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Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in the grounds of a former stately home in Staffordshire, England. It attracted 3.1 million visitors in 2008, making it the second most visited theme park in the UK after Pleasure Beach Blackpool. Alton Towers is the 11th most visited theme park in Europe. It is based north of the village of Alton in Staffordshire (approximately east of Stoke-on-Trent), in the grounds of a semi-ruined gothic revival country house of the same name, the former seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury.
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Encyclopedia
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in the grounds of a former stately home in Staffordshire, England. It attracted 3.1 million visitors in 2008, making it the second most visited theme park in the UK after Pleasure Beach Blackpool. Alton Towers is the 11th most visited theme park in Europe. It is based north of the village of Alton in Staffordshire (approximately east of Stoke-on-Trent), in the grounds of a semi-ruined gothic revival country house of the same name, the former seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury. Also on site are two hotels; The Alton Towers Hotel and Splash Landings Hotel, The Alton Towers Waterpark (Cariba Creek), Extraordinary Golf, Conference Centre and The Alton Towers Spa (Located in the Alton Towers Hotel). Alton Towers is the flagship attraction of Merlin Entertainments.
Some of the major attractions at Alton Towers include:
The park's promotional music is In the Hall of the Mountain King, written by Edvard Grieg.
History
Early days
The estate dates back to before 1000 BC, when an iron age fort was built in the area, known as Bunbury Hill. In circa 700, the estate became the site of a fortress, for the Saxon king Ceolred of Mercia. A castle was built soon after the Norman Conquest, but the date of its erection is unknown. In the 1100s, the estate passed to Bertram de Verdun, as a reward for his work in the Crusades. In 1318, the estate passed by marriage to Thomas de Furnival, when he married Joan de Verdun. It passed again in 1406, to Sir John Talbot, when he married Maud, the eldest daughter of Lord Furnival. He became the Earl of Shrewsbury in 1442, a title that had been resurrected after being forfeited by the third earl in 1102. The old castle was destroyed during the English Civil War.
The early Alton Towers was a hunting lodge, known as Alveton Lodge (or Alverton), which is the ancient name for Alton. It had three floors, and one of the towers was from an earlier building, which is part of the building today. It was split into two properties, one which was rented by a tenant, and one which was used by the Talbots as a summer residence, their main residence being at Heythrop in Oxfordshire.
Charles Talbot, the 15th Earl, began improvements on the house, and initiated the creation of the Gardens, at the turn of the 19th century. Through the early 1800s, 13,000 trees were planted in the grounds. In 1811, major work began on the house. Over the next ten years, several new rooms were built: a drawing room, dining room, chapel, library, long gallery, banqueting hall, conservatory and entrance hall were all added. As a result of the work done, the house doubled in size. The entire building was renovated in a Gothic style, and the foundations of the Flag Tower were also laid. The house was renamed to Alton Abbey, despite there not being any particular religious connection. Some of the architects that worked on the house were Thomas Allason, William Hollins and Thomas Hopper.
In 1814 Charles and his wife moved into Alton permanently, and began the creation of extensive gardens. Prior to his work on the gardens, the land around Alton was farmland. Charles transformed the land into one of the largest gardens in Britain. Set in a valley that leads down to the River Churnet, a variety of features were created. A Pagoda fountain was built as an exact copy of the To Ho Pagoda in Canton, which used water from a spring at Ramshorn that passed through various lakes and pools. The Garden Conservatories, designed by Robert Abrahams were built of cast iron, and today are filled with various plants. A building known as the Swiss Cottage housed a Welsh harpist, and is now a restaurant. A building known as Stonehenge was constructed, and a copy of Lysicrates' Choragic Monument from Athens was built. Several gardens were planted, including a Dutch garden, located to the left of the conservatories, and a rock garden.
