National Archives : Margate Scenic Railway Company

[ricardobugsy]

There exists a document on the Margate Scenic Railway Company at the National archives at Kew. The company was dissolved in 1920.

Now I don't know what it contains, it may tell us nothing, all I know is that it is about 50 pages in length. I keep meaning to book an appointment to view it but working 6 nights and travelling in the opposite direction has made it difficult for me to do so.

Does anyone know what is in it? Has anyone here ever viewed it or would be interested in viewing it?

Link below;
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cata ... 251625&j=1

[John Humphrey]

My guess is (as the file is dated 1920 - the year the scenic arrived in Dreamland - but refers to a liquidated company) that it refers to the earlier roller coaster elsewhere in Margate. But I could be wrong! Also, Board of Trade papers are likely to refer only to the liquidation of the company. Nevertheless it probably would be worth someone looking at this file if the are visiting Ruskin Avenue in Kew!

[ricardobugsy]

When searching for "Scenic Railway Company" it threw up several other companies. L.A. Thompsons Scenic Railway of Blackpool, Shepherds Bush, Yarmouth etc. and also the Belle Vue Scenic Railway Company ltd.
So I think the Margate one may well refer to the Scenic Railway and not the earlier coaster. (see link below)

However, like you say, it may just contain information about orders regarding winding up/ dissolving of the company. I really don't know.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/sear ... Type=Quick

[Scotchie]

I am there next week so can dig it out, but from past experience these are only likely to be things like share capital, directory and the usual company legal paperwork and rarely anything interesting!!

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

A short lived dummy company may have been set up locally to facilitate the building of the Scenic Railway under license. The design would have had to have been licensed if it was built not directly by the L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway Company, based in New York.
This dummy company was likely dissolved shortly after the project was completed.

[ricardobugsy]

Jim, I believe you may well be right on that score.
Either that or as soon as the costs were recovered the company was dissolved. I believe the scenic paid for itself in a very short space of time.

Scotchie, if you do get a chance to view the file, please can you give us some feedback, even if it is a few figures or a list of some names involved.

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

I'm surprisingly keen for a yank

[Scotchie]

As expected the file is really around company Incorporation (in 1920), Directors, Share Capital and Insolvency in 1937.

Included are details of John Iles and Dreamland Wembley Ltd. All very boring really so I didn't photograph every page !!

If anyone is interested, drop me a PM with your e-mail address and I will share my BT Digital Fault files when they have finished uploading

[Gary]

I tried to think where I had heard the name J H Iles before..and lo and behold it was in an article written by George Drew for themagiceye about the Belle Vue Bobs:

"..During the early 1920s the Belle Vue Zoological Gardens weren't going through the best of times financially. True, there were some amusement rides there, most notably a Figure Eight coaster. Several similar rides existed in other parks in Britain, a nearby one being located at Belle Vue's smaller rival Manchester's White City. By the middle of that decade things changed..

Along came a 'live wire' where amusement rides were concerned, and that 'live wire' was John Henry Iles. He and his family took control of the Belle Vue operation, at the same forming a new company Belle Vue (Manchester) Limited, and marketing the place boldly as:

"The New Belle Vue - The Showground of the World !"
The mid-twenties saw the creation of the Empire Exhibition at Wembley, and among the extravagances created for that event was a Thompson & Iliffe Scenic Railway with which Iles was involved.

At the end of the Exhibition it was intended that all the structures would be destroyed with the exception of the Empire Stadium. However, seeing an opportunity, Iles stepped in and successfully negotiated to bring The Scenic Railway to Belle Vue..

http://www.joylandbooks.com/themagiceye/articles/bobs1.htm

[ricardobugsy]

The archive reveals JH Iles many directorships amongst them
The Jeff Tube Patent Company (an inner tube company) and
The Emborough Stone Company (a quarry he owned in Somerset).

The L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway of Blackpool Company Limited were allowed to let a piece of land in Dreamland for a period of 15 years for the building, erecting and operating of a scenic railway.

The archives then really just revealed a list of shareholders within the company. Those local to Margate on the 1922 list were :

A Read - Merchant -
==============
The then proprietor of Lockwoods Building Yard.

James Hall - Merchant -
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??don't know what he did??
(address given as Lamblan, Roxburgh Rd, Westgate-on-Sea)

J.Bayly - Estate Agent -
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Of Reeve & Bayly - auctioneers, valuers, surveyors & estate agents
Address: 18 Cecil Square, Margate.

E. Lewcomb - Bank
=============
Address: Victoria Avenue, Margate

E.O. Sky - J.P
=========

Many thanx to Scotchie
for sharing the documents.