Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo
Encyclopedia
Flamingo Land is a theme park and resort
located in North Yorkshire
, England. It attracts about 1.8 million visitors per year. Flamingo Land is also the 12th most visited theme park in Europe.
Some of the major attractions at Flamingo Land include:
Also on the site is a gym
, a leisure centre
, a spa
, a golf course
and some other holiday accommodation as well.
was bought up by a resident of Scarborough; an entrepreneur
in the cinema
and theatre
industry by the name of Edwin Pentland Hick
. Hick named the site The Yorkshire Zoological Gardens and initially covered a mere nine acre
s of land. However Hick had grand ideas for the park; a vision which he had since military service during World War II
. Hick has been described as both an eccentric
and a visionary
by his critics. He originally rented animals until receipts allowed him to buy more.
Hick wanted to have dolphins in his park, which at that time were not found anywhere in captivity in the UK. In 1963 he organized expeditions to many locations around the world to capture bottlenose dolphin
s and sperm whale
s, including to the Indian Ocean
and off the coast of Greenland
. Hick was commended for his treatment of the animals, which were fed well and kept in expansive enclosures. One of the dolphins was named Sooty
after Corbett's creation.
A colony of pink
flamingos were among the first animals to be housed on site and, remaining one of the most popular group of animals in the zoo
, the flamingos became a kind of mascot
for the entire park (hence Pentland Hick's final choice of name for the park.) The descendants of the original flamingos are still resident in the zoo today, and the flamingo colony at the park remains the largest in the country.
Throughout the 1960s a small fun fair began to be held on the site, yet another idea of Hick's, only to steadily gain momentum and bring more and more visitors to the site. In the 1970s, the fun fair was well established and amusement rides had become a permanent fixture of the park simultaneous to the zoo
, becoming the first site in all Europe to combine the attractions in one location.
Pentland Hick, believing his "vision" complete, floated the company on the London Stock Exchange
as Associated Pleasure Parks in 1965, and officially renamed the site Flamingo Park Zoo on Monday 12 July 1968. The ownership of the site began to shift about with the steady growth of the park, eventually being sold in full to Scotia Leisure Ltd, a company which dealt mainly with bingo halls and package holiday
s.
However a director of that leisure company was Robert Gibb, who cared for the park greatly and decided to buy the park from the company in 1978, shortly before Scotia Leisure collapsed due to an embezzlement scandal that also left Pentland Hick broke. Hick abandoned the park, moving into theatre and television scriptwriting, and becoming an author
. Meanwhile, his protégé Robert Gibb set up his own board of directors
for the park and formed Flamingo Land Ltd.
Gibb renamed the park Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo and developed the complex so that it was more suited to be a nation-wide instead of a local tourist attraction
, including developing the growth of the amusement rides and the uniqueness of the animals cared for in the zoo
. It was slow process, but a successful one. The year 1991 (whilst still under Robert Gibb's management) was one of the most productive in the park's history; it was in this year that the famous rides Bullet and Thunder Mountain were constructed.
Robert Gibb died in a car accident
in 1995. His son Gordon Gibb
, only 18 at the time, took control of the park with the rest of family, later becoming the chief executive of Flamingo Land Ltd.
in Cleethorpes
since its opening in 1993 until 2010, when it became independent.
On the former site of Cleethorpes Zoo, construction for an amusement park began in the 1990s by RKF Entertainment. During this time RKF went into administration and Robert Gibb purchased the site as a second park to Flamingo Land. When his son Gordon Gibb became Chief Executive of the company, his sister Vicky Gibb and later other sister Melanie Wood (née Gibb) took the responsibility for the Cleethorpes park.
In 2010 Melanie Wood completed her desire to take ownership of the park, separate from the rest of the family company. Pleasure Island is now operated by Dewarsavile Enterprises Ltd, directed by Mrs Wood. This marked the end of Pleasure Island and Flamingo Land's association and the two parks are now independent of each other.
The park still holds many indications of Flamingo Land's ownership. In the past, rides cleared from Flamingo Land for new development were installed at Pleasure Island. Furthermore, the success of the Flamingo Land Lost Kingdom show, the Bongo Warriors, led to the introduction of a copy concept into Pleasure Island under the name Masai Warriors show.
, housing over 1,000 animal
s. Flamingo Land houses exotic
bird
s, rare fish
, mammals and reptiles. Some animals include camels, zebras, guanaco, hippopotamus
, giraffe
, meerkats, Baboons,Chimpanzee, lions, rhinoceros
, tiger
s, sea lion
s, Parrots, and peacocks. The park take part in breeding programmes an example of which is the Mangabeys featured in the 2006 series of ITV1 show 'Theme Park'. Flamingoland official TV stopped broadcasting in 2009, although previous episodes are still available for viewing on their website. In June 2010, Flamingoland started work on a new penguin enclosure, the first stages of which were completed in August 2010.
Many years ago one of the older Flamingo Land elephants, Jangoli went on to give birth to at Chester Zoo
- in this manner the elephants at Chester Zoo are descendants of Flamingo Land's elephants. One of the parks current giraffes is also from Chester Zoo.
The park's male lion, lioness and her cubs were originally located at Longleat Safari Park
before moving to Flamingo Land to start a new pride.
Chessington World of Adventures
was also once the home of one of the park's sea lions, including Benson The Sealion (1984 to 2011)
, a swimming pool
and a café
.
On the outskirts
of the park lies a nine-hole golf course
. Also adjacent to the park runs Costa Beck
, a stream locally noted with crystal-clear water and fly fishing
is available here free to those staying in the holiday village.Trout
, Dace
, Grayling
, Salmon
, Kingfisher
and Pike can all be found in Costa Beck.
Also in the holiday village is the American bar entertainments venue, which is exclusive for caravan owners and people staying on site overnight. It is a venue capable of holding over 1000 people and boasts a large stage and great resident shows as well as light entertainment performed by visiting cabaret acts. Various artists have performed there over the past years, for example in 2009: X Factor finalists such as Maria Lawson
, Same Difference
and Ben Mills
among some others. There were also soap stars who presented in 2009, these included Ryan Thomas
and Mark Hancock. Chesney Hawkes
also appeared on the showbar stage during this season. The venue is only open when the holiday park itself is open, which is from March till early November each year.