Following the earl's death in 1827, his nephew John succeeded him, who completed the gardens and house. In 1831, the earl's principal residence in Heythrop burned down. Everything that was saved was moved to Alton, and the earl came to live there permanently. Augustus Pugin designed a new entrance hall, banqueting hall and various other rooms, extending the house further, and it was renamed to Alton Towers. The grounds were opened to the public at various times of the year from 1839.
The 16th Earl died in 1852. He was succeeded briefly by his cousin, Bertram, who died at the age of 24. The house was finished by 1856, with no further alterations being made to the house again. Because there was no direct heir to the estate, a lawsuit was initiated to determine who would get ownership. After some time, it was granted to a distant cousin of the earl, Henry Chetwynd Talbot of Ingestre Hall, Staffordshire. The proceedings had been costly, and so everything in Alton Towers was auctioned to help pay for it, with 4000 lots being sold over a period of 29 days. The new earl gained his title in 1858, and the estate in 1860. To celebrate, the earl held a procession on 13 April 1860. Beginning in Uttoxeter, it stretched over a mile and in the end over 40,000 people were said to be in the grounds. The earl continued to open the grounds to the public throughout the year at certain times, to help raise money to refurbish parts of the house.
During the 1890s, the 20th earl, Charles Talbot started the tradition of summer fetes at Alton. As well as the Gardens, people were attracted with fireworks displays, balloon festivals, clowns, and exhibitions of instruments of torture. In 1896, the earl and countess separated. The earl went to live at Ingestre, where he founded the Talbot Car Company in the 1900s, and the countess stayed at Alton. However, the house was left to decay because the earl did not pay much for the up keep, and the estate was neglected.
In November 1918, the earl decided to sell the majority of the estate by auction, due to his absence. After the earl died in 1921, the countess continued to live in the estate for another two years. In 1924 the rest of the estate was sold to a group of local businessmen, who formed Alton Towers Limited. While the contents of the house was sold off, the grounds were restored and remained open to the public. Some of the rooms of the house were converted into cafés and toilets for public use. The house was requisitioned during World War II as an officer training unit and the gardens were closed until 1951, by which time the neglected house had begun to deteriorate. It was in such a bad state, the entire building had to have its interior stripped out and sold, so it was just an empty shell. In the 1970s, concrete floors were added so that it could be opened to the public, and the building was listed as Grade II.
As a theme park/resort
Alton Towers was opened as a theme park in 1980 with the instalation of The Corkscrew rollercoaster, Pirate Ship (rethemed to 'The Blade') and the Alpine Bob sledge ride (closed 1986). A year later the Log Flume opened and in 1984 the park's second roller-coaster, The Black Hole opened. The themepark continued to be heavily invested in, year-on-year.
The park was purchased by The Tussauds Group in 1990. In 2005, Alton Towers was bought by the investment group Dubai International Capital (DIC) when it purchased Tussauds for £800million. The Tussauds Group was bought by Merlin Entertainments in March 2007 for over £1billion from DIC, placing Alton Towers under their control. In July 2007, the resort and park was sold to Nick Leslau and his investment firm Prestbury who now lease the park back to Merlin Entertainments to operate on a renewable 35-year lease.
Monorail
The Von Roll monorail transports visitors from the further away car parks to the main entrance and ticket booths. The monorail system was acquired from Expo 86 which was held in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was installed in 1987, a year after Towers Street.
During 2008, a UK based theme park design company were commissioned to revamp the nine monorail trains. This included exterior decoration and new bench seating, each train has a personalised themetrack to fit with its theme e.g. pirates.
Areas
The park is split into many themed areas. The Skyride is a cable car system which visitors can use to travel between Towers Street, Forbidden Valley, and Cred Street. Guests can start their day on the Alton Towers Monorail which transports visitors from the main car park to the theme park entrance and ticket booths.
