Alton Towers is a theme park and
resortA resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
located in
StaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe. It is based north of the village of
AltonAlton is a village in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is noted for the theme park Alton Towers, built around the site of Alton Mansion , which was owned by the Earls of Shrewsbury and designed by Augustus Pugin....
in
StaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
(approximately 16 miles (26 km) east of
Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
), in the grounds of Alton Towers, a semi-ruined gothic revival country house. The estate was a former seat of the
Earls of ShrewsburyMajor Charles Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury, 20th Earl of Waterford, 5th Earl Talbot , was a British peer.Talbot was the only son and heir of the Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 19th Earl of Shrewsbury...
.
The current Resort includes the Theme Park, Alton Towers Hotel, Splash Landings Hotel, Waterpark, Spa, Extraordinary Golf and Conference Centre, it is the flagship attraction of
Merlin EntertainmentsMerlin Entertainments Group Ltd is a British operator of amusement parks and other attractions. It is the largest such company in Europe, and globally the second largest after Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....
in the United Kingdom. Major attractions at Alton Towers include,
NemesisNemesis is Europe's first inverted roller coaster located at Alton Towers, England. The ride's concept was created by John Wardley. It is manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard and opened in 1994...
,
OblivionOblivion is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in England. The ride opened as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster in March 1998 amidst a large publicity campaign. The ride has a height restriction of 1.4 metres...
,
AirAir is a steel flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The ride was the first flying roller coaster designed by the Swiss manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard...
,
Rita, and
Th13teen.
The park's promotional music is
In the Hall of the Mountain KingIn the Hall of the Mountain King is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg for the sixth scene of Act II in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, which premiered in Christiania on February 24, 1876....
by
Edvard GriegEdvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
.
Early history
An
iron ageThe Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
fort was built on Bunbury Hill (c.1st-century BC) which is now occupied by the Alton Towers estate. In about 700 AD, the Saxon king
Ceolred of Mercia-Mercia at the end of the 7th century:By the end of the 7th century, England was almost entirely divided into kingdoms ruled by the Anglo-Saxons, who had come to Britain two hundred years earlier. The kingdom of Mercia occupied what is now the English Midlands, bordered by Northumbria to the...
built a fortress on the hill. But King
Ine of WessexIne was King of Wessex from 688 to 726. He was unable to retain the territorial gains of his predecessor, Cædwalla, who had brought much of southern England under his control and expanded West Saxon territory substantially...
besieged the site in 716 AD. The ensuing battle, which ended in stalemate, caused such a loss of life the place was called Slain Hollow (which later became the estate's oriental water garden).
In the 11th century, the site was refortified when a castle was built soon after the Norman Conquest. By the 12th century, the estate had been given to knight
Bertram de VerdunBertram de Verdun was the name of several members of the Norman family of Verdun, native of Avranchin.For the historian Mark Hagger, the Verdun family lived lavishly in Normandy where they were minor land holders, and after the Norman conquest of England they were granted land in England...
, as a reward for his work in the
CrusadesThe Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
. In 1318, the estate passed by marriage to
Thomas de FurnivalGerard de Furnival was a Norman knight and Lord of Hallamshire and Worksop. De Furnival's father was also called Gerard de Furnival, and had fought with Richard I at the Siege of Acre....
when he married Joan de Verdun. Furnival later died crusading in the
Holy LandThe Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
in 1348. In 1406
Sir John TalbotJohn Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of Waterford KG , known as "Old Talbot" was an important English military commander during the Hundred Years' War, as well as the only Lancastrian Constable of France.-Origins:He was descended from Richard Talbot, a tenant in 1086 of Walter Giffard...
acquired the estate when he married Maud, the eldest daughter of Thomas de Furnivall, 3rd Baron Furnivall. Talbot became the second created
Earl of ShrewsburyEarl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the peerage of England.-First creation, 1074:The first creation occurred in 1074 for Roger de Montgomerie, one of William the Conqueror's principal counselors...
in 1442 after the title was forfeited by the
third earl of the first creationRobert de Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury , also spelled Belleme or Belesme, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, and one of the most prominent figures in the competition for the succession to England and Normandy between the sons of William the Conqueror...
in 1102. The Norman castle was destroyed during the
English Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
In the 17th century the former castle was redeveloped as a hunting lodge known as
Alveton Lodge (or
Alverton), which is the ancient name for
Alton. The three-storey structure reused one of the castle's former towers which remains part of the present-day building. The lodge was split into two properties, one of which was rented by a tenant. The other half was used by the Talbots as a summer residence, their main residence being at
Heythrop ParkHeythrop Park is an early 18th century country house southeast of Heythrop in Oxfordshire. It was designed by the architect Thomas Archer in the Baroque style for Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury. A fire in 1831 destroyed the original interior. From 1922 until 1999 Heythrop housed first a...
in
OxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
Stately home and gardens
In 1811, Charles Talbot, the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury, began redeveloping the hunting lodge into a
Gothic-styleThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
stately homeA stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
. Over the next ten years, architects such as
Thomas AllasonThomas Allason was an English architect, surveyor and landscaper, noted in particular for his work at Connaught Square and the Ladbroke Estate in Kensington.-Early life:...
, William Hollins and Thomas Hopper oversaw renovating the building. Work included the addition of a drawing room, dining room, chapel, library,
long galleryLong gallery is an architectural term given to a long, narrow room, often with a high ceiling. In British architecture, long galleries were popular in Elizabethan and Jacobean houses. They were often located on the upper floor of the great houses of the time, and stretched across the entire...
, banqueting hall, conservatory and entrance hall. As a result the building was doubled in size. It also included the laying of the foundations for the Flag Tower. The house was renamed
Alton Abbey, despite having no particular religious connection.
In 1814 Charles and his wife moved to Alton permanently. Work then began turning the farmland around house into one of the largest formal gardens in Britain. Several gardens were planted, including a
Dutch gardenThe Dutch garden is distinguished by its dense atmosphere and efficient use of space. On an international level, a garden with tulips is also easily labelled as a Dutch Garden....
and a rock garden. More than 13,000 trees were also planted in the landscaped parkland. The gardens in the valley leading down to the
River ChurnetThe River Churnet is a river that flows in Staffordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Dove.- Etymology :The origins of the name "Churnet" are unknown, though it is thought to derive from the pre-English, British name for the river.- Course :...
hosted a variety of features. These included a
PagodaA pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
fountainA fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....
which was fed by water from a spring at Ramshorn that passed through various lakes and pools,
cast ironCast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
Garden Conservatories designed by Robert Abrahams, a "Swiss Cottage" that hosted a Welsh harpist and a copy of
Lysicrates' Choragic MonumentThe Choragic Monument of Lysicrates near the Acropolis of Athens was erected by the choregos Lysicrates, a wealthy patron of musical performances in the Theater of Dionysus to commemorate the award of first prize in 335/334 BCE, to one of the performances he had sponsored...
from
AthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
After the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury died in 1827, he was succeeded by his nephew John Talbot who completed the gardens and house started by his uncle. In 1831, the Talbot's principal residence in Heythrop burned down. The 16th earl then came to live at Alton permanently bringing everything that could be saved from Heythrop. Noted architect
Augustus PuginAugustus Welby Northmore Pugin was an English architect, designer, and theorist of design, now best remembered for his work in the Gothic Revival style, particularly churches and the Palace of Westminster. Pugin was the father of E. W...
designed a new entrance hall, banqueting hall and various other rooms, extending the house further. The property was renamed Alton Towers. From 1839, the grounds were opened to the public at various times of the year.
