Heritage
Dream Big
Dreamland, Britain’s oldest theme park, is being brought back to life thanks to Hemingway Design, a new operator and a healthy dose of heritage funding. We meet the “Dream Team” making it happen
Dreamland amusement park in Margate in Kent, UK, is being redesigned and restored. After years left derelict, the well-loved attraction is receiving a new identity, courtesy of über-cool studio Hemingway Design. The Dreamland Trust, which waged a long campaign to save the site, secured £18m ($27m, €24m) in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Thanet District Council to make the dream a reality. In addition, the new operator, Sands Heritage Ltd, has invested an undisclosed sum.
On the following pages, Dreamland Margate’s key players – designer Wayne Hemingway, the HLF’s Stuart McLeod and Sands Heritage director Eddie Kemsley – reveal how they’ve been bringing the iconic seaside attraction back to life.
The Dreamland renovation is one of a number of major attractions investments in the area. Kent’s scenic countryside and proximity to London make it an attractive proposition for tourists and daytrippers from the capital and a high-speed rail network makes travelling to the county easy.
The opening of the £17m ($26m, €23m) Turner Contemporary art gallery in Margate in 2011 helped rejuvenate the seaside town. Further investments in Kent include the £2bn ($3.2bn, €2.5bn) London Paramount development in Swanscombe, expected to open in 2020.
DREAMLAND’S HERITAGE
Dreamland has always been an icon and its history helped it get the heritage funding it needed. From its visionary beginnings, it was more than a visitor attraction. It shaped the future and fortunes of its quintessential seaside home, and simultaneously became a catwalk for the fashion and music trends that defined the nation’s youth through different eras.
The site dates back to the 1860s, when it was a venue called the Hall by the Sea. But Dreamland was really born in 1920, when its founder John Henry Iles returned from New York and saw Londoners were using the new railway to visit Margate, creating a demand for an exciting attraction with all the dazzle of New York’s Coney Island.
He purchased the Hall by the Sea for £40,000 and developed the attraction, inspired by what he’d seen in New York. Iles immediately installed the mile-long wooden rollercoaster – the Scenic Railway – and Dreamland’s popularity was instant.
“It was one of the UK’s most loved amusement parks and in its heyday it was welcoming an impressive 2.5 million visitors a year,” says Kemsley, who’s leading today’s Dreamland revival.
In 1935, an Art Deco cinema further transformed the town. The 2,200-seater Dreamland cinema and its unmistakable fin-style design heralded a golden era of Modernist cinema architecture in the UK. “It was one of the first examples of a real leisure complex, with its cinema, restaurants and bingo hall alongside the amusement park,” she says.
Dreamland was visited by the pioneers of youth culture, from the Teddy Boys and Girls of the 1950s to the punk rockers of the 1970s. But the 1970s also brought air travel to the British and Margate began to lose its popularity as a tourist destination as people started going abroad. “The decline of Margate happened over a period of about 40 years, and Margate’s decline was Dreamland’s decline,” Kemsley says.
During the 1980s, under the ownership of the Bembom Brothers, investments were made in the park and it was marketed as a family-friendly attraction. It was sold to Jimmy Godden in the mid-1990s – its demise was not reversed. By 2005, the site was often closed and rumours that Dreamland would be redeveloped were constant. Although the site became derelict, its closure provoked a huge reaction from the public.
“Dreamland was the heartbeat of Margate and its main economic driver for a century, so after the closure a protest group was formed by locals,” says Kemsley.
Thanet District Council gave its support to the group – the Save Dreamland campaign – and years of lengthy legal battles ensued as the site was wrangled from Godden. The council won control in 2013, using a compulsory purchase order.
“The Save Dreamland campaign worked incredibly hard for 10 years to save the site, and their work is what got us where we are today – on the final stretch before Dreamland reopens to the public,” she says.
WAYNE HEMINGWAY
Founder, Hemingway Design
What was the appeal of the Dreamland project?
What isn’t appealing! It’s a wonderful heritage story in Britain’s most happening seaside town. Margate has everything a young, creative community would want. It’s evocative. It has an amazing amount of things to Instagram! And Dreamland is the right thing to be happening in Margate.
What’s driving the change in Margate?
