Dreamland UK attraction to avenge decade of decay with 2015 relaunch
by Katie Buckley | 09 Oct 2014
Eddie Kemsley, director of Dreamland Margate, explains the vision for the attraction's future at a press conference in London / Alice Davis
After 11 years of campaigning, Margate's community can finally believe the fight to save Dreamland is won. The historic seaside attraction has been closed for 10 years and fallen into a derelict state. But Dreamland, in Kent, UK, has announced today it expects to reopen its doors by summer 2015.
Thanks to the relentless Save Dreamland campaign, the site has survived everything from arson attacks to the threat of being destroyed by developers.
"Dreamland was the heartbeat of Margate," said Eddie Kemsley, director at Dreamland Margate. "It had 2.5 million visitors per year in the 1960s and there's no one in Margate who doesn't have memories of the place."
The huge refurbishment required is being undertaken by Hemingway Design, known for their vintage, fun-loving style and socially conscious approach to design. Discussing the firm's plans for Dreamland Margate, founder Wayne Hemingway emphasised the importance of the seaside town itself. "It's British, it's evocative," he said. "It's not like you're being squeezed by big business. Margate is full of energy and it's going to happen."
According to Kemsley, the reinvention of the attraction, costing £18m (€22.9m, US$29.1m) in the first phase, will be "something the attractions sector has not seen before."
The Hemingway design team is preserving and restoring as much as they can, while upcycling traditional rides and amusement park decoration sourced from places like Blackpool Pleasure Beach. It won't be a remake of the original though. "We're making heritage current," said Hemingway. "It's going to feel fresh and of the now."
Dreamland has had a turbulent time since its heyday in the 1960s and 70s, when Margate attracted bands like the Who and the Rolling Stones and London's youthful hipsters. The 1980s saw a downturn in tourism and Dreamland began to fade.
In recent years, Margate has grown into a trendy, cultural destination, thanks in part to the opening of the Turner Contemporary in 2011, but mostly due to its blossoming creative community.
This article was written by Attractions Management managing editor Alice Davis
After 11 years of campaigning, Margate's community can finally believe the fight to save Dreamland is won. The historic seaside attraction has been closed for 10 years and fallen into a derelict state. But Dreamland, in Kent, UK, has announced today it expects to reopen its doors by summer 2015. Thanks to the relentless Save Dreamland campaign, the site has survived everything from arson attacks to the threat of being
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