In 1852, following the death of the 16th Earl, Alton Towers was briefly inherited by his cousin, Bertram. But when he died four years later at the young age of 24, all work on the house ceased (no further alterations would again be made to the property). As there was no direct heir to the estate, Bertram left the earldom and Alton Towers to
a younger sonEdmund Bernard FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent KG, PC , known as Lord Edmund Talbot between 1876 and 1921, was a British Conservative politician and the last Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.-Background:...
of
the Duke of NorfolkHenry Granville Fitzalan-Howard, 14th Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal, Chief Butler of England was the son of Henry Charles Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk and Lady Charlotte Sophia Leveson-Gower...
. But this was contested by
Henry Chetwynd-TalbotAdmiral Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot, 18th Earl of Shrewsbury, 3rd Earl Talbot, 18th Earl of Waterford, CB, PC , styled Viscount Ingestre between 1826 and 1849 and known as The Earl Talbot between 1849 and 1858, was a British naval commander and Conservative politician.-Background:Shrewsbury was the...
from
Ingestre HallIngestre Hall is a 17th century Jacobean mansion situated at Ingestre, near Stafford, Staffordshire, England, which is now in use as a Residential Arts and Conference Centre. It is a Grade II* listed building.Ingestre is mentioned in the Domesday Book...
, a distant cousin of the late earl, who filed a legal writ to determine lawful ownership of Alton Towers. As the contents of the house were not contested, everything within the house was auctioned off in a 29-day sale of 4000 lots.
In 1858, Henry Chetwynd-Talbot became the 18th Earl of Shrewsbury, two years later he acquired the Alton Towers estate. In celebration, the earl held a procession through Staffordshire on 13 April 1860. Beginning in
UttoxeterUttoxeter is a historic market town in Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. The current population is approximately 13,711, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the River Dove and is near the cities of Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and...
, it stretched over a mile with up to 40,000 people in the grounds of Alton Towers at the end. The 18th Earl continued to open the grounds to the public at certain times of the year to help raise money to refurbish parts of the house.
During the 1890s, the 20th earl,
Charles TalbotMajor Charles Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury, 20th Earl of Waterford, 5th Earl Talbot , was a British peer.Talbot was the only son and heir of the Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 19th Earl of Shrewsbury...
started the tradition of summer fetes at Alton. As well as the Gardens, people were attracted with
fireworksFireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
displays,
balloonA balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig...
festivals,
clownClowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
s, 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 20th century, and the countess stayed at Alton. However due to the marital situation, the house began to decay and the grounds became neglected because the earl did not pay much for their up keep. In November 1918, the Earl decided due his absence to sell off the majority of the estate by auction. The countess continued to live on the estate for another two years after the earl died in 1921.
Public ownership
In 1924 the remaining part of the estate and house was sold to a group of local businessmen, who formed Alton Towers Limited. Although the contents of the house were sold off, the grounds were restored and remained open to the public. Parts of the house were converted into cafés and toilets for public use.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Alton Towers was requisitioned by the
War OfficeThe War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
as an officer training unit. The gardens remained closed to the public until 1951. It is a common misconception that military occupation of the towers caused a lot of damage to the building. However this is not case as much of the building was already boarded up and unused. It is now commonly understood that the decay was caused in the inter-war period by the Bagshaw family - the majority shareholders - who sold the wood and plaster fixtures from the house's interiors as well as the lead roofing allowing water to rot the remaining fixtures.
During the 1960s and 1970s the grounds were reopened as a visitor attraction. There was a boating lake,
chairliftAn elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
and a small fair behind the ruins of the main house. Concrete floors were installed in Alton Towers house so that it could be opened to the public. The building was listed as Grade II.
After millionaire-property developer John Broome married the daughter of majority shareholder Denis Bagshaw in 1973, he bought out the controlling stake in Alton Towers. Over the next few years he laid the foundation for the modern theme park by installing various permanent rides and developing areas of the grounds in progressive stages.
Alton Towers began its evolution into a major theme park in 1980 with the installation of The Corkscrew rollercoaster, Pirate Ship and the Alpine Bob sled ride. A year later the Log Flume opened and in 1984 the park's second roller-coaster, The Black Hole, arrived. Throughout the next decade, more attractions, areas and rides were added to Alton Towers. Some of the work was undertaken by award-winning British ride designer,
John WardleyJohn Wardley is a British award-winning concept designer and developer for theme parks, mainly for rides such as roller coasters.-Rides Designed By John:*Nemesis*Oblivion*Air*Thirteen *Haunted House*Runaway Mine Train...
.
In 1990, the park was purchased by
The Tussauds GroupThe Tussauds Group is now part of Merlin Entertainments, the world's second largest leisure group, second only to Disney. It is based in Poole, Dorset from where it manages a portfolio of brands and over 50 attractions including the famous Madame Tussauds waxworks, Legoland Parks, Sealife Centres,...
from John Broome. Fifteen years later Alton Towers was acquired by the investment group
Dubai International CapitalDubai International Capital is the international investment arm of Dubai Holding, a holding company and sovereign wealth fund of the government of Dubai and its ruling family and has been over-leveraged to the point whereby the company is not able to service its interest payments in a normal fashion...
(DIC) when it purchased Tussauds for £800million in 2005. The Tussauds Group was bought by
Merlin EntertainmentsMerlin Entertainments Group Ltd is a British operator of amusement parks and other attractions. It is the largest such company in Europe, and globally the second largest after Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....
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 EntertainmentsMerlin Entertainments Group Ltd is a British operator of amusement parks and other attractions. It is the largest such company in Europe, and globally the second largest after Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....
to operate on a 35-year lease.
The park's maximum daily capacity is set at 28,000 guests. In 2010, the park attracted 2.7 million visitors over the season.
Entrance monorail
The Von Roll
monorailA monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
transports visitors from the further away car parks to the main entrance and ticket booths. The monorail system was acquired from
Expo 86The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986...
which was held in
VancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It was installed in 1987, a year after Towers Street, and was opened by Star Trek actor William Shatner.
In 2008, Sarner, a UK based theme park design company, was commissioned to revamp the nine monorail trains. This included exterior decoration and new bench seating. Each train has a personalised soundtrack to fit with its own theme, such as 'pirates'.
The monorail moves visitors from the Alton Towers Hotel, Splash Landings Hotel, Cariba Creek Waterpark and Extraordinary Golf to the Alton Towers Theme Park .
Skyride
The
SkyrideSkyride or Sky Ride may refer to:Aerial lifts* Skyride , an aerial lift of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa, United States.* Skyride, an aerial lift of Busch Gardens Europe, James City County, United States....
is a
cable carA cable car is any of a variety of transportation systems relying on cables to pull vehicles along or lower them at a steady rate, or a vehicle on these systems.-Aerial lift:Aerial lifts where the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable:...
system which visitors can use to travel between Towers Street, Forbidden Valley, and Cloud Cuckoo Land.
The Skyride has operated since 1987 and replaced an earlier chairlift, which had opened in 1963. At the end of 2008 season the original Skyride gondolas were replaced with smaller and more colourful gondolas.
The Skyride attraction has suffered from two accidental fires in recent years. 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 on 19 April 2008 after major work had been carried out on the station's roof. At approximately 22:30 on 21 July 2009, another fire broke out in the Cloud Cuckoo Land station causing extensive damage. It remained closed for the rest of the 2009 season and a new replacement station building opened in 2010.