Lower Metropolis begins with the main day visitors entrance and contains food outlets such as Metropolis Bar and Grill, gift shop
s, cash machine
s, pay-to-play game stalls, the Flying Clowns ride and The Wave Swinger ride, as well as the New for 2011 Mia and Mylo Show (featuring the New for 2011 mascots Mia and Mylo Meerkat) which replaces the 2009 Postman Pat Show.
Also for the '09 season was the introduction of Pitchers Sports Bar featuring many Televisions showing sports; open all day for guests but provided throughout the night for holiday resort guests where shows are on-stage until closing.
Upper Metropolis is themed as a busy city. It contains such rides as Velocity, Navigator, Wild Mouse and Corkscrew. Corkscrew was first built in 1980 which had a design similar to the Corkscrew at Alton Towers
; however, it is now the only Vekoma Corkscrew ride in UK after the closure of the ride at Alton Towers.
This area of the park has received a lot of attention throughout the seasons with the addition of Velocity, a booster-bike roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma rides and it is the only motorbike launch roller coaster in the UK.
Seaside Adventure
This area is themed on the ocean
and a seaside resort
with such themed stores and Pizza Buffet Restaurant called the 'Jolly Sailor's Restaurant'. There is also the Jolly Sailor Takeaway (for takeaway pizzas) and the 'Something Fishy Takeaway' providing traditional fish and chips. It contains highest drop tower and only S&S Combo Tower in the UK; Cliff Hanger, which is themed as a lighthouse
, although it now only has its trademark red and white panels on the lower part of the tower after complaints it spoilt the views from outside the park (it is now painted a 'blend away' grey on the top half).
Splosh!
This area was introduced for the summer of 2007. "Splish Splash" is a water playground with squirting jets and water dropping palm trees. This has now been refurbished featuring a new colour scheme for the 2011 season. "Splash Battle" is a submarine themed ride where ride cars and off ride posts around the ride are equipped with water cannons.
The thrill ride Flip Flop is located in this area of the park, a Top Swing built by Fabbri. The ride has a large swing through station and sits over a lake with water jet effects.
New for 2008 in this area is the 4D cinema, which screened the "Haunted Lighthouse" film which was also at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and various SeaWorld
parks, and features interactive features to immerse the experience. 2009 saw the Haunted Lighthouse replaced by SpongeBob SquarePants 4D which then was replaced by Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 4D in 2011.
Swooosh
This is a new area for 2011 themed as an area of flight adjacent to Splosh! to allow for a quick transition between water and sky. The area features three rides; Sky Flyer (formally part of Splosh!), Red Baron (formally part of Muddy Duck Farm) and a new family roller coaster for 2011 called Zooom. Zooom is Zamperla Air Force featuring a custom layout and significantly larger footprint than the standard model which has a train themed like 4 aeroplanes suspended from a light blue track.
Muddy Duck Farm
Formally known as the 'Little Monsters Den of Mischief', this area is mainly aimed at children, and includes the attractions Little Monster's Wacky Races and Mischief Mansion. Over the last few years this part of the park has been slowly fazed out to make way for "Muddy Duck Farm" an area themed around the farm animals; however elements of the previous mascots still remain. Furthermore, a safari type ride (like Lost River Ride) has been made (but more child-friendly) is the Tractor Ride where children 'drive' the tractors around the farm animals pens. This area holds a new ride "Helitoys", which takes the centrepiece of the area. The go-gator coaster has been moved to the old "monsters explorium" site which was cleared at the end of 2007 to make way for new rides.
Another New For 2009 Venue is the Coach House Pub which is a traditional family pub serving traditional English country-side food such as chicken and beef dinners and Lasagne Meals.
Lost Kingdom Reserve
Holds Flamingo Lands most ambitious projects ever with such rides as Lost River Ride and Voodoo. In 2006 Kumali was built in this area. Made by Vekoma Rides, Kumali reaches over their lakes at 75 feet high and reaches speeds of 56 mph.
In 2009, a new roller coaster Mumbo Jumbo
opened, manufactured by S&S. It has the steepest drop in the world at 112 degrees and has a Max G-Force of 4G's.
African Plains
An all animal area containing various animal paddocks and is located in a quiet secluded area of the zoo.
On 4 July 2009, Mumbo Jumbo
was opened to the public. The ride contains an angled drop of 112 degrees taking the honour off of Indiana Beach
's Steel Hawg
for the steepest roller coaster in the world when it opened. Flamingo Land expects Mumbo Jumbo to become one of the more popular rides at the resort. The Tidal Wave was removed to make way for this new ride, which cost £4 million. Riders experience forces in excess of 4G and the highest point on the ride is 30 metres.
Cliff Hanger
Installed in 2002 it is the UK's only S&S combo drop tower ride. The ride is themed like a lighthouse
. At 180 feet (55 m) it is the tallest drop tower ride in the UK. During its opening year the ride was very highly themed with red and white stripes up the tower and a red light upon the top. Unfortunately the light and top 80% of the cladding had to be removed due to complaints that the ride ruined the view of the outstanding area of natural beauty in which Flamingo Land sits. All that remains now are the lower parts of the cladding and basethemeing (including rock and storm battered boat details).
This ride is special in that it has multiple modes. The car can operate up and down like a standard S&S Tower, where it is launched upwards to the top, it free falls and is launched halfway, then is lowered and stopped. It can also be switched onto "Combo Mode", where it is launched as usual, then launched again when the car reaches the bottom of the tower, and is lifted to the very top of the tower, where 4 brakes clamp onto special steel brake fins, and clamp it there for a predetermined amount of time. The thrill is you do not know when it will drop, there are no tell-tale sounds or movements. It is then actually launched downwards faster than gravity, is launched back up halfway, then is lowered to the ground.
Velocity
Installed in 2005, it is the UK's only motorbike launch coaster and is the tallest and fastest of its kind in the world. It takes just 2.8 seconds to reach a speed of up to 60 miles per hour (26.8 m/s). The ride opened during the summer on 2 July, with a concert at the park called "Velocity 2005 : Party in the Park". Velocity is one of the main attractions and proves to be very popular with many guests.