The Sky Ride was designed in 1987 and still stands to this day, although the central station in Forbidden Valley was burned on the evening of 28 October, 2007, due to a faulty halogen lamp. The incident caused a power cut, which led to some guests being stranded on the park's monorail. Luckily, this incident was reported quickly by a Towers employee as to not cause as much massive damage, and the park says that the damage caused to the station was mainly cosmetic. The skyride re-opened 19 April 2008 after major work had been carried out on the station's roof. At the end of 2008 season the cabins were replaced for the 2009 season.
Towers Street
Towers Street is the first area that visitors to the park encounter. Themed as a town street, it leads to views of the gardens and the Towers ruins and borrows heavily from Main Street, USA in the Walt Disney Theme Parks. The street contains several shops, including the Towers Trading Co., which sells official park merchandise. The first Skyride station is located nearby. The Your Day Shop is also located in this area.
Navigation:
- Skyride to the Forbidden Valley/Ug Land
- Monorail to car parks
Food, drink and shops:
- Coca Cola Refill Station
- Corner Coffee
- The Towers Hot Dogs
- The Towers Restaurant
- Towers Trading
- Yourday
Mutiny Bay
Mutiny Bay is a pirate-themed land, it is aimed primarily at young families. Attractions in Mutiny Bay include Battle Galleons, a large "Splash Battle" water ride where guests sit in boats which travel along a track, and a rocking boat ride Heave Ho. The teacups ride was re-themed to become Marauders Mayhem, rotating barrels replaced the tea cups. The area also has a Burger King take-away and a live show, The Pirates of Mutiny Bay. Since the opening of the area, many live actors roam around the area dressed as pirates. Also in the area is The Flume ride, where guests can board large bath tubs and ride along the water channels and drops.
In 2009, a new Sea Life centre, Sharkbait Reef, will open in the location previously home to the 3-D Cinema.
Attractions:
(opened 2008)
- Heave Ho (opened 2008)
- Marauder's Mayhem (opened 2008)
- Pirates of Mutiny Bay Show (opened 2008)
- Sharkbait Reef by SEA LIFE (opening 28 March 2009)
- The Flume - Unplugged (replacing Log Flume) (opened 2004)
Food, drink and shops:
- Pirate's Galley - Burger King
- Courtyard Tavern and BBQ
- Eastern Express
- Mexican Cantina
- Mutiny Bay Donuts
- Mutiny Bay Hot Dogs
- Mutiny Bay Shoppe
Katanga Canyon
Themed as an African village. Rides include the Runaway Mine Train and the Congo River Rapids. Both are well-established rides in the park whose ride tracks share a tunnel. The area has a new 'Explorer's' restaurant with a shared indoor seating area. There is a shop located at the exits of the two rides called Katanga Cargo, hosting "ancient" tribal themed merchandise.
Attractions:
Food, drink and shops:
- Katanga Kabin
- Explorers Buffet Restaurant (due to open 2009)
- The Katanga Cargo Company
Gloomy Wood
The Gloomy Wood is a small, ghosts-and-monsters themed area containing the ride Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back!. The ride was originally a non-interactive ride named The Haunted House, but was upgraded in 2003 with laser-based plastic guns to shoot LED lights scattered around the rooms and monsters, with each player's score displayed on a digital display in the ride car to encourage competitive play. In 2007 Haunted Hollow an outdoor walk-through following part of the route taken by the old railway was added to the Resort, linking from Mutiny Bay to Gloomy Wood, along the route tombstones and other scary items make noises and special effects are used to great effect.
Attractions:
Food, drink and shops:
- Gloomy Wood Kiosk
- Waffles and Ices
- Spooks 'R' Us
Forbidden Valley
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Themed around a post-apocalyptic landscape, with large rocks and rusty pieces of metal and machinery scattering the area and also waterfalls coloured red to look like blood. One of the major rides is Nemesis, an inverted roller coaster, based around the fictional tale of an ancient malevolent alien creature.
Also in the area, and continuing the apocalytic theme, are the Ripsaw and The Blade thrill rides. Ripsaw is a Huss Top Spin ride which opened in 1997, while The Blade is an older Huss Pirate Boat. At the end of the valley is an "oasis", with calmer colours and plants, where the ride Air, the world's first B&M flying coaster, can be found. A Skyride station also services this area of the park.