The park is split into many themed areas, which are located in a horseshoe shape around The Towers ruins and 19th century gardens. Guests have the option of using the
SkyrideSkyride or Sky Ride may refer to:Aerial lifts* Skyride , an aerial lift of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa, United States.* Skyride, an aerial lift of Busch Gardens Europe, James City County, United States....
to navigate around the park; there are stations in proximity to Towers Street, Forbidden Valley, Dark Forest and Cloud Cuckoo Land.
Towers Street
Opened in 1986, Towers Street is the first area that visitors to the park encounter. Themed loosely as a town street, it leads to views of the gardens and the Towers across the lake in the distance. Along the pathway are the park's famous jumping frog fountains and a lawn where seasonal events usually take place. The street contains several shops, including the Towers Trading Co., which sells official park merchandise. The first
Skyride station is located nearby. A ticket shop called
Resort Box Office is based in a building at the end of Towers Street and sells products such as Fastrack, Annual Passes and Hotel Breaks. Also located in Towers Street is Corner Coffee, Towers Family Restaurant and Guest Services.
Navigation:
- Skyride (opened 1987; refurbished 2009)
- Monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
(opened 1987; refurbished 2008)
Food, drink and shops:
- Coca Cola Refill Station
- Corner Coffee
- The Towers Hot Dogs
- The Towers Family Restaurant
- Towers Trading
- Resort Box Office
Mutiny Bay
Mutiny Bay is a pirate-themed land, which re-themed Merrie England in 2008, is aimed primarily at families. Attractions in Mutiny Bay include:
Battle Galleons, a large interactive "Splash Battle" water ride where guests sit in pirate boats that travel through a water channel, while soaking other riders with water cannons; and a rocking boat ride,
Heave Ho. The teacups ride was re-themed to become
Marauders Mayhem, where rotating gunbarrels replaced the tea cups. The area also has a
Burger KingBurger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
take-away and live entertainment. Since the opening of the area, many live actors roam around the area dressed as pirates.
In 2009, a new Sea Life Centre, Sharkbait Reef, opened in the location previously home to the 3-D Cinema. This includes designated "touch pools" where guests can interact with various underwater species and a 10-metre ocean tunnel. The attraction is one of the most heavily themed Sea Life centres to open worldwide. In April 2010, a live webcam was installed to allow internet users to watch one of the tanks, which can be accessed via the official website.
Attractions:
- Battle Galleons (opened 2008, replaces the Splash Karts)
- Heave Ho (opened 2008)
- Marauder's Mayhem (opened 2008, rethemed Teacups ride)
- Sharkbait Reef by SEA LIFE (opened 2009, replaces 3D Cinema, closed since 2004)
Live Shows and Entertainment:
- The Pirates of Mutiny Bay: Quest for the Golden Parrot - Live Show (Opened 2011)
- Shark Tooth Jack's Pirate Training Camp (Opened 2011)
- Pirate Walkabout Characters
- Meet and Greets with Fin the Shark (Since 2010)
Food, drink and shops:
- Pirate's Galley - Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
- Courtyard Tavern and BBQ
- Eastern Express
- Mexican Cantina
- Mutiny Bay Donuts
- Mutiny Bay Hot Dogs
- Mutiny Bay Shoppe
- Pirates Pasty Co.
- Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's is an American ice cream company, a division of the British-Dutch Unilever conglomerate, that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc., headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, United...
Katanga Canyon
Themed as an African village; created in 1992 and incorporated existing rapids ride. Rides include the
Runaway Mine TrainThe Runaway Mine Train is a powered steel roller coaster made by MACK Rides of Germany. The ride is located in the Katanga Canyon area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England....
a wild speeding mine train rollercoaster and the
Congo River RapidsCongo River Rapids is a river rafting ride made by Intamin. The ride is located in the Katanga Canyon area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The rapids course come close to the Runaway Mine Train as it passes through the tunnel, and also features twin waterfalls that the boats pass...
. Both are well-established rides in the park whose ride tracks share a tunnel. The area has a new 'Explorer's' restaurant for 2009, with a shared indoor seating area (£8.25 per head for all you can eat buffet). There is a shop located at the exits of the two rides called
Katanga Cargo, hosting "ancient" tribal themed merchandise. Slightly outside the area (but still part of Katanga Canyon) is the popular 'Flume' ride, a log flume with boats themed as bath tubs and many ducks quacking around the station area. The Flume opened in 2004 after being re-themed from a traditional log flume ride. The ride was sponsored by imperial toiletries until 2011. The ride has two other attractions at the park based on it, the Master Blaster water slide and the Imperial Room at the hotel.
Attractions:
- Congo River Rapids
Congo River Rapids is a river rafting ride made by Intamin. The ride is located in the Katanga Canyon area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The rapids course come close to the Runaway Mine Train as it passes through the tunnel, and also features twin waterfalls that the boats pass...
(opened 1986; refurbished 1992)
- Runaway Mine Train
The Runaway Mine Train is a powered steel roller coaster made by MACK Rides of Germany. The ride is located in the Katanga Canyon area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England....
(opened 1992)
- The Flume Unplugged (opened 1981; refurbished 2004)
Food, drink and shops:
- Katanga Kabin
- Explorers Pizza-Pasta Buffet Restaurant (Replaced KFC/Pizza Hut in 2009)
- The Katanga Cargo Company
Gloomy Wood
The
Gloomy Wood is a small, haunted house themed area containing the ride
Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back!Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back! is an attraction at the Alton Towers theme park near the village of Alton in Staffordshire. It is located in the former Haunted House and is similar in design to the original, but riders can now fire laser guns at animatronic zombies and other ghosts, who...
. The ride was originally a spooky non-interactive ride named
The Haunted House, but was upgraded in 2003 with laser-based plastic guns to shoot
LEDLEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
lights scattered around the rooms and monsters to deactivate some scares, with each player's score displayed on a digital display in the ride car to encourage competitive play. In 2007, an outdoor walk-through was added, named "Haunted Hollow". The pathway follows part of the route formerly used by the old scenic railway, linking from Mutiny Bay to Gloomy Wood. Haunted Hollow includes various tombstones, statues and other features, some of which interact with guests using sound effects.
Attractions:
- Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back!
Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back! is an attraction at the Alton Towers theme park near the village of Alton in Staffordshire. It is located in the former Haunted House and is similar in design to the original, but riders can now fire laser guns at animatronic zombies and other ghosts, who...
(opened 1992; refurbished in 2003)
- Haunted Hollow (opened 2007)
Food, drink and shops:
- Gloomy Wood Kiosk
- Waffles and Ices
- Spooks 'R' Us
Forbidden Valley
Themed around a frightening 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
NemesisNemesis is Europe's first inverted roller coaster located at Alton Towers, England. The ride's concept was created by John Wardley. It is manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard and opened in 1994...
, an
inverted roller coasterAn inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the track, but "swings" via a pivoting bar attached to the...
, based around the fictional tale of a giant ancient malevolent alien creature. Nemesis is consistently regarded as one of the greatest designed rollercoasters in the world in major, global rollercoaster polls.
Also in the area, and continuing the apocalytic theme, are the
Ripsaw and
The Blade thrill rides.
Ripsaw is a Huss
Top SpinThe Top Spin is a thrill ride developed by HUSS Maschinenfabrik, and is the generic name for a series of rides from other manufacturers that follow the same principle. The ride consists of a passenger platform suspended between two counterweighted arms...
ride which opened in 1997 themed around a piece of shrapnel thrown from the alien creature's pit, while
The Blade is an older Huss Pirate Boat themed around a pendulum blade. At the end of the valley is an "oasis", with calmer colours and plants, where the spectacular ride
AirAir is a steel flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The ride was the first flying roller coaster designed by the Swiss manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard...