Navigator
Installed 2005 it was the first 'Mega' "Disk 'O'" type of ride ever to be built. The ride is very popular with Teenagers and young Adults. Guests must be 4 feet (1.2 m) to ride Navigator.
Kumali
Installed 2006 Kumali
is a Vekoma
Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC). The ride is a custom layout with some new elements for Vekoma SLCs, including the cobra-roll which Flamingo Land wished to be out over a lake. It is named after one of the zoo's lion
s. In 2008 Flamingo Land added video recorders to each car so riders can purchase their own video of them on the ride as well as the on-ride photo. The themed Kumali ride music was written and produced by ElectricStreetPolice, a British TV composer by the name of Paul Bickerdike. Kumali is currently only one of three operating Vekoma SLC's in the UK. The Jubilee Odyssey
at Fantasy Island UK
in Ingoldmells
, Skegness
is the largest and the other Infusion
at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool
is the smallest.
Corkscrew
One of the first rides to arrive at Flamingo Land, but still an all time favourite, it was installed in 1983 when it arrived from up the coast of the North East of England from the Spanish City fun fair. It is standard Vekoma Corkscrew coaster, it is situated in the metropolis area of the park, it is almost identical to the model which existed at Alton Towers
until the end of 2008, as well as having the same name.
Wild Mouse
Installed 1997 is a steel Wild Mouse roller coaster
, manufactured by Maurer Söhne of Germany. In 2007, new themed music and announcements were added. The ride was given a new-look in 2008 season including a repaint with a light blue track and dark red supports also a new station building. A photo is taken on a dip near the end of the ride and video cameras are also installed in the front and back of each car. Photos and DVDs of the ride can be purchased at the booth next to the ride exit.
Splash Battle
Installed in July 2007, Splash Battle was the first interactive water ride in the UK. Ride cars themed as submarines travel along a track where targets must be hit to prevent the riders from being soaked. The submarines have water cannons to hit these targets, but can also be used to aim at other riders, and even people walking nearby the ride. Subsequently, those who choose not to ride do have water cannons on the land, in which they can aim at riders but by doing this they put themselves at risk of being soaked by the rides and also the large volcano the stands in the centre of the lake which erupts every 20 minutes. The Ride is manufactured by one Italian factory named Preston & Barbieri
Flip Flop
Flip Flop is suspended over a man made lake and features two large ship funnels on either side of the station. These funnels have water jets inside of them. The ride is a Top Swing, designed and built by Fabbri
.
Lost River Ride
The Lost River Ride is manufactured by BEAR Rides, and was installed 2004. It is a boat ride that gently meanders through animal enclosures such as rhinos, hippos, giraffes and lions. The ride has speakers at the side of the river playing sound effects, and at one point stops riders near the "African Plains" area. This part has a "Tour Guide" on the speakers, giving riders information on the animals. The ride also features a 60 ft (18.3 m) drop at the end to soak guests.
Sky Flyer
Sky Flyer is a double inverted swinging ship style ride. The ride opened in 1994 (the same as Waikiki Wave) and is located in the Swooosh area along with Red Baron and Zooom.
Zooom
Zooom is a new for 2011 attraction in a new area opening in the same year called Swooosh. The area and ride is themed around flight of which Zooom has its riders in 4 themed aeroplanes. Suspended from the light blue track, the train navigates around its many twists and turns which allow the individual planes the swing and tilt one after the other. The roller coaster is a custom model of the Air Force family coaster by Zamperla rides.
Magnum Force (2000–2005)
A Triple Loop Coaster built by Anton Schwarzkopf
, originally toured German funfairs as Dreier Looping. Now located at La Feria Chapultepec Magico
, Mexico City
.
The Bullet (1991–2005)
Unique shuttle loop
style coaster designed by Schwarzkopf
. Originally known as Wiener Looping and previously operated in Austria, Florida, and on the German travelling funfair circuit before arriving at Flamingo Land. Along with Magnum Force, it was taken by Vekoma
, manufacturer of Velocity and Kumali in part exchange for the new rides. It is now in storage at Vekoma's factory, awaiting sale.
Thunder Mountain (1991–2004)
Enclosed within a rock themed structure to create a dark coaster. The track system was Pinfari Z40.
Top Gun (1996–2004)
Unique attraction where riders sat inside two seater plane themed cars. The cars span around the centre tower while moving toward the top. The riders could choose to turn their cars up-side down during the ride. It was built by Intamin based on the film of the same name
.
Klondike Creek (1999–2003)
Triple drop log flume with a mine theme, believed to have been extended with sections of the removed Drayton Manor
log flume. It was an ageing ride and was removed when the Lost River was built (a more modern water ride).
Crazy Loop (1986–1995)
The parks first ever coaster, was relocated to former sister park Pleasure Island
.
Waikiki Wave (1993–2000) Tidal Wave (2002–2008)
Vekoma Waikiki Wave ride, removed to make way for Mumbo Jumbo.
Terroriser/Circulator (1995–2007)
Designed by Fabbri of Italy, this ride operated under two different names and in two different locations during its time at the park. It was named Terroriser (occasionally written "Terror Riser") from 1995-2004 operating in the Plaza area of the park. In 2005, Terroriser was renamed to the Circulator, and relocated to the then-newly themed area, Metropolis. The ride left the park at the end of the 2007 season, and was moved to Pleasure Island
during Flamingo Land's ownership of the park, where it continues to operate under the name Obliterator.
There is a "Q-Buster" system which at a cost (up to £3 per person per ride) allows visitors to enter a virtual queue on certain rides. Visitors must purchase credits and then send a text message detailing the ride and number of passengers. The credits needed for rides vary between 1 and 3 credits; for example Mumbo Jumbo requires 3 credits, Kumali requires 2 credits and Cliffhanger needs only 1 (per passenger). The credits are deducted from the visitors account and a time slot is provided. This allows guests to bypass the standard queue but enter a virtual queue of which the more people wanted 'Q-Busters' for that particular ride makes the time slot later thus allowing guests to explore other areas and attractions at the park.
Go Flamingo opened after the departure of Talk Flamingo in October 2009. It features a discussion board ran by the parks fans. It is currently the only forum dedicated to discussion about the Resort.