Attractions:
- Air (opened 2002)
- The Blade (opened 1997)
- Lava Lump (climbing wall)
- Nemesis (opened 1994)
- Ripsaw (opened 1997)
- Skyride (opened 1987)
- The Edge: Video Arcade
Food, drink and shops:
- Forbidden Treats
- Fresh Fish and Chips
- The Generator - Burger King
- Nemices Donuts
- Refresh@Ripsaw
- Air Shop
Ug Land
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Ug Land was a prehistoric/neanderthal themed area containing one of the park's major roller coasters, Corkscrew, as well as other flat rides themed pre-historically. The original music and sound effects for the area were combined recordings of rhythmic performances using sticks and stones and various animal sounds. There were also various pre-historic themed shops and game stalls as well as a tree house where shows were performed and a water squirter area.
The area size was greatly reduced when the Rita - Queen of Speed roller coaster was built (themed as a drag racing contest, it did not fit the theme of cave-men). The only rides left in the area were Corkscrew and Ug Swinger. Eventually, Corkscrew was removed and de-comissioned from service, after 28 years at the park. In 2009, Ug Swinger was rethemed and moved to a new area, Cloud Cuckoo Land. The only ride left in the once very vibrant and well themed area is Rita - Queen of Speed, meaning the prehistoric theme is no longer used. The 2009 Alton Towers map does not label Ug Land as an area.
The area is to be rethemed for the 2010 season, as phase 3 of Merlin's regeneration plan, with a new "world's first roller coaster," due to replace the area previously occupied by Corkscrew. The new ride's theme appears to be a rundown castle and dark forest adventure.
Attractions:
Food, drink and shops:
- Bronto Bites
- Swee-T-Rex
- Rita Shop
- Rita's Chicken and Ribs (Fountain Square)
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Previously called 'Cred Street'. Opening as a brand new 'land' for 2009, Cloud Cuckoo Land is aimed at the younger audience of Alton Towers, and is themed with bright colours and mushrooms, as if in a fantasy garden. There is a new play area opening for 2009, replacing the old one, called Wobble World. There will also be a new show in the Theatre and new ride called Toadstool Twirler. There are several other rides in the area especially suitable for younger children; Frog Hopper, Galloper's Carousel and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory : The Ride. The Peugeot 207 Driving School, for under 10s, opened to guests on 17 July 2006..
Cloud Cuckoo Land is scheduled to open to the public on 28 March 2009.
Attractions:
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride(opened 2006)
- Frog Hopper (opened 1999)
- Galloper's Carousel
- Peugeot 207 Driving School (opened 2006)
- Wobble World indoor-playarea (due to open 2009)
- Twirling Toadstool (due to open 2009)
- Theatre: The Wonderful World of Cloud Cuckoo Land (due to open 2009)
Food, drink and shops:
- Cred Street Diner - Burger King
- Caffe Express
- Cred Street Toys
Navigation:
- Skyride (opened 1987, refurbished 2009)
X-Sector
Previously called Fantasy World. X-Sector, themed as if it were a sinister government facility, contains the innovative Oblivion ride, the world's first roller coaster with a vertical (88.8') degree drop. The extra-wide roller coaster cars are held hanging over the edge for 3 seconds before dropping downwards into a large hole amid mist and sirens, and then re-emerging into a heavily banked turn leading back into the station.
The area features a new pizza and pasta resaurant run by the park (similar to the Explorer's in Katanga Canyon), called the Meltdown. The many amenities in X-Sector are also themed, including by name, for example, Xpose Photos (run by Picsolve), Xcite Arcade (run by HBL) and X-sell Shop. Also in the area are the Enterprise and Submission thrill rides.