, the world's first
B&MBolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president...
flying coaster, can be found. A
Skyride station also services this area of the park.
Attractions:
- Air
Air is a steel flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The ride was the first flying roller coaster designed by the Swiss manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard...
(opened 2002, originally sponsored by Cadbury's Heroes)
- The Blade (opened 1980; relocated 1997 from Fantasy World before retheme to X-Sector)
- Nemesis, What Lies Beneath (opening March 2012)
- Nemesis
Nemesis is Europe's first inverted roller coaster located at Alton Towers, England. The ride's concept was created by John Wardley. It is manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard and opened in 1994...
(opened 1994)
- Ripsaw (opened 1997)
- Skyride (opened 1987; damaged by fire 2007; refurbished 2009; damaged by fire 21 July 2009; Rebuilt for the 2010 season.)
- The Edge: Video Arcade
Food, drink and shops:
- Forbidden Treats
- Fresh Fish and Chips (Take-Away)
- The Generator - Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
- Nemices Donuts
- Refresh@Ripsaw
- Air Shop
Dark Forest
The
Dark Forest opened in March 2010; replacing Ug Land which opened in 1999. Dark Forest is themed as a supernatural area of woodland that has been disturbed by recent excavation of an ancient burial ground. The new ride for 2010 was unveiled as 'Thirteen', themed as a haunted
cryptIn architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
and features the world's first freefall drop on a rollercoaster. The ride replaced the
CorkscrewCorkscrew was a steel roller coaster made by Vekoma of the Netherlands. The coaster was located in the Ug Land area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. It was the park's oldest ride and as one of the first British steel coasters, as well as one of the first double-looping coasters in Europe...
; the park's original rollercoaster. Along with Thirteen's opening, the surrounding land was rethemed into the Dark Forest with refurbished outlets and game stalls to fit the theme. Rita, an existing rollercoaster, was also altered, with new station and train designs to look 'engulfed' by the supernatural forest.
Attractions:
- Th13teen (Opened March 2010; replaced Corkscrew
Corkscrew was a steel roller coaster made by Vekoma of the Netherlands. The coaster was located in the Ug Land area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. It was the park's oldest ride and as one of the first British steel coasters, as well as one of the first double-looping coasters in Europe...
)
- Rita (Opened 2005, re-themed 2010)
Live Shows and Entertainment:
- Wraiths of the Dark Forest - at select times of the year (Since 2010)
Food, drink and shops:
- Forest Feast
- Tormented Treats
- Rita Shop
- Thirteen Shop
- Woodcutter's Bar & Grill
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Cloud Cuckoo Land is aimed at the younger audience of Alton Towers, and is themed with bright colours incorporating oversized flowers and toadstools, as if in a fantasy garden. Among the attractions are a bouncy castle play area called Wobble World, regular shows in the Theatre, and a Wave Swinger ride called the Twirling Toadstools. 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, based on the
Roald DahlRoald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
novel.
The PeugeotPeugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
Driving School gives children the opportunity to ride their own miniature car around a British style road network.
After a fire which destroyed the previous Skyride station in this area took place last year, the Skyride was made nonoperational for the rest of 2009. A new building was built with a brighter appearance. The ride reopened at the start of 2010.
Attractions:
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride is a dark ride located in the Cloud Cuckoo Land area of Alton Towers theme park, Staffordshire, England. It is based upon the famous Roald Dahl book of the same name, and takes its thematic inspiration from the illustrations of Quentin Blake...
(opened 2006, replaced Toyland Tours which in turn replaced the original boat ride Around the World in eighty days)
- Frog Hopper (opened 1999)
- Galloper's Carousel (opened 1991; refurbished 2009)
- Peugeot 207 Driving School
The Peugeot 207 Driving School is a ride at Alton Towers for young children. It is basically a mock driving institution, where young children learn how to drive small cars, sponsored by Peugeot. The children are then allowed to drive around a miniature course, where they are overseen by marshalls....
(opened 2006)
- Wobble World indoor-play area (opened 2009)
- Twirling Toadstool (opened 2009-originally located in Ug Land)
Live Shows and Entertainment:
- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, also known as Ice Age 3, is a 2009 3-D computer animated film. It is the third installment of the Ice Age series, produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox...
(opening March 2012)
Food, drink and shops:
- Cuckoo Diner - Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
- Caffe Express
- Wobble World Cafe
- Cuckoo Toys
Navigation:
- Skyride (Opened 1988, refurbished 2009. The new station was opened in 2010.)
X-Sector
X-Sector is themed as if it were a sinister futuristic government facility. The area contains the innovative
OblivionOblivion is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in England. The ride opened as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster in March 1998 amidst a large publicity campaign. The ride has a height restriction of 1.4 metres...
ride, the world's first roller coaster with a vertical (88.8°) drop. The extra-wide roller coaster cars are held suspended over the edge for a maximum of three seconds before dropping downwards into a large hole amid mist and sirens thrown a pitch-black tunnel, and then re-emerging into a heavily banked turn leading back into the station. From the start of the 2011 season, it is sponsored by
FantaFanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks from the Coca-Cola Company. There are over 90 flavors worldwide. The drink debuted in Germany in 1941 and originally sold only in Europe.-History:...
Two thrill rides are located in the X Sector:
Submission, which opened in 2001 and is a double swing inverter;
EnterpriseThe Enterprise is an amusement ride, manufactured primarily by HUSS Maschinenfabrik in 1972. The ride was an adaptation and improvement of a design produced earlier that year by Schwarzkopf, with an increased passenger capacity. Despite not owning the original incarnation of the ride, HUSS was...
which has been at the park since 1984, originally located where the Dark Forest is today, and is a HUSS enterprise. A giant blue building, which once held the
Black Hole roller coaster, lies disused to one side of the area. A game arcade next to
Oblivion's gift shop and the 'Meltdown' restaurant, selling KFC fast food, can also be found here.
Attractions:
- Enterprise
The Enterprise is an amusement ride, manufactured primarily by HUSS Maschinenfabrik in 1972. The ride was an adaptation and improvement of a design produced earlier that year by Schwarzkopf, with an increased passenger capacity. Despite not owning the original incarnation of the ride, HUSS was...
(opened 1984)
- Oblivion
Oblivion is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in England. The ride opened as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster in March 1998 amidst a large publicity campaign. The ride has a height restriction of 1.4 metres...
(opened 1998)
- Submission (opened 2001)
Food, drink and shops:
- Meltdown - (KFC until 2011 and Pizza Hut until 2009)
- 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. The main ride is the Sonic Spinball, based on the hit SEGA video game franchise Sonic the Hedgehog. It's a Maure Sohne spinning roller coaster, in which riders sit in seats that can spin on its base whilst travelling fast around the twisted track. There is one other attraction, 'Space Adventures' playground. The area also contains a food outlet.
BeastieBeastie was a steel family roller coaster made by Pinfari of Italy. The coaster is located in the Adventure Land area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England...
, a small kiddie roller coaster is standing but not operating (SBNO) in the area.
Attractions:
- The Beastie
Beastie was a steel family roller coaster made by Pinfari of Italy. The coaster is located in the Adventure Land area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England...