Theme Park on ITV
Theme Park is an ITV docusoap shown in the Yorkshire
and Tyne Tees
Regions, following the behind the scenes activities of Flamingo Land. The first series was broadcast in 2001 and a prominent part of the show was the building of new area "The Little Monsters Den of Mischief" including attractions such as "Mischief Mansion".
The series in 2004 particularly followed the development of the new water ride, The Lost River, which replaced the previous log flume
Klondike Creek. The Lost River was Flamingo Land's most ambitious project ever when it was undertaken in 2004. The water ride was a concept attraction which was to form the centre piece of the Lost Kingdom themed area of the park. The idea was to create a safari style ride which also had a thrill element.
2006 saw the third series of the popular ITV1 show. This particularly followed the construction of the parks new coaster for that season, Kumali.
Zoo Vet
The park's animal collection has also been a main feature of Zoo Vet at Large
, which follows vet Matt Brash, both at his North Yorkshire surgerys and in his role at head vet at Flamingo Land. There have been multiple series which were aired on ITV1 and are often repeated on the digital channel Sky Real Lives.
Chuckle Vision
In one episode on 'Chucklevision
', The Chuckle Brothers visit Flamingo Land in search of a pair of underpants which they believe to be of great value. The ride they predominantly ride during the episode appears to be the Corkscrew.
ITV Weather Sponsorship
Flamingo Land took up the sponsorship of ITV Yorkshire weather in June 2007 and ITV Tyne Tees weather in July 2007. The campaign ran until the end of the season. This sponsorship was renewed with both ITV regions in March 2008 at the start of the new season.
Talk Flamingo
Talk Flamingo was a popular and long running discussion based website about the park with news, construction, history, pictures, reviews and multimedia. The site closed at the end of the parks 2009 season.
Flamingoland Official TV
Flamingoland Official TV is also available on the website and on YouTube providing monthly updates on what's going on at Flamingoland . Currently there are 21 editions to watch with exclusive close up footage of the animals, new arrivals and the rides and attractions . You can see everything from a baby tapir to POV shots from the test run of Mumbo Jumbo. Flamingoland Official TV stopped in 2009 however, previous episodes are still available on the Flamingoland website
Other Sponsorships
2011 saw Flamingo Land sponsor the following programmes on ITV 1: Animals Do The Funniest Things, Babboons With Bill Bailey, Lion Country, Survival.
They even became a sponsor of the children's show Milkshake on Channel 5 while also being part of a competition prize from The Gadget Show on Channel 5 offering a 1 week holiday.
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
located in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England. It attracts about 1.8 million visitors per year. Flamingo Land is also the 12th most visited theme park in Europe.
Some of the major attractions at Flamingo Land include:
- Mumbo Jumbo - Opened in Summer 2009, this rollercoaster featured the steepest drop in the world at the time (Guinness Book of World Records).
- Flip Flop - Flip Flop is suspended over a man made lake and features two large ship funnels on either side of the station.
- KumaliKumaliKumali, installed 2006, is a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster , located in Flamingo Land Resort in North Yorkshire, England. The ride is a custom layout with some new elements for Vekoma SLCs, including the cobra roll, which Flamingo Land wished to be out over a lake. It is named after one of the ...
- Installed 2006, this is a Suspended Looping Coaster. - Navigator - Installed 2005 it was the first 'Mega' "Disk 'O'" type of ride ever to be built.
- Velocity - Installed 2005 it is the UK's only motorbike launch coaster and is the tallest and fastest of its kind in the world.
- Cliffhanger - Opened in 2002, this is the first and tallest S&S Combo Tower in the United Kingdom
- Corkscrew - One of the first rides to arrive at Flamingo Land.
Also on the site is a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, a leisure centre
Leisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
, a spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
, a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
and some other holiday accommodation as well.
History of Flamingo Land
Flamingo Land Resort began in 1959, when an old, small and bankrupt country clubCountry club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
was bought up by a resident of Scarborough; an entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
in the cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
industry by the name of Edwin Pentland Hick
Pentland Hick
Edwin Pentland Hick, born 21 July 1919, is a British entrepreneur, author, publisher, and veteran of World War II. Hick is today best known for founding the Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo in North Yorkshire-Military service:...
. Hick named the site The Yorkshire Zoological Gardens and initially covered a mere nine acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s of land. However Hick had grand ideas for the park; a vision which he had since military service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Hick has been described as both an eccentric
Eccentricity (behavior)
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive...
and a visionary
Visionary
Defined broadly, a visionary, is one who can envision the future. For some groups this can involve the supernatural or drugs.The visionary state is achieved via meditation, drugs, lucid dreams, daydreams, or art. One example is Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th century artist/visionary and Catholic saint...
by his critics. He originally rented animals until receipts allowed him to buy more.
Hick wanted to have dolphins in his park, which at that time were not found anywhere in captivity in the UK. In 1963 he organized expeditions to many locations around the world to capture bottlenose dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Recent molecular studies show the genus contains two species, the common bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin , instead of one...
s and sperm whale
Sperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
s, including to the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and off the coast of Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. Hick was commended for his treatment of the animals, which were fed well and kept in expansive enclosures. One of the dolphins was named Sooty
Sooty
Sooty is a British glove puppet bear and TV character popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. The children's television show which bears his name has continued in various forms since the 1950s and, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the...
after Corbett's creation.
A colony of pink
Pink
Pink is a mixture of red and white. Commonly used for Valentine's Day and Easter, pink is sometimes referred to as "the color of love." The use of the word for the color known today as pink was first recorded in the late 17th century....
flamingos were among the first animals to be housed on site and, remaining one of the most popular group of animals in the zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
, the flamingos became a kind of mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
for the entire park (hence Pentland Hick's final choice of name for the park.) The descendants of the original flamingos are still resident in the zoo today, and the flamingo colony at the park remains the largest in the country.
Throughout the 1960s a small fun fair began to be held on the site, yet another idea of Hick's, only to steadily gain momentum and bring more and more visitors to the site. In the 1970s, the fun fair was well established and amusement rides had become a permanent fixture of the park simultaneous to the zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
, becoming the first site in all Europe to combine the attractions in one location.