The best regeneration happens when a place gets colonised by communities of artists, designers and musicians, not when governments throw money at a place that’s fallen on hard times. These creative communities look at life differently. They don’t wait to be “regenerated” – they want to do something organic.
The Mitte district in Berlin is an example. The community created one of the most talked about and culturally vibrant places in Europe. And what made Brooklyn cool? It wasn’t Mayor Giuliani throwing millions at it, but the unfairly derided hipsters who saw an opportunity, found unbelievably cheap spaces in Williamsburg compared to Manhattan, and made a new New York.
The same is happening in Margate. Every time we visit we see something new, whether it’s a vintage shop, a cool café, a gallery or design studio.
The Turner Contemporary art gallery opened in 2011. Did that kick off the Margate renaissance?
It was the catalyst. The gallery legitimised the youthful creativity that had been happening in Margate. It also brought 500,000 people into the town, spending in the fledgling businesses. Visitor numbers have reached 1.5 million in three years.
What is the basis of the Dreamland concept?
We’re not putting everything back exactly as it was, but we’re making heritage feel very current. This won’t feel like a museum. It will feel fresh, colourful and of the now. There’s no other visitor attraction in the world like it.
The two major elements of the first phase are the re-imagined seaside amusement park and the event space.
Who else is on your team?
My son, Jack Hemingway, is project leader and he’s directing a young team of twentysomethings. It’s great to have a fresh generation leading the design.
Would you describe the new Dreamland as vintage?
The Arctic Monkeys are a cool band with vintage appeal, but they’re also completely current. The same goes for Paloma Faith. It’s an aesthetic that’s cool and mass market at the same time. Dreamland Margate will be the Arctic Monkeys of the visitor attraction world.
How are you achieving the retro look?
Original artefacts and rides have been sourced from places like Pleasureland Southport and other historic seaside amusement parks and they’ve been restored. They’re absolutely beautiful. Items are being upcycled into seating for cafés or decorations for photo opportunities, for example. We’re designing the site so that wherever you stand it will make a great photo. We expect it to go crazy on social media.
How important was it to create a brand?
We start with the vision and the brand for every project. The brand is always bigger, but it’s got to have substance beneath it.
The branding is contemporary and has the feel of the British seaside. We show the history in the famous fin of the cinema building and the Scenic Railway in the logo. The new name is Dreamland Margate, because they are intrinsic to one another and the name reflects that.
Have you enjoyed working on Dreamland Margate?
It’s certainly the thing at the studio that we talk about the most, agonise over the most and root for the most – and that’s because as well as the excitement of the concept there’s a sense of duty to the community.
When the Dreamland site was unlocked after being unattended for years, 3,000 people turned up to clean, pick up rubbish, remove the weeds. You do it because you’re part of something. There’s a spirit that’s not just making Dreamland happen, but making Margate happen. It’s a dream to be involved and we’ll do everything we can to deliver on this. It’s become part of our DNA as well. We’ve caught the bug.
We cater for pleasure
The Top Dreamland Attractions You Won’t Want To Miss!
1 Scenic Railway The brakeman-operated wooden ride is one of only eight remaining in the world and it’s the UK’s oldest rollercoaster. Dreamland’s signature ride for 90 years, it has survived two fires and one arson attack. It received Grade II* listing in 2002
2S Hurricane Jet Dreamland is restoring a Jets ride almost identical to a ride resident at the park until 1970. The height of the ride path is controlled in-car by the rider. This Lang Wheels ride was sourced from a travelling fair
3 Caterpillar Once found at parks all over the US, the Caterpillar is now incredibly rare. It was loved by courting couples who could enjoy a few moments of privacy while the ride went under a tent-like covering. Installed in Dreamland in the 1920s, John Henry Iles had sole European rights to the ride, which he licensed to Barry Island, Southport and Battersea Pleasure Gardens.
4 Gallopers An original 1920s four-abreast Galloper is also being restored. The popular carousel was one of Dreamland’s staple rides
STUART MCLEOD
Head of HLF South East
Heritage Lottery Fund
How is the Heritage Lottery Fund supporting Dreamland Margate?
Part of every pound spent on National Lottery tickets goes directly to good causes like heritage, the arts, sport and charities. HLF’s share is 20 per cent.
