out the fate of several of the Pleasureland rides
Pleasureland Southport features on 'Parks and Rides' DVD

Photographs of Peter Pan's Playground, Southport
Happiland in 1998 on YouTube
Acknowledgements
Thanks now - as back then - to all the posters from The Southport Forums, namely BrianD, Chad, Ex More, Flyp, MCK, Mortis, Pedoja and Roving Eye, who provided most of the images and additional information.
 
Dotted throughout the article are excerpts from Stephen Copnall's fantastic book: 'Pleasureland Memories'. Available at www.joylandbooks.com

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