Pentland Hick, believing his "vision" complete, floated the company on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
as Associated Pleasure Parks in 1965, and officially renamed the site Flamingo Park Zoo on Monday 12 July 1968. The ownership of the site began to shift about with the steady growth of the park, eventually being sold in full to Scotia Leisure Ltd, a company which dealt mainly with bingo halls and package holiday
Package holiday
A package holiday or package tour consists of transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided like a rental car, activities or outings during the holiday. Transport can be via charter airline to a foreign country...
s.
However a director of that leisure company was Robert Gibb, who cared for the park greatly and decided to buy the park from the company in 1978, shortly before Scotia Leisure collapsed due to an embezzlement scandal that also left Pentland Hick broke. Hick abandoned the park, moving into theatre and television scriptwriting, and becoming an author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. Meanwhile, his protégé Robert Gibb set up his own board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
for the park and formed Flamingo Land Ltd.
Gibb renamed the park Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo and developed the complex so that it was more suited to be a nation-wide instead of a local tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
, including developing the growth of the amusement rides and the uniqueness of the animals cared for in the zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
. It was slow process, but a successful one. The year 1991 (whilst still under Robert Gibb's management) was one of the most productive in the park's history; it was in this year that the famous rides Bullet and Thunder Mountain were constructed.
Robert Gibb died in a car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
in 1995. His son Gordon Gibb
Gordon Gibb
Gordon Gibb is the CEO of Flamingo Land Ltd and former chairman of Bradford City Football Club.-Personal:Gordon Gibb was born in Strathaven in Scotland, moving to Yorkshire when his father, Robert Gibb, a former professional footballer, set up the family run theme park Flamingo Land...
, only 18 at the time, took control of the park with the rest of family, later becoming the chief executive of Flamingo Land Ltd.
Pleasure Island
Flamingo Land also used to operate Pleasure Island Family Theme ParkPleasure Island Family Theme Park
Pleasure Island Family Theme Park is a Theme Park in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England. It is commonly known simply as Pleasure Island. The park opened on 27 May 1993 and was originally a subsidiary of Flamingo Land Ltd...
in Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
since its opening in 1993 until 2010, when it became independent.
On the former site of Cleethorpes Zoo, construction for an amusement park began in the 1990s by RKF Entertainment. During this time RKF went into administration and Robert Gibb purchased the site as a second park to Flamingo Land. When his son Gordon Gibb became Chief Executive of the company, his sister Vicky Gibb and later other sister Melanie Wood (née Gibb) took the responsibility for the Cleethorpes park.
In 2010 Melanie Wood completed her desire to take ownership of the park, separate from the rest of the family company. Pleasure Island is now operated by Dewarsavile Enterprises Ltd, directed by Mrs Wood. This marked the end of Pleasure Island and Flamingo Land's association and the two parks are now independent of each other.
The park still holds many indications of Flamingo Land's ownership. In the past, rides cleared from Flamingo Land for new development were installed at Pleasure Island. Furthermore, the success of the Flamingo Land Lost Kingdom show, the Bongo Warriors, led to the introduction of a copy concept into Pleasure Island under the name Masai Warriors show.
General overview
One time Flamingo Land claimed to be the largest animal holder of its kind in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, housing over 1,000 animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s. Flamingo Land houses exotic
Exotic
Exotic can mean:*In mathematics:**Exotic R4 - differentiable manifold homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to the Euclidean space R4**Exotic sphere - differentiable manifold homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to the ordinary sphere*In physics:...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, rare fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, mammals and reptiles. Some animals include camels, zebras, guanaco, hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
, meerkats, Baboons,Chimpanzee, lions, rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
, tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s, sea lion
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
s, Parrots, and peacocks. The park take part in breeding programmes an example of which is the Mangabeys featured in the 2006 series of ITV1 show 'Theme Park'. Flamingoland official TV stopped broadcasting in 2009, although previous episodes are still available for viewing on their website. In June 2010, Flamingoland started work on a new penguin enclosure, the first stages of which were completed in August 2010.
Affiliations
Flamingo Land has connections to other parks in the country:Many years ago one of the older Flamingo Land elephants, Jangoli went on to give birth to at Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo is a zoological garden at Upton-by-Chester, in Cheshire, England. It was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family, who used as a basis some animals reported to have come from an earlier zoo in Shavington. It is one of the UK's largest zoos at...
- in this manner the elephants at Chester Zoo are descendants of Flamingo Land's elephants. One of the parks current giraffes is also from Chester Zoo.
The park's male lion, lioness and her cubs were originally located at Longleat Safari Park
Longleat Safari Park
Longleat Safari Park, in Wiltshire, England was opened in 1966 and was the first drive-through safari park outside Africa. The park is situated in the grounds of Longleat House, an English stately home that attracts tourists and is the current home of the 7th Marquess of Bath...
before moving to Flamingo Land to start a new pride.
Chessington World of Adventures
Chessington World of Adventures
Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park and zoo in South West London, England. It lies south of Central London. Historically opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, a theme park was developed alongside it, opening in 1987...
was also once the home of one of the park's sea lions, including Benson The Sealion (1984 to 2011)
African Animals
The parks emphasis is on their collection of African Animals, housed in the Lost Kingdom and African Plains. The parks water ride was designed to give a safari experience before its final drop, and meanders through Savannah style grasslands with Giraffe, Ostrich, Zebra, Hippo and Rhino. The ' Forgotten City Lion Reserve' is also located in the middle of the ride.Holiday village
The park has a large holiday village with static caravans and log cabins. Within the holiday village there are leisure facilities including a leisure centreLeisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
, a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and a café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
.
On the outskirts
Outskirts
Outskirts may refer to:* The outskirts of a city, also known as the rural-urban fringe* Outskirts, by the Canadian country rock band Blue Rodeo* The Outskirts, a 1933 Soviet film directed by Boris Barnet...
of the park lies a nine-hole golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
. Also adjacent to the park runs Costa Beck
Costa Beck
Costa Beck is a small river in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England.The source of Costa Beck is Keld Head Spring to the west of Pickering. It is a tributary of the River Rye which joins the River Derwent, eventually flowing into the River Ouse at Barmby on the Marsh.Costa Beck was used...