SBNO (opened 1983, Closed late 2010)
- Sonic Spinball (opened 2004, rethemed 2010)
Food and drink:
Storybook Land
Storybook Land is the park's smallest area and only contains one attraction: the 'Squirrel Nutty Ride' where riders travel around the area in acorn-shaped, powered cars that go around most of the way around the area. Storybook Land was created in 1996 when Kiddies Kingdom was split into this area and Adventure Land. The area contains no food outlets.
Attractions:
- Squirrel Nutty Ride (opened 1996)
Live Shows and Entertainment:
- Meet and Greets with Squirrel Nutty (Since 2010)
- Farm Animal Talks
Old MacDonald's Farmyard
Themed around a traditional farm, this area contains a small
petting zooA petting zoo features a combination of domestic animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, also called children's farms or petting farms, many general zoos contain a 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
Ribena Berry Bish Bash, that contains thousands of small foam balls that are propelled, raised, thrown, dropped and shot from air cannons, now called Berry Bish Bash. In 2007, a new themed playarea opened called
There's Something in the Dungheap, especially for youngsters, with a maze, a playground and a picnic area. The main feature is a large pile of dung in which visitors can enter to find interactive insects crawling the floor, made possible by a projector and sensor.
Attractions:
- Berry Bish Bash (opened 2003, originally sponsored by Ribena)
- 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)
The Gardens
As an example of the mixed style of
Humphry ReptonHumphry Repton was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century...
's gardens, Alton Towers' garden was begun,
circa 1814 by the eccentric 15th
Earl of ShrewsburyEarl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the peerage of England.-First creation, 1074:The first creation occurred in 1074 for Roger de Montgomerie, one of William the Conqueror's principal counselors...
, 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
StonehengeStonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
, a
Dutch gardenThe Dutch garden is distinguished by its dense atmosphere and efficient use of space. On an international level, a garden with tulips is also easily labelled as a Dutch Garden....
, a Pagoda Fountain, said to be based on the To Ho pagoda in Canton,
Lysicrates' Choragic MonumentThe Choragic Monument of Lysicrates near the Acropolis of Athens was erected by the choregos Lysicrates, a wealthy patron of musical performances in the Theater of Dionysus to commemorate the award of first prize in 335/334 BCE, to one of the performances he had sponsored...
from
AthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
(a feature in English gardens since the 1760s), domed glasshouses (originally gilded), even a fairly large
MatterhornThe Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
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:
- Chinese Pagoda Fountain
- The Swiss Cottage
- Miniature 'Stonehenge'
- A Greek Choragic Monument
- Orangeries
The gardens are currently ran down and left to fall back into history. Little work has been done to the gardens as most is focussed on the rides and, of course, higher profit margins by the owner of the theme park- the Merlin company. One of the landmarks (shown above) is in a deteriorating state currently- the Chinese Pagoda Fountain. The vivid green and red paint is unfortunately vanishing and the ponds around it are extremely poor. More towards the top end of the gardens, towards the Towers themselves, the Conservatories are also, unfortunately, in a poor state- completely empty, fountains turned off with many broken glass panels. People can only hope profits are turned more towards the reconstruction of the gardens as well as more of an influence on the deteriorating towers in the future. From images back in the 1980s, with the angle more towards the roller coasters than the gardens, there is a definite decline in funding for these over 150 years old gardens.
The Towers
The Towers ruins are the source of the park's name. They belonged to the Talbot family as a stately home. The ruins are open to the public during most of the open season. However, some areas are closed off as part of a £1.1 million project in place to restore the oldest parts of the Towers.
Hex - the Legend of the TowersHex - The Legend of the Towers is an attraction designed by John Wardley at UK theme park Alton Towers. It opened in 2000 and features a walkthrough of part of the genuine ruins of the Towers themselves, an interpretation of an old local legend, and a finale featuring a Vekoma Madhouse...
, a walk-through dark ride based within the ruins themselves, opened in 2000. The finale to the ride is a
Vekoma MadhouseA Vekoma Madhouse is a flat ride manufactured by Vekoma. The ride is designed to be an optical and physical illusion, consisting of several rows of seats attached to a swaying gondola within a rotating drum...
located away from the real Towers but themed as a secret vault. The storyline is based on
StaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
's true legend about the
chained oakThe Chained Oak is the local legend of Alton Village in Staffordshire, England.-Legend:The legend goes that on an autumn night in 1821, the Earl of Shrewsbury was returning to his home in Alton Towers when an old woman suddenly appeared in the road....
tree, located in a nearby forest, and makes use of the history of the Towers.
In addition, a temporary scare maze,
Terror of the Towers, operates during the park's Halloween 'Scarefest' event and has done yearly since 2002. It takes guests through a tour of the ruins and uses live actors, lighting, mist and sound effects to add atmosphere. The attraction won the 2009 London Screamie Awards for 'Best Seasonal Attraction/Maze'.
Key areas:
- Hex - The Legend of the Towers
Hex - The Legend of the Towers is an attraction designed by John Wardley at UK theme park Alton Towers. It opened in 2000 and features a walkthrough of part of the genuine ruins of the Towers themselves, an interpretation of an old local legend, and a finale featuring a Vekoma Madhouse...
(dark ride) (opened 2000)
- Terror of the Towers: What Lies Within (seasonal attraction)
- The Banqueting Hall
- The Chapel
- Conservatories
- Her Ladyship's Gardens
Timeline of Theme park areas
| Areas in 1980 |
Areas in 1984 |
Areas in 1986 |
Areas in 1992 |
Areas in 1994 |
Areas in 1995 |
Areas in 1997 |
Areas in 1998 |
Areas in 1999 |
Areas in 2008 |
Areas in 2009 |
Current Areas |
|
Kiddies Kingdom |
Adventure Land |
| Talbot Street |
Land of Make Believe |
Cred Street |
Cloud Cuckoo Land |
| Talbot Centre |
Festival Park |
UG Land |
Dark Forest |
| Ingestre Centre |
Aqualand |
Katanga Canyon |
| Merrie England |
Mutiny Bay |
|
Thunder Valley |
Forbidden Valley |
|
Gloomy Wood |
| The Gardens |
|
Britannia Farm |
Safeway Farm |
Old MacDonalds Farmyard |
|
Storybook Land |
| Towers Complex |
|
Towers Street |
| Springfield Centre |
Fantasy World |
X Sector |
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 à 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 including:
- Pirate Bill's Magic Show
- Live Bands and Singers
- Character Photoshoots with Darwin the Dodo and Alton Bear.
Splash Landings Hotel
The Splash Landings Hotel is the newer of the two hotels, opening in 2003, it has a colourful exotic Caribbean theme and the main feature is the
Cariba CreekAlton Towers Waterpark, also known as Cariba Creek and Splash Landings, is an indoor/outdoor waterpark themed as a tropical lagoon. It is located in the Alton Towers resort, next to the Splash Landings hotel in Staffordshire, England....
Waterpark. The hotel features Flambo's Exotic Feast, a buffet restaurant with a wide selection of food including roast dinner and a chocolate fountain, also serving a buffet breakfast. Above Flambo's Feast is the Ma Garrita's Bar. 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 souvenirs and the other offering swimming costumes and other waterpark related sundries. There is also an arcade near Flambo's restaurant. In all the public elevators in the hotel, when they are in motion, the theme tune to
Captain PugwashCaptain Pugwash is a fictional pirate in a series of British children's comic strips and books created by John Ryan. The character's adventures were adapted into a TV series, using cardboard cut-outs filmed in live-action , also called Captain Pugwash, first shown on the BBC in 1957, a later colour...
is played, and stops as soon as the doors start opening. Splash Landings also plays host to "Ringo's Kids Club," new for 2011. Activities include:
- Ringo's Pirate Workshop
- Facepainting
- Ringo's Dance Workshops
- Pirate Bill's Magic Show
- Party Time with Ringo!
