Fire destroys Dreamland roller coaster
It might not be everyone’s idea of heritage, but Save Britain’s Heritage has described the destruction by fire last week of Margate’s impressive and listed Scenic Railway as ‘a tragic loss and a terrible blow to all those who have campaigned locally and nationally to protect and preserve this rare and delightful structure’. The fire occurred on 7 April, and a police investigation is now under way following local reports of arson. The Twentieth Century Society says that it is ‘deeply concerned’ about other buildings on the site, including the 1935 Dreamland Cinema which closed in November 2007. Jon Wright, speaking for the C20 Society, said: ‘The owners of the site have long wanted to clear the site for new development but have been unable to get consent to demolish the country’s only listed wooden roller coaster.’
Constructed in 1919–20, the timber-structured Scenic Railway differs from modern roller coasters in lacking wheels that wrap around and cling to the track; instead the train is pulled up to the start by a cable, and the speed of its descent is controlled by a highly skilled brakeman sitting in the second car of the ride. The Margate example is the second oldest example in the world, after the much altered one in Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, built in 1914.
It remains to be decided whether or not Thanet Council will push for the re-building of the listed structure. Fire has affected the coaster before, in 1949 and in 1957. Only 20 per cent of the structure now remains, so the end result would be, at best, an accurate replica. Even so, the C20 Society argues that it should be rebuilt to ensure that no financial gain would result from the fire and from the development of the site.
Of course more than twenty per cent remains, although that report is based on news reports from last week, which are not strictly accurate.
I feel the urge to e-mail the editor coming on.
http://www.sal.org.uk/salon/