, a stream locally noted with crystal-clear water and fly fishing
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
is available here free to those staying in the holiday village.Trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, Dace
Dace
A dace is any of a number of species of small fish. The unmodified name is usually a reference to the Common Dace . This, like most fishes called "daces", belongs to the family Cyprinidae, mostly in subfamily Leuciscinae....
, Grayling
Grayling (genus)
Thymallus is a genus of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes; it is the only genus of subfamily Thymallinae. The type species is T. thymallus, the grayling. The genus's five distinct species are generically called graylings, but without qualification this also refers...
, Salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, Kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
and Pike can all be found in Costa Beck.
Also in the holiday village is the American bar entertainments venue, which is exclusive for caravan owners and people staying on site overnight. It is a venue capable of holding over 1000 people and boasts a large stage and great resident shows as well as light entertainment performed by visiting cabaret acts. Various artists have performed there over the past years, for example in 2009: X Factor finalists such as Maria Lawson
Maria Lawson (singer)
Maria Lawson is an English singer who finished in eighth place in the second UK series of television talent show The X Factor in 2005.-Early life:...
, Same Difference
Same Difference
Same Difference can refer to:* Same Difference, a British singing duo* Same Difference , an album by Swedish death metal band Entombed* Same Difference , a show which aired on Channel 4...
and Ben Mills
Ben Mills
Benjamin Collett Mills is a British singer who finished in third place in the third UK series of TV talent show The X Factor in 2006. He signed a five-album record deal with Sony BMG. His album, Picture of You, was released on 12 March 2007, the same date as the debut album from The X Factor...
among some others. There were also soap stars who presented in 2009, these included Ryan Thomas
Ryan Thomas
Ryan James Thomas and is an English actor who is currently starring as the character, Jason Grimshaw on ITV's Coronation Street.-Career:...
and Mark Hancock. Chesney Hawkes
Chesney Hawkes
Chesney Lee Hawkes , is an English pop singer, songwriter, and occasional actor. He is best known for his 1991 single "The One and Only", which topped the charts in the UK and reached the Top 10 in the U.S.-Life and career:...
also appeared on the showbar stage during this season. The venue is only open when the holiday park itself is open, which is from March till early November each year.
Current areas
MetropolisLower Metropolis begins with the main day visitors entrance and contains food outlets such as Metropolis Bar and Grill, gift shop
Gift shop
A gift shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collections and other souvenirs....
s, cash machine
Cash Machine
"Cash Machine" is the debut single by English indie rock band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was originally released on 24 January 2005, where it was ineligible in the UK Singles Chart due to the inclusion of a sticker...
s, pay-to-play game stalls, the Flying Clowns ride and The Wave Swinger ride, as well as the New for 2011 Mia and Mylo Show (featuring the New for 2011 mascots Mia and Mylo Meerkat) which replaces the 2009 Postman Pat Show.
Also for the '09 season was the introduction of Pitchers Sports Bar featuring many Televisions showing sports; open all day for guests but provided throughout the night for holiday resort guests where shows are on-stage until closing.
Upper Metropolis is themed as a busy city. It contains such rides as Velocity, Navigator, Wild Mouse and Corkscrew. Corkscrew was first built in 1980 which had a design similar to the Corkscrew at Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
; however, it is now the only Vekoma Corkscrew ride in UK after the closure of the ride at Alton Towers.
This area of the park has received a lot of attention throughout the seasons with the addition of Velocity, a booster-bike roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma rides and it is the only motorbike launch roller coaster in the UK.
Seaside Adventure
This area is themed on the ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
and a seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
with such themed stores and Pizza Buffet Restaurant called the 'Jolly Sailor's Restaurant'. There is also the Jolly Sailor Takeaway (for takeaway pizzas) and the 'Something Fishy Takeaway' providing traditional fish and chips. It contains highest drop tower and only S&S Combo Tower in the UK; Cliff Hanger, which is themed as a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
, although it now only has its trademark red and white panels on the lower part of the tower after complaints it spoilt the views from outside the park (it is now painted a 'blend away' grey on the top half).
Splosh!
This area was introduced for the summer of 2007. "Splish Splash" is a water playground with squirting jets and water dropping palm trees. This has now been refurbished featuring a new colour scheme for the 2011 season. "Splash Battle" is a submarine themed ride where ride cars and off ride posts around the ride are equipped with water cannons.
The thrill ride Flip Flop is located in this area of the park, a Top Swing built by Fabbri. The ride has a large swing through station and sits over a lake with water jet effects.
New for 2008 in this area is the 4D cinema, which screened the "Haunted Lighthouse" film which was also at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and various SeaWorld
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and animal theme parks owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations in Orlando,...
parks, and features interactive features to immerse the experience. 2009 saw the Haunted Lighthouse replaced by SpongeBob SquarePants 4D which then was replaced by Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 4D in 2011.
Swooosh
This is a new area for 2011 themed as an area of flight adjacent to Splosh! to allow for a quick transition between water and sky. The area features three rides; Sky Flyer (formally part of Splosh!), Red Baron (formally part of Muddy Duck Farm) and a new family roller coaster for 2011 called Zooom. Zooom is Zamperla Air Force featuring a custom layout and significantly larger footprint than the standard model which has a train themed like 4 aeroplanes suspended from a light blue track.
Muddy Duck Farm
Formally known as the 'Little Monsters Den of Mischief', this area is mainly aimed at children, and includes the attractions Little Monster's Wacky Races and Mischief Mansion. Over the last few years this part of the park has been slowly fazed out to make way for "Muddy Duck Farm" an area themed around the farm animals; however elements of the previous mascots still remain. Furthermore, a safari type ride (like Lost River Ride) has been made (but more child-friendly) is the Tractor Ride where children 'drive' the tractors around the farm animals pens. This area holds a new ride "Helitoys", which takes the centrepiece of the area. The go-gator coaster has been moved to the old "monsters explorium" site which was cleared at the end of 2007 to make way for new rides.
Another New For 2009 Venue is the Coach House Pub which is a traditional family pub serving traditional English country-side food such as chicken and beef dinners and Lasagne Meals.