- Ringo's Bed Time Story
- Ringo's Fish Tank Talk
- Character Photoshoots with Ringo the Lemur and Alton Bear
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)
The Alton Towers Waterpark, previously known as Cariba Creek, opened in 2003. It is a large, part indoor and part outdoor waterpark themed as a tropical lagoon. It is located within
The Splash Landings Hotel and is available for both guests at the hotel and members of the public. The park features several fast slides, a
lazy riverA lazy river is a water ride found in many amusement parks or water parks. They are also found at some resorts and recreation centers. It usually consists of shallow pool that flows similarly to a river....
, a giant tipping bucket and many other water features. Also located here is Quencher's bar, which was previously themed as a
shipwreckA shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
until 2007 when it was extended.
Extraordinary Golf
In 2007, Alton Towers opened
Extraordinary Golf, 2 nine hole themed
crazy golf courses, located near
The Splash Landings Hotel. Each of the holes have themes based on attractions within the themepark e.g. Nemesis. As with Cariba Creek, this facility is aimed at the general public as well as park and hotel guests. The standard price is £5 to play one 9 hole course or £6 to play all 18 holes.
Music
The music played at Alton Towers is a combination of commercial tracks, library music and commissioned music.
The following composers have had their music played at the park:
- Graham Smart
- Ian Habgood
Ian Habgood is a British television and film score composer, producer and instrumentalist.-Early Work:After graduating from Newcastle College in 1996 he moved to London and began composing music for Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Madame Tussauds...
- David Buckley
- Crispin Merrell
- John Sanderson
In the Hall of the Mountain KingIn the Hall of the Mountain King is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg for the sixth scene of Act II in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, which premiered in Christiania on February 24, 1876....
by
Edvard GriegEdvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
is the theme park's theme tune used in adverts, and played throughout the park.
List of past rides
2010
- Thirteen, a £15million rollercoaster opened on 20 March 2010. The ride is built on the site of the removed Corkscrew
Corkscrew was a steel roller coaster made by Vekoma of the Netherlands. The coaster was located in the Ug Land area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. It was the park's oldest ride and as one of the first British steel coasters, as well as one of the first double-looping coasters in Europe...
rollercoaster. The new ride features the world's first vertical freefall drop, and was manufactured by Intamin AGIntamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Sandor Kernacs. The Intamin brand name is an...
. A new area, the Dark Forest, opened up with Thirteen and has a spooky/gothic theme based in a haunted forest. The nearby Rita coaster was given a retheme to allow continuity with the rest of the area.
- Alton Towers made a deal with Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
at the end of 2009 to give Spinball Whizzer a sponsorship. The ride was partly rethemed with Sega's famous mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog for February Half Term of the 2010 season. The ride's name was changed to Sonic Spinball, named after the 1993 video game by Sega.
- The Skyride station in the Cloud Cuckoo Land area of the park was rebuilt and the ride attraction is now operational again. The new building replaced the original 1980s station, which was destroyed by a fire in July 2009.
2011
The main new installation for the 2011 season will be the
Go!Go!Go!Go!Go!Go! is a British musical group. It is part of a cross-media project comprising the pop group, theatre show and interactive website , aimed at primary-age children.-The Go!Go!Go! Show:...
Show; a pop musical show aimed at children. The show will perform regularly throughout the season in the Cloud Cuckoo Land area of the park.
Originally, it was rumoured, there were plans for a Shrek 4D attraction in the disused ice tent based in Storybook Land; along with a retheme of Storybook Land/Old MacDonalds Farmyard to Far Far Away from the films. However, these plans were scrapped by
DreamWorksDreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...
.
2012
Planning permission has been granted for an indoor ride in Forbidden Valley on the site used for the climbing wall "Lava Lump"; adjacent to Nemesis. People believe that the ride element could be an indoor drop tower, due to there being a 6m area underground. On October 5 Alton Towers released their Scarefest map which included the words "Nemesis - What Lies Beneath Unleashed 2012"; whether this is the official ride name or just a promotional tag line is not yet known. Groundwork construction for the new attraction began in September 2011 and the new attraction is set to open in March 2012. During the Scarefest 2011 event, actors in Bio Hazard outfits were seen outside the area of the ride, moving people away from a science vehicle which has yellow tape around the area and on the vehicle itself. In October planning permission for the new ride was granted by Staffordshire Moorlands Council; giving the go ahead for construction to begin over the closed season. Alton Towers also released a website dedicated to the ride where visitors to the site can access up-to-date information about the ride's development.
In late 2011, it was announced that a Ice Age 4D attraction would be coming to the park in 2012. The show is to be based around the third Ice Age film, Dawn of the Dinosaurs and will be a unique 4D experience located in the Cloud Cuckoo Land Theatre.
2013 onwards
It was mentioned at the one-off TH13TEEN Event on 19 June 2010 that the
Black HoleBlack Hole was an enclosed steel roller coaster at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. It operated from 1984 until 2005. The coaster was located within a huge silvery black tent that ensured the ride took place in total darkness. The coaster itself was a Jet Star 2, designed by Anton...
tent, unused since the former ride's closure in 2005, could be the site of a new development for the 2012 season. Morwenna Angove, former Head of Marketing at the Resort, stated that work on 'SW7' (see below) may postpone the project, in which case it is likely to take place after 2014 instead.
The next major rollercoaster at the park was also announced at the TH13TEEN Event in June. It was described by Mowenna Angove, as the next "white-knuckle thrill ride". John Wardley, Ride Consultant for Merlin Entertainments, stated that the ride will also include a world's first feature. It will be codenamed "Secret Weapon 7" or "SW7" for short. SW7 will be the next attraction in the 'Secret Weapon' line-up. The ride has been announced for a 2013 opening. There is speculation that it will be a wooden rollercoaster but that is unlikely because of noise and height restriction on the park as well as the safety of wooden rollercoasters. John Wardley, the rollercoaster designer for the park, has been spotted surveying around 'The Flume' area and the X-Sector area with height balloons which see if rollercoasters go above tree height.
Teaser posters have gone up around the Mutiny Bay toll booths. The poster suggests the Flume might be replaced with a "secret weapon" from Switzerland, although seems to be sketchy about the time frame of its arrival or if this will result in the Flume's removal. Also notable is the description of "awesome might", which seems reflective of a comment Merlin Entertainments CEO Nick Varney made.
Development plan
In July 2009, the park outlined a 10-year development plan for the park (2010–19), the aim being to increase visitor numbers, in particular multi-day guests. The plan showed an option for a third hotel or new accommodation of some sort over the coming years. The plan also highlighted areas for development, as well as suggesting the possibility of a new park entrance nearer to the hotels, which could act as a second entrance or replacement to the existing one in Towers Street.
Live concerts
The theme park and backlot car park areas host occasional concerts during the year, these have included
Tina TurnerTina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
,
JamesJames are a British rock band from Manchester, England. They formed in 1982 and were active throughout the 1980s, but most successful during the 1990s. Their hit singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", and "She's a Star" as well as their American College Radio hit "Laid"...
&
Chris de BurghChris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
, among others. Alton Towers celebrated their 30th birthday with an 1980s concert held on 23 May 2010. On 27 June 2010, the park played host to its first full live date within the theme park itself, when
P!nkAlecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
performed during her
Funhouse Summer Carnival TourThe Funhouse Summer Carnival Tour is an extension of the Funhouse Tour , the fourth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Pink. The tour supported her fifth studio album, Funhouse...