Attractions:
Food, drink and shops:
- Meltdown
- Rehydrator
- X-Sell
Adventure Land
Adventure Land is aimed at visitors between the ages of 5 and 11, and consists mainly of climbing frames, slides, swings and similar equipment. There are three rides: Beastie, a small roller coaster, and Spinball Whizzer, a Maurer Söhne pinball-themed spinning roller coaster and the Squirrel Nutty Ride, which is a slow scenic ride. The area also contains a food outlet.
Attractions:
Food and drink:
Old MacDonald's Farmyard
Themed around a traditional farm, this area contains a small petting zoo as well as a few rides for younger visitors, which include Doodle Doo Derby, a farm-themed carousel, and Riverbank Eye Spy, a recently re-themed boat ride. In 2003, the old barn that used to hold the farm animals before the Foot and Mouth crisis of 2001, was converted to a play barn called Berry Bish Bash, that contains thousands of small foam balls that are propelled, raised, thrown, dropped and shot. 2007 introduced a new themed area called There's Something in the Dungheap, an area specially for youngsters, with zip lines, climbing frames and a picnic area.
Attractions:
- Berry Bish Bash (opened 2003)
- Doodle Doo Derby (opened 1995)
- There's Something in the Dung Heap (opened 2007)
- Old MacDonald's Singing Barn (opened 1995)
- Old MacDonald's Tractor Ride (opened 1995)
- Riverbank Eye-Spy (opened 1999)
Historic areas
The Gardens
As an example of the mixed style of Humphry Repton's gardens, Alton Towers' garden was begun, circa 1814 by the eccentric 15th Earl of Shrewsbury, of whom J. C. Loudon (who was consulted on design features of which there were many) relates that he consulted every artist, only to avoid 'whatever an artist might recommend'.
Alton Towers grew into a collection of gardens: a Swiss Cottage, a Stonehenge, a Dutch garden, a Pagoda Fountain, said to be based on the To Ho pagoda in Canton, Lysicrates' Choragic Monument from Athens (a feature in English gardens since the 1760s), domed glasshouses (originally gilded), even a fairly large Matterhorn as a backing to one of England's earliest Alpine gardens. Near the garden entrance is a cenotaph of the 15th earl, a marble bust with an inscription reading "He made the desert smile".
Landmarks include:
- Chinise Pergoda Fountain
- The Swiss Cottage
- Miniature 'Stonehenge'
- A Greek Choragic Monument
- Orangaries
The Towers
The Towers ruins are from what the park derives its name, and has sometimes featured a spooky maze during the Halloween period. Added for the 2000 season was the ride Hex - The Legend of the Towers within the ruins itself, an indoor haunted swing ride which made use of the history of the Towers. The story for the ride is based on one of Staffordshire’s great legends about a chained oak. The ruins are open to the public during most of the open season.
There is currently a £1.1 million project in place to restore the oldest parts of the house. It is currently unknown how the completed renovations will be used.
Key areas:
Hotels
The resort features two hotels, The Splash Landings Hotel and The Alton Towers Hotel. The Splash Landings Hotel is a combination hotel and waterpark.
Alton Towers Hotel
The Alton Towers Hotel opened in 1996 and is themed to the eccentric fictional character Sir Algernon Alton. The rooms are decorated in a classically English style with pictures of Sir Algernon's inventions including the coasting roller adorning the walls.
The hotel features the Secret Garden restaurant serving a buffet breakfast and a la carte dinner, there is also the Captain and Dragon bars, the latter having a Chinese theme along with the small event/conference rooms in the hotel. The bars and restaurant surround the "ship" centrepiece of the hotel featuring a hot air balloon shape and rotating propellers.
The ship is also used as a stage for the evening entertainment. In March 2008, as part of the drive to promote the resort firmly as a family destination, a show based around the adventures of Sir Alegnon was introduced along with Pirate Bill's magic show.