Lost Kingdom Reserve
Holds Flamingo Lands most ambitious projects ever with such rides as Lost River Ride and Voodoo. In 2006 Kumali was built in this area. Made by Vekoma Rides, Kumali reaches over their lakes at 75 feet high and reaches speeds of 56 mph.
In 2009, a new roller coaster Mumbo Jumbo
Mumbo Jumbo (at Flamingo Land)
Mumbo Jumbo is a roller coaster which opened to the public on 4 July 2009 at Flamingo Land Resort, UK. Mumbo Jumbo is situated in the Lost Kingdom section of the park and has orange supports and black tracks....
opened, manufactured by S&S. It has the steepest drop in the world at 112 degrees and has a Max G-Force of 4G's.
African Plains
An all animal area containing various animal paddocks and is located in a quiet secluded area of the zoo.
Current Attractions
Mumbo JumboOn 4 July 2009, Mumbo Jumbo
Mumbo Jumbo (at Flamingo Land)
Mumbo Jumbo is a roller coaster which opened to the public on 4 July 2009 at Flamingo Land Resort, UK. Mumbo Jumbo is situated in the Lost Kingdom section of the park and has orange supports and black tracks....
was opened to the public. The ride contains an angled drop of 112 degrees taking the honour off of Indiana Beach
Indiana Beach
Indiana Beach is an amusement park and resort located on Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana.-History:The resort was developed and owned by the Spackman family, who sold to Morgan RV Resorts LLC in 2008...
's Steel Hawg
Steel Hawg
Steel Hawg is a roller coaster at Indiana Beach, Monticello, Indiana. The ride is the first El Loco model built by manufacturer S&S Worldwide of Logan, Utah. The Steel Hawg was expected to open in mid May, but was rescheduled for an early July opening....
for the steepest roller coaster in the world when it opened. Flamingo Land expects Mumbo Jumbo to become one of the more popular rides at the resort. The Tidal Wave was removed to make way for this new ride, which cost £4 million. Riders experience forces in excess of 4G and the highest point on the ride is 30 metres.
Cliff Hanger
Installed in 2002 it is the UK's only S&S combo drop tower ride. The ride is themed like a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
. At 180 feet (55 m) it is the tallest drop tower ride in the UK. During its opening year the ride was very highly themed with red and white stripes up the tower and a red light upon the top. Unfortunately the light and top 80% of the cladding had to be removed due to complaints that the ride ruined the view of the outstanding area of natural beauty in which Flamingo Land sits. All that remains now are the lower parts of the cladding and basethemeing (including rock and storm battered boat details).
This ride is special in that it has multiple modes. The car can operate up and down like a standard S&S Tower, where it is launched upwards to the top, it free falls and is launched halfway, then is lowered and stopped. It can also be switched onto "Combo Mode", where it is launched as usual, then launched again when the car reaches the bottom of the tower, and is lifted to the very top of the tower, where 4 brakes clamp onto special steel brake fins, and clamp it there for a predetermined amount of time. The thrill is you do not know when it will drop, there are no tell-tale sounds or movements. It is then actually launched downwards faster than gravity, is launched back up halfway, then is lowered to the ground.
Velocity
Navigator
Installed 2005 it was the first 'Mega' "Disk 'O'" type of ride ever to be built. The ride is very popular with Teenagers and young Adults. Guests must be 4 feet (1.2 m) to ride Navigator.
Kumali
Kumali
Kumali, installed 2006, is a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster , located in Flamingo Land Resort in North Yorkshire, England. The ride is a custom layout with some new elements for Vekoma SLCs, including the cobra roll, which Flamingo Land wished to be out over a lake. It is named after one of the ...
is a Vekoma
Vekoma
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld under the name "Veld Koning Machinefabriek" and had first manufactured agricultural machinery and mining equipment...
Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC). The ride is a custom layout with some new elements for Vekoma SLCs, including the cobra-roll which Flamingo Land wished to be out over a lake. It is named after one of the zoo's lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s. In 2008 Flamingo Land added video recorders to each car so riders can purchase their own video of them on the ride as well as the on-ride photo. The themed Kumali ride music was written and produced by ElectricStreetPolice, a British TV composer by the name of Paul Bickerdike. Kumali is currently only one of three operating Vekoma SLC's in the UK. The Jubilee Odyssey
Jubilee Odyssey
Jubilee Odyssey is a roller coaster at Fantasy Island in Ingoldmells, England. Built by Vekoma of the Netherlands in 2002, it was named to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. It is Vekoma's tallest example of their Suspended Looping Coaster design in the world...
at Fantasy Island UK
Fantasy Island UK
Fantasy Island is a family amusement park in Ingoldmells, near Skegness on the East Coast of England. It sits in the middle of one of the biggest spreads of holiday parks in the United Kingdom. Whilst entry to the park is free, guests either pay per ride or purchase an unlimited ride wristband...
in Ingoldmells
Ingoldmells
Ingoldmells is a coastal village, civil parish and resort in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, on the A52.-Geography:In terms of villages it is relatively large, and receives a lot of tourism yearly due its close position to Skegness. Most housing is found in the west of the...
, Skegness
Skegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
is the largest and the other Infusion
Infusion (roller coaster)
Infusion is an inverted steel roller coaster at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is the first inverted coaster to be suspended entirely over water...
at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
is the smallest.
Corkscrew
One of the first rides to arrive at Flamingo Land, but still an all time favourite, it was installed in 1983 when it arrived from up the coast of the North East of England from the Spanish City fun fair. It is standard Vekoma Corkscrew coaster, it is situated in the metropolis area of the park, it is almost identical to the model which existed at Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
until the end of 2008, as well as having the same name.
Wild Mouse
Installed 1997 is a steel Wild Mouse roller coaster
Wild Mouse roller coaster
A Wild Mouse roller coaster is a type of roller coaster characterized by small cars that seat four people or fewer and ride on top of the track, taking tight, flat turns at modest speeds, yet producing high lateral G-forces...
, manufactured by Maurer Söhne of Germany. In 2007, new themed music and announcements were added. The ride was given a new-look in 2008 season including a repaint with a light blue track and dark red supports also a new station building. A photo is taken on a dip near the end of the ride and video cameras are also installed in the front and back of each car. Photos and DVDs of the ride can be purchased at the booth next to the ride exit.