.
Alton Towers Live was a past event, which was hosted on 19 June 2011 and saw pop artists such as ;
JLS- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...
,
McFlyMcFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...
,
The SaturdaysThe Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
and Eliza Doolittle perform at the theme park.
Another concert was held at Alton Towers on 6 July 2011 which featured
The Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
as the main act and had supported acts such as
LMFAOLMFAO is an American electro pop duo consisting of rappers, producers, dancers, and DJs Redfoo and SkyBlu . The group formed in 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Redfoo is SkyBlu's uncle. Redfoo is also the son of music mogul Berry Gordy, SkyBlu a grandson...
,
LabrinthTimothy McKenzie , better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. McKenzie is signed to Simon Cowell's record label Syco, becoming the first non-talent show signing in six years...
and
ParadeParade are a British five piece girl group, who are currently signed to Asylum Records. The band has five members: Emily Biggs, Lauren Deegan, Bianca Claxton, Jessica Agombar and Sian Charlesworth. They are currently working on their debut album. Before Parade, Biggs was a member in the girl group...
. The Black Eyed Peas announced that this would be their last U.K performance as they would be taking an indefinite break.
February Half Term
The theme park traditionally opens selected attractions during February half-term in the closed season, prior to the main opening in March. The 2011 ran from 19–27 February 2011 and included a selection of thrill and family rides, it is currently expected to return in 2012.
Scarefest
The park's major annual event is 'Scarefest' which celebrates
HalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
with a number of temporary scare maze attractions, costumed characters and extended opening hours to 9:00PM. Many rides and areas are lit with coloured lighting at night, with rides operating in the darkness after dusk. The Scarefest event has been running since 2007, although the park started celebrating Halloween with decoration several years before. This year's Scarefest will run from 15–31 October 2011 and feature a new Zombie themed Scare Zone and the move of Carnival of Screams and The Boiler House to the main theme park.
Current seasonal attractions
- Terror of the Towers - What Lies Within, a long scare maze situated inside the Towers themselves, first introduced in 2002. This attraction has seen several different incarnations since its debut. A new format was introduced in the 2009 Scarefest event, along with the new tagline "What Lies Within" replacing "Bloodfest Banquet". Visitors queue outside in Her Ladyship's Gardens, and the attraction itself starts in the derelict Conservatories. Batches of guests watch a short pre show video showing two men exploring inside the Towers in search of ghosts. The video then unexpectedly cuts short, and guests enter the Towers in order to find them. At certain points in the maze, the bodies of the two men are each seen hanging from a noose. Visitors become lost in the lengthy corridors and themed scenes in the Towers, with live actors pursuing them in every room. The finale to the attraction is a maze-like walkway that winds around actors in cages, with intense strobe effects.
- The Boiler House is a scare maze first introduced in 2008, and was situated next to the Alton Towers Hotel. Originally, the scare maze was based around an abandoned industrial facility and featured live actors in make up. This was changed in 2009, when a new storyline was added. The scare maze is now based around the fictional "Hamble Twins" serial killers hiding in the industrial building, and visitors have to escape them as they are chased through the scenes. Visitors queue outside, past a van labelled "Alton News 24", from which television screens play news reports on the activity of the serial killers. Guests then walk through a covered walkway, which hides the marquee that the maze is contained in from view. Once inside, a man appears and warns guests about the dangers of coming inside. The murderers then appear and kill him, before chasing visitors away. Each of the Twins are played by two different actors wearing the same grotesque, latex mask. They appear at different points in the maze, creating the illusion that one character is in several places at once. Dim lighting and scent effects are heavily used. For the 2011 Scarefest, The Boiler House moved along with the Carnival of Screams to the X Sector, where they both shared the old Black Hole tent.
- Carnival of Screams is a scare maze that opened for the first time during the 2010 Scarefest event. During its debut at the 2010 Scarefest, the Carnival of Screams shared the same temporary building as the Boiler House. The attraction was entered through a large clown face with enhanced horrific features, but was relocated with the Boiler House to the X-Sector area inside the park for the 2011 event. The maze is a mixture of funny "laugh out loud" moments and serious scares. The music used during the scare maze is the Toy Land Tours music that has been slightly warped for dramatic effect (Toyland Tours was a former attraction at the resort). John Wardley is known to have contributed heavily to the development of this Scarefest attraction.
- "Zombie Scarezone" is a new for 2011 walk through scare zone themed to a nuclear fallout where zombies roam the earth. This will be located on the path between Sonic Spinball and X-Sector.
- "TH13TEEN: After Dark" features an enhanced queue line experience for Alton Towers' newest roller coaster, including fog and lighting effects as well as live actors.
Past seasonal attractions
- Terror of the Towers. The first incarnation of this long-running annual scare maze was introduced in 2002, and was located in the Towers ruins themselves. Many scenes from the original maze are still used every year. Visitors walked through the long, winding corridors of the Towers, through many different themed scenes, whilst being pursued by live actors. The finale featured a winding pathway around actors behind fences, who lunged towards visitors, accompanies with heavy strobe effects. Terror of the Towers returned for the 2003 season, but was completely restructured and gained the new tagline and theme "Bloodfest Banquet".
- Terror of the Towers - Bloodfest Banquet was a new version of the successful Terror of the Towers scare maze, running from 2003 to 2008. It retained much of the original version, but featured new scenes that included scripted dialogue from the several characters, and a new storyline was added. The strobe maze finale was moved to another point in the maze and replaced by a new ending, in which visitors become trapped in a small room with cages on every side, as actors reach for them through the metal bars for almost a minute. Every year, Terror of the Towers kept changing slightly with revised scenes and new scares. However, for the 2009 Scarefest event, Terror of the Towers was once again completely rethought, with the tagline "What Lies Within". The new incarnation drops the scripted scenes and characters, meaning it is similar to the original Terror of Towers of 2002. The whole layout for the maze was also reversed, with what was previously the entrance becoming the exit.
- Room 13 was first introduced in 2006 and was located in the conference room of the Alton Towers Hotel. It was only available to guests of the hotel, who were lead around the maze as many live actors appeared to scare them. Room 13 had positive reviews and returned in 2007, but was replaced by The Boiler House in 2008.
- Field of 1000 Screams was first introduced in the 2007 Scarefest event and was the first maze at Alton Towers not situated inside a pre-existing building. The Field was located entirely outdoors in a moderately sized field of maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, which had to be planted especially for the event several months earlier. It was based around the fictional village of Altonville, that had supposedly become overrun by zombies. Visitors walked down a long pathway cut through the corn, and encountered various characters and scares along the way, before the finale took place. Each year the maze developed slightly with different scenes, with the storyline continuing on from the previous year's backstory. The Field of 1000 Screams was received with positive reviews in its first few seasons, but did not return for the 2010 event.
- Haunted Hollow Live was first seen in 2007 and consisted of several sinister, costumed actors performing along the Haunted Hollow walkway in Gloomy Wood. The attraction was similar to Duel Live, which was introduced the year later. Haunted Hollow Live returned for the 2008 Scarefest event, but was cancelled for 2009 because of incidents involving actors being attacked.
- Duel Live was first introduced in the 2008 Scarefest event. Throughout this period, the park's haunted house dark ride, Duel
Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back! is an attraction at the Alton Towers theme park near the village of Alton in Staffordshire. It is located in the former Haunted House and is similar in design to the original, but riders can now fire laser guns at animatronic zombies and other ghosts, who...