Splash Landings Hotel
The Splash Landings Hotel is the newer of the two hotels, opening in 2003, it has a Caribbean theme and the main feature is the Cariba Creek Waterpark. The hotel features Flambo's Exotic Feast a buffet restaurant with a wide selection of food including roast dinner and a chocolate fountain, a buffet breakfast is also served. Above Flambo's Feast is the Ma Garrita's Bar which features evening entertainment starring the Splash Landings character Ringo the Lemur. Both the bar and restaurant have windows looking out over the indoor waterpark. The hotel rooms are in a wing to the side of the hotel and some rooms have views over the outdoor sections of the waterpark. The hotel also contains two shops, one selling general snacks, sweets and souviners and the other offering swimming costumes and other waterpark related sundries. There is also an arcade near Flambo's restaurant.
Conference centre
Between the hotels sits the Alton Towers Conference Centre, Winner of meeting & Incentive Travel Magazine's Best UK Unusual Venue Award 2007. The Conference Centre opened shortly after the Splash Landings Hotel and is linked to both hotels via a walkway running from the side of the Alton Towers Hotel to the Conference Centre and through the Cariba Creek waterpark to the Splash Landings Hotel.
Waterpark (Cariba Creek)
An indoor and outdoor waterpark themed as a tropical lagoon is located within The Splash Landings Hotel and is accessible by both members of the hotel and members of the public.
The waterpark also contains Quencher's snack bar.
Extraordinary Golf
In 2007 Alton Towers opened Extraordinary Golf, 2 nine hole themed crazy golf courses, located near The Splash Landings Hotel. As with Cariba Creek, this facility is aimed at the general public as well as park and hotel guests.
The cost for this attraction in the 2008 season was £5 to play one 9 hole course or £6 to play all 18 holes.
Past rides
A single-loop roller coaster called Thunder looper, manufactured by Schwarzkopf was constructed in 1990 but lasted for only 6 years. The ride propelled guests in cars along a track, through a loop, up a steep hill and then let gravity pull the car back through the loop again and back into the station. It was removed mainly due to the fact that Alton Towers only obtained a temporary planning agreement and later height restrictions placed on the park and problems with the high level of sound the ride produced made it certain permanent planning permission would not be granted. Thunder looper stood in the area Thunder Valley, which is now Forbidden Valley. The large ditch in which the track was situated is now partially taken up by the Blade ride.
The Black Hole featured a spiral lift and was contained entirely within a permanent tent structure that made some sections of the ride completely dark. This ride was closed in March 2005 and has been sold to an undisclosed theme park in Brazil. The sale was attributed to rising maintenance costs and new health and safety requirements requiring evacuation stairs on the spiral lift that could not be accommodated within the tent structure. As of February 2009 the tent structure which used to hold The Black Hole is still in place in its original location in the X-Sector area.
In common with most major parks, there was also a miniature railway line. It ran through the forest, and was one of the first attractions built after World War Two. It was a 2-foot (610 mm) gauge line equipped with Baguley locomotives, which although steam-outline in appearance were in fact powered by diesel engines. It closed in 1996, by which time this once-popular ride had been displaced by the Skyride cable-cars. It was gradually removed afterwards, and is now covered in part by the Haunted Hollow walk-through, some remnants of the railway can still be seen at various points in the forest.
List of past rides
New and proposed attractions
2009
- Sharkbait Reef, a new Sea Life aquarium has been constructed for the 2009 season. This is located within Mutiny Bay; on the site of the the old 3D Cinema building.
- Cred Street is being rethemed which will includes the new name 'Cloud Cuckoo Land, a major new show, new indoor Playground and new 'Twirling Toadstall' ride.
- The Skyride attraction is also receiving a makeover, with new gondolas being purchased to replace the ageing current ones that have been in use since 1987.
- The KFC and Pizza Hut venues in Katanga Canyon replaced by new Pizza and Pasta bars for 2009, as part of a plan to improve the standards of food at the Resort. Pizza Hut has been removed from the X-Sector venue too, leaving only KFC.
- There will also be new shows and more entertainment across the resort.
