Unknown Margate ride

[Nick]

I have been sent this postcard, showing a ride at the Lido in Cliftonville, Margate. Can anyone shed any light on what this ride is and when it operated? It looks like some sort of dark ride.

[Gary]

I remember reading about a ride called Dragon Gorge somewhere Nick. Can't remember where or why!

Seems to fit but I can't shed any more light.

Gary

[Gary]

I remember reading about a ride called Dragon Gorge somewhere Nick. Can't remember where or why!

Seems to fit but I can't shed any more light.

Gary

Actually..skip that..methinks that was Coney Island!!

Back to the drawing board..

[Gary]

I remember reading about a ride called Dragon Gorge somewhere Nick. Can't remember where or why!

Seems to fit but I can't shed any more light.

Gary

Actually..skip that..methinks that was Coney Island!!


Back to the drawing board..

..Detective time...I love this sort of thing..

Could it have been Margate New Jersey??...Nope that looks like a British stamp..besides Nick has already said its Margate UK..(I think and type out loud sometimes)

Now then the stamp..date..

The stamp looks like it could be circa 1917 if the bottom image in the link is anything to go by

http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_PC_0/0_post_card_history_-_stamps_4_edward_vii_and_george_v.htm

..Slowly but surely we will get there and resolve the Great Margate Dragon Mystery!

..Calling all postcard detectives...

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

It's postmarked Margate and they say on the card that they went for a ride on it. If you look at the dragon's wing, it appears to be overprinted with LONDON SEP 7 12, which corresponds with the SP 7 code on the postmark, and it looks as though 12- i.e. 1912- could also be the year on the postmark although only the tops of those numbers are visible. I would say this postcard was collected at 10.30 a.m. on September 7th, 1912.

It's probably worth cross-posting this to the Save Dreamland forum which is busier, particularly with people who have local knowledge.

[Simon Baynham]

Hi all.

'Dragon's Gorge' was an L.A. Thompson amusement device based on a scenic railway. They appeared around 1906, and were built with little variation in amusement parks all over the world.

(The Incredible Scream Machine / Page 50 + pic)


Simon B

[porterm]

I've just come across this - afraid I can't help at all here. Fascinating though if it's a relation to L A Thompson's Scenic Railways. I also love these memorabilia type postcard things, especially reading the writer's comments from a bygone era.

Looks like it could be a good feature for Meridian Tonight News on ITV1 in the South of England.

Martin

[Gary]

Not turning up anything at the moment..Like many I suppose, I have tried googling HS Margate Marine series..Nothing..I did come across a publishers called AHS Margate but still nowt...So my attention has turned to the picture: Does it look like there is a place for a driver in there?

Next up my attempts to decipher the handwriting:

Here goes then (Please amend / add / take away as required)

My dear Lionel

Mama and I went for a ride on this fearful dragon and we saw gnomes and fairies driving swans. It was so pretty and only one penny and twopence for ma

Please give love to Aunt and lots of kisses from....Gilly?.

Grotto Ride anyone??

Curioser and curioser

Gary

[Gary]

Moving on a little I asked Les Tomkinson from Club Pleasure Beach if he could shed any more light. (He's definately the man in the know when it comes to postcards)

No specifics about the Margate ride but he commented on what could have been a similar ride in Blackpool:

There was an 'Electric Grotto Railway' featuring fairies and gnomes on Blackpool's Central Pier. It moved to Chapel Street when the Council refused permission for its continued use on the pier, then disappeared for a while. The 'Dwarves Railway' later 'Grotto' later 'Magic Mountain' at the Pleasure Beach appeared soon after, with very similar theming, although there is no absolute proof that it was the same ride.

[Gary]

Well, credence to Les..

I recently bought a postcard showing Blackpool's Electric Grotto on The Central Pier and the picture looks to me to be almost identical to the Margate image above! Sadly no date on my postcard.

Answer: The Electric Grotto Railway

[porterm]

Hi all

Found this whilst visiting Budapest's Vidampark amusement park in August;

I hope the above picture I took is accessible to view. I think I may have cracked the curious former Margate ride postcard image.

Martin

PS Sorry - I seemed to have totally failed with my attempt to share my photo via Photobucket (I'll try later when I get some help etc; I'm hopeless at this stuff!)

[porterm]

Enter album name here
VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

This album has 1 photo and will be available on SkyDrive until 31/01/2011.

This might just work regarding the photo with reference to my previous posting. Hope you can access the photo now.

Martin

[Gary]

I found the postcard at last that I've been looking for!

[porterm]

Hopefully, finally, this is the photo I took at Budapest's Vidampark last August of what I believe to be a working version of this mystery postcard ride.

[/quote]

Martin

[Gary]

Fantastic Martin!!

The Blackpool Central Pier Electric Grotto ride was built in 1904 by Messrs Meinhardt and following objections from the council was removed 3 years later.

I came across this excellent website that also shows a copy of the postcard above I have in my collection plus more artistic impressions of the ride.

http://www.blackpoolpostcards.co.uk/category/central-pier/

No further dates for the Margate ride though...Anyone know?

Otherwise..Case for the Joyland Postcard Detective Agency now officially closed!

Gary