, became host to this attraction, which included several live actors situated around the ride circuit. Duel was available to ride normally until 12PM, when the laser guns and LED targets were switched and the actors took their positions. This was changed in 2009, when Duel Live took place throughout the whole day and many more actors than the previous year were present. Duel Live was aimed at the family audience, and included such features as new music playing throughout the ride (instead of the usual Duel theme music), as well as a butler or maid who would welcome you inside the house. The attraction was changed slightly for the 2010 season and is now based around the park's Scarefest mascots.
- Skelvin's Haunted Adventure was a newer version of Duel Live, introduced in 2010, and took over Duel - The Haunted House Strikes Back!
Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back! is an attraction at the Alton Towers theme park near the village of Alton in Staffordshire. It is located in the former Haunted House and is similar in design to the original, but riders can now fire laser guns at animatronic zombies and other ghosts, who...
throughout Scarefest. As in previous years, the attraction included live actors situated at different points around the ride. The laser guns and LED targets were switched off during this time. The ride was based around the Scarefest mascots, notably the character of "Skelvin".
Adrenalin Week
Adrenalin Week has run since the 2005 season, but had a break in 2008 after low attendance during the 2007 event. From 2–7 November 2009, the park's ten biggest thrill rides (including Air, Nemesis, Oblivion, Rita-Queen Of Speed and Enterprise) were in operation for the last time in 2009, with admission to the park costing just £10 in advance or £15 on the day. The event did not run in 2010. However in 2011 an similar event did run it was not called the "Adrenalin Week" however low price entry was granted with similar rides open to previous years also.
Winter
The Splash Landings and Alton Towers hotels are open throughout Winter. Visitors can still enjoy Cariba Creek water park, Extraordinary Golf and Spa while most of the theme park is closed. Selected areas are open in Winter for the Christmas event, in which the Old McDonald's Farmyard area of the park is decorated for the special occasion and home to real reindeer.
Fireworks
From the 1990s, Alton Towers hosted an annual fireworks event on the Great Lawns, which often attracted tens of thousands of visitors. The displays, although stunning, were considered disruptive by some, which led to complaints from local residents. Two local residents, Suzanne and Stephen Roper, decided to take the theme park to court regarding this issue. The court issued Alton Towers with a noise abatement order in October 2005, this restricted the theme park to three shows a year, previously five, with noise readings not exceeding 40 decibels outside the park. This led to the park temporarily abandoning the fireworks event. However, the 2010 season finished with an impressive fireworks and laser show, which ran from 5–7 November, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the theme park. The park hosted the event again in 2011 and was open until 9pm; with most major rides open.
It is also of note that the Earl of Shrewsbury made use of fireworks as part of the Grand Fetes held at Alton Towers in the 1890s, when Alton Towers was still a stately home.
The Ultimate Event
Every year, usually in May, Alton Towers plays host to
The Ultimate Event. It consists of "a day of fun and live pop music." People can spend the day in the park before going to a concert at the end.
80s Disco
On 23 May 2010 Alton Towers Resort had an 80s Disco to celebrate thirty years of the park. Featuring a concert with 1980s pop stars including '
Kim WildeKim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
', '
Midge UreJames "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...
', '
BananaramaBananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
' and '
Rick AstleyRichard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
'.
Alton Towers Resort DVD
The Alton Towers Resort DVD system enables visitors to have footage captured of them as they visit eight of the main rides and other various locations around the park, by wearing optional RFID wristbands during their stay. The wristbands can later be returned to the shop (located on Towers Street); where the personalized footage is collected and compiled alongside stock footage of the rides, to produce a
DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
souvenir of the visitor's day.
The system features personalised footage on
NemesisNemesis is Europe's first inverted roller coaster located at Alton Towers, England. The ride's concept was created by John Wardley. It is manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard and opened in 1994...
, Rita, Sonic Spinball,
OblivionOblivion is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in England. The ride opened as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster in March 1998 amidst a large publicity campaign. The ride has a height restriction of 1.4 metres...
,
AirAir is a steel flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The ride was the first flying roller coaster designed by the Swiss manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard...
, The Flume and
Congo River RapidsCongo River Rapids is a river rafting ride made by Intamin. The ride is located in the Katanga Canyon area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The rapids course come close to the Runaway Mine Train as it passes through the tunnel, and also features twin waterfalls that the boats pass...
. Customers can preview their footage before they buy the DVD.
The system was originally known as "YourDay" and was run by a separate business to Alton Towers. It was first installed in the 2007 season. YourDay officially went into administration on 31 March 2009, and failed to open at the start of the 2009 season. However, the shop reopened for business in October 2009 for the final weeks of the season after Alton Towers decided to take over the concept and run the system themselves. YourDay remained closed again throughout the first few months of the 2010 season, before being rebranded as the "Alton Towers Resort DVD" and reopened again. The shop, system and footage used remains much the same.This has since been closed down for the 2011 season.
Controversy
- 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.
- On 20 July 2006, an accident involving the Runaway Mine Train
The Runaway Mine Train is a powered steel roller coaster made by MACK Rides of Germany. The ride is located in the Katanga Canyon area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England....
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. See Incidents at European parksThis is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various European amusement parks, water parks, or theme parks. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise...
for more information on accidents that occurred at Alton Towers
- 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
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism. This epizootic saw 2,000 cases of the disease in farms in most of the British countryside. Over 10 million sheep and cattle were killed in an eventually successful attempt to...
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.
- In July 2006 a story broke that Alton Towers had been hired out for the day by a Muslim group, so people of Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
faith could attend the resort for the whole day and perform prayers and other Islamic activities. It was, however, attacked by critics as an example of political correctnessPolitical correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
. It was discovered that the same day had already been booked for a wedding for a non-Muslim couple and their 60 invited guests. The couple were told they were allowed to attend the day, but had to respect the Muslim rules. The event was eventually cancelled due to lack of interest.
- In October 2006, 15 out of 19 fast food outlets, and an independently run KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
failed local council health inspections.
- In August 2009, Alton Towers hit the press with its decision to ban men from wearing Speedo
A swim brief, or racing brief, refers to any briefs style male swimsuit such as those worn in competitive swimming and diving. The popularity of the Australian Speedo brand racing brief has led to the use of its name to refer to any racing brief, regardless of the maker...
style swimming briefs.
- The Sun published an article on 29 Jul 2010 stating that the resort had banned sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
in certain sections of the hotels, because "a string of families moaned to staff that they were kept awake by noises from neighbouring rooms".
Restrictions
Alton Towers is set in a dedicated
Conservation AreaIn the United Kingdom, the term Conservation Area nearly always applies to an area considered worthy of preservation or enhancement because of its special architectural or historic interest, "the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance," as required by the Planning ...
, which puts a restriction on the height of any ride or building development in the park. It has been agreed with the local council that no buildings should be built above the tree line and if so should be disguised to fit the landscape; this can be seen on the ride Rita, where part of the track is painted dark green to fit in with the trees.
Noise pollution is also a problem for the park due to the close proximity to the villages of Alton and Farley. There have been several cases where Alton Towers have been taken to court over the noise levels emitted from the park and have been served noise abatement orders in 2004 and 2005.
See also
- List of theme parks in the United Kingdom
- Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd is a British operator of amusement parks and other attractions. It is the largest such company in Europe, and globally the second largest after Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....
(Alton Towers parent company)
- Incidents at European parks
This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various European amusement parks, water parks, or theme parks. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise...
External links