2010
- In the space of the now defunct Corkscrew, there will be (subject to planning approval) a major new £12 million attraction for Alton Towers and a world first in coaster design.
Events
Half-Term Hullabaloo
The park opens selected attractions during February half-term in the closed season. This year, the event runs from 14 February-22 February 2009. This event also gives visitors a chance to see the winter maintenance work being carried out.
Scarefest
The park's major annual event is 'Scarefest' which celebrates Halloween with a number of special attractions like scare mazes. Characters and decorations are also set up around rides or even incorporated into the rides such as 'Duel Live' in place of Duel. This year's Scarefest has been advertised as running from 17 October-1 November 2009, though this is subject to change.
Fireworks
In past years, Alton Towers hosted an annual fireworks display on the Great Lawns, which attracted many visitors. The displays were amazing, but too loud, which led to complaints from neighbors. After a court noise abatement order the park could only hold three shows a year which led to the park abandoning the fireworks in favour for the scarefest event.
"YourDay"
The "YourDay" DVD system enables visitors who wear optional, RFID wristbands during their stay at the park to be filmed on eight of the main rides and at various locations around the park. Wristbands can later be returned to the Your Day shop; where personalized footage is collected and inserted alongside stock footage of the rides, to produce a DVD souvenir of the visitor's day.
The YourDay system features personalised footage on Nemesis, Rita - Queen of Speed, Spinball Whizzer, Oblivion, Air, The Flume and Congo River Rapids. Customers can preview their footage before they buy.
Competition
YourDay now has competition within Alton Towers, from the current on-ride photo suppliers Picsolve. Picsolve went live on Alton Towers attractions August 2008.
Controversy
- The theme park received some press for its proposal to tag guests with RFID wristbands in order that they be tracked and filmed by cameras as they move around the park. Although it is intended to be optional and used for providing personalised video of a visitor's day, the media reacted to the privacy implications and Big Brother scenario.
- A marketing strategy encouraging workers to call in absent in order to visit the theme park was heavily criticised by business groups.
- Relations with the local community were harmed when Alton Towers significantly reduced the amount of free tickets it provides to local residents as compensation for the heavy traffic the theme park attracts to the small local village roads.
- Due to a court battle with two local residents, Suzanne and Stephen Roper, Alton Towers is having problems with its end-of-season fireworks display, which is a very popular event with customers and an important date on the season calendar. However, the towers is attempting to keep them running. The court battle ended in October 2005 leaving Alton Towers with permission to stage three of the five firework and laser displays. The park now has a noise abatement order in place meaning that it cannot exceed 40 decibels to their nearby neighbours.
- On July 20, 2006 an accident involving the Runaway Mine Train occurred near the tunnel area of the ride. The train separated into two, with the two sections colliding after the first section rolled back (or "valleyed"). Three people were taken to hospital while another 26 were treated for minor injuries. The ride remained closed until 2007.
- The park was subject to media coverage over its decision to slaughter its livestock from the Old McDonald's Farmyard area due to the Foot and Mouth disease outbreak in 2001. The slaughter was deemed necessary as the park would have been unable to open to the public if the animals remained, and livestock movement restrictions prevented them from being removed from the theme park itself. The RSPCA criticised the action, saying other options should have been examined.
- Alton Towers announced a special "Islam Day", in which a group of Muslims had reportedly booked the complex for an entire day in which they would perform prayers and other Muslim related activities. This was attacked by critics as an example of political correctness. The same day was booked for holding a wedding celebration prior to the "Islam Day" for a non-Muslim couple, along with their 60 invited guests. The couple learned nine weeks before the day that an "Islam Day" was taking place at the same time. The couple and their guests were allowed to attend the same day, provided they respected the Muslim rules: alcohol, smoking and music were banned and only halal food was served. The day, however, was subsequently cancelled due to a lack of interest.
- In October 2006, 15 out of 19 fast food outlets, and an independently run KFC failed local council health inspections.
See also
External links
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