Heritage has an open definition, but generally we see it as anything people value from the past that they wish to conserve and share with future generations.
HLF awards start at £3,000 [$4,579, €4,047] and go to over £5 million [$7.6m, €6.7m]. We awarded the Dreamland Trust £5.8 million [$8.9m, €7.8m].
It’s the 20th anniversary of the National Lottery so it’s a period of reflection for us. Over £600 million [$916m, €810m] has been distributed across our region.
People might not expect we’d be able to support something like Dreamland, but it does deliver against our funding criteria.
What is your role?
I manage a team who assesses applications and monitors awards that are made. We deal with about 400 applications a year – about half receive funding – for the UK’s southeast region.
Do you have any examples of other projects you’ve funded?
The Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth received a cumulative series of grants totalling about £25 million [$38m, €34m].
How do you assess a case?
We look for engaging projects that share and conserve heritage. We also look at the viability and sustainability of the operation.
Can you outline why the Dreamland Margate application was successful?
If you looked at the derelict Dreamland site, the need to do something was absolutely apparent. The great affection with which Dreamland is held has always been very clear, both locally and regionally, so the demand was there. It captures the imagination and that’s always been a very persuasive element with this particular project. You have an audience who’s been ready and waiting for years.
Is this a risk-free investment?
No, it’s a risky project because whatever may have happened in the past, you are effectively starting afresh.
Do you believe Dreamland will benefit the local community?
The location of Dreamland is critical. In terms of national indicators of deprivation, Margate scores highly: unemployment is high, skill levels are low, and so on.
Heritage-led regeneration can contribute to building a more sustainable economic future. Margate was historically extremely dependent on tourism but that economy disappeared almost entirely. But the Turner Contemporary now brings in about £5 million in additional spend to the town annually and people see Dreamland as a critical piece of the jigsaw for the longer term regeneration of Margate.
WORKING ON DREAMLAND
Architects: Ray Hole Architects
Project Management: Spider
Ride Dealer: Sean Brian
Ticketing: Langdale Solutions
EDDIE KEMSLEY
CEO, Sands Heritage Ltd
What are your three highlights from working on the Dreamland project?
Building the senior team, with experts across retail, catering, service, rides and marketing, has been a personal highlight.
Second, working with Hemingway Design. They’ve pushed far beyond industry standards to deliver something that’s going to exceed expectations.
Thirdly, the Scenic Railway is fantastic and it will be great to see it running again.
What will we see at Dreamland Margate?
As well as historic rides and the amusement park, you’ll see the largest pinball parlour in Europe, a dance hall and an education centre. In the event space, we’ll hold festivals, live music and cabaret as well as weddings and corporate parties. There’s also going to be an amazing new twist on an FEC.
The food offering is going to be different, with bespoke cafés, kiosks and roaming catering. Destination dining is a big part of it too. We want people to come for dinner.
Will the attraction have knock-on effects on the surrounding community?
With job creation and its support for peripheral industries like B&Bs, retail and restaurants, it will have a huge impact.
There’s a strong design element. Is that something we’ll see more of?
Yes, I think so. With global influences and best practice widely shared, standards are going up. Attractions are challenged to raise the bar all the time.
There’s a vintage twist to the park, but it is very modern. It’s the best of the past 100 years married with the design and technology of today’s market.
Branding is also very important. We’re lucky we have this fantastic heritage to draw on which allows us to create a brand that has real value from day one.
Could Dreamland Margate be an inspiration for other seaside towns?
I hope so. We’re reinventing seaside fun. We want to show that seaside amusement parks can be done differently and that there’s a new lease of life for them.
Seaside towns have got to do something to reinvent themselves and create a compelling reason to visit when there’s so much choice available to tourists. You’ve got to be bold and daring and put yourself out there if you want to attract visitors in today’s economic climate.
So the market is there, but you need to stand out to persuade people to come?
Yes, the market is there, but you also have to create an audience. Provide something people want, or maybe something they don’t know they want. Your business has to be something that people are compelled to go to.
The excitement is building, isn’t it?
Dreamland was built all those years ago on Iles’ memories of Coney Island. There’s so much nostalgia, history and fondness for Dreamland. We estimate 150 million people have been through Dreamland’s doors and everybody I meet has their memories. We need to capture that. It will be an opening like no other.
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