Splash Battle
Installed in July 2007, Splash Battle was the first interactive water ride in the UK. Ride cars themed as submarines travel along a track where targets must be hit to prevent the riders from being soaked. The submarines have water cannons to hit these targets, but can also be used to aim at other riders, and even people walking nearby the ride. Subsequently, those who choose not to ride do have water cannons on the land, in which they can aim at riders but by doing this they put themselves at risk of being soaked by the rides and also the large volcano the stands in the centre of the lake which erupts every 20 minutes. The Ride is manufactured by one Italian factory named Preston & Barbieri
Flip Flop
Flip Flop is suspended over a man made lake and features two large ship funnels on either side of the station. These funnels have water jets inside of them. The ride is a Top Swing, designed and built by Fabbri
Fabbri Group
The Fabbri Group is an Italian amusement rides manufacturer, based in Bergantino, a northern village of Italy.Fabbri was founded and started manufacturing in 1950, just after World War II, by Romolo Fabbri...
.
Lost River Ride
The Lost River Ride is manufactured by BEAR Rides, and was installed 2004. It is a boat ride that gently meanders through animal enclosures such as rhinos, hippos, giraffes and lions. The ride has speakers at the side of the river playing sound effects, and at one point stops riders near the "African Plains" area. This part has a "Tour Guide" on the speakers, giving riders information on the animals. The ride also features a 60 ft (18.3 m) drop at the end to soak guests.
Sky Flyer
Sky Flyer is a double inverted swinging ship style ride. The ride opened in 1994 (the same as Waikiki Wave) and is located in the Swooosh area along with Red Baron and Zooom.
Zooom
Zooom is a new for 2011 attraction in a new area opening in the same year called Swooosh. The area and ride is themed around flight of which Zooom has its riders in 4 themed aeroplanes. Suspended from the light blue track, the train navigates around its many twists and turns which allow the individual planes the swing and tilt one after the other. The roller coaster is a custom model of the Air Force family coaster by Zamperla rides.
Previous attractions
The face of the park is constantly changing, with old amusement rides being removed and new ones being constructed. Thrill rides of yesteryear include:Magnum Force (2000–2005)
A Triple Loop Coaster built by Anton Schwarzkopf
Anton Schwarzkopf
Anton Schwarzkopf was a German engineer of amusement rides, and founder of the Schwarzkopf Industries company, which built numerous rides and large roller coasters for both amusement parks and travelling funfairs....
, originally toured German funfairs as Dreier Looping. Now located at La Feria Chapultepec Magico
La Feria Chapultepec Mágico
La Feria Chapultepec Mágico is an amusement park in Mexico City, Mexico. Located in Chapultepec Park, it opened in 1964 as Juegos Mecánicos de Chapultepec and was operated by the Mexican government...
, Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
The Bullet (1991–2005)
Unique shuttle loop
Shuttle roller coaster
A shuttle roller coaster is any roller coaster that ultimately does not make a complete circuit, but rather reverses at some point throughout its course and traverses the same track backwards...
style coaster designed by Schwarzkopf
Anton Schwarzkopf
Anton Schwarzkopf was a German engineer of amusement rides, and founder of the Schwarzkopf Industries company, which built numerous rides and large roller coasters for both amusement parks and travelling funfairs....
. Originally known as Wiener Looping and previously operated in Austria, Florida, and on the German travelling funfair circuit before arriving at Flamingo Land. Along with Magnum Force, it was taken by Vekoma
Vekoma
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld under the name "Veld Koning Machinefabriek" and had first manufactured agricultural machinery and mining equipment...
, manufacturer of Velocity and Kumali in part exchange for the new rides. It is now in storage at Vekoma's factory, awaiting sale.
Thunder Mountain (1991–2004)
Enclosed within a rock themed structure to create a dark coaster. The track system was Pinfari Z40.
Top Gun (1996–2004)
Unique attraction where riders sat inside two seater plane themed cars. The cars span around the centre tower while moving toward the top. The riders could choose to turn their cars up-side down during the ride. It was built by Intamin based on the film of the same name
Top Gun
Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
.
Klondike Creek (1999–2003)
Triple drop log flume with a mine theme, believed to have been extended with sections of the removed Drayton Manor
Drayton Manor Theme Park
Drayton Manor Theme Park is a theme park, resort & zoo in the grounds of the former Drayton Manor, near Tamworth in Staffordshire, England.Drayton Manor is best known because it is a theme park and zoo which attracts around 1.4 million people a year. The attraction has a wide selection of rides set...
log flume. It was an ageing ride and was removed when the Lost River was built (a more modern water ride).
Crazy Loop (1986–1995)
The parks first ever coaster, was relocated to former sister park Pleasure Island
Pleasure Island Family Theme Park
Pleasure Island Family Theme Park is a Theme Park in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England. It is commonly known simply as Pleasure Island. The park opened on 27 May 1993 and was originally a subsidiary of Flamingo Land Ltd...
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Waikiki Wave (1993–2000) Tidal Wave (2002–2008)
Vekoma Waikiki Wave ride, removed to make way for Mumbo Jumbo.
Terroriser/Circulator (1995–2007)
Designed by Fabbri of Italy, this ride operated under two different names and in two different locations during its time at the park. It was named Terroriser (occasionally written "Terror Riser") from 1995-2004 operating in the Plaza area of the park. In 2005, Terroriser was renamed to the Circulator, and relocated to the then-newly themed area, Metropolis. The ride left the park at the end of the 2007 season, and was moved to Pleasure Island
Pleasure Island Family Theme Park
Pleasure Island Family Theme Park is a Theme Park in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England. It is commonly known simply as Pleasure Island. The park opened on 27 May 1993 and was originally a subsidiary of Flamingo Land Ltd...
during Flamingo Land's ownership of the park, where it continues to operate under the name Obliterator.
Paying and Queueing
Flamingoland is a pay-on-entry park. Wristband have to be worn by Holiday Resort guests in order to enter the Holiday Village but for day trippers there is no wristband because everyone who enters the park pays for a riding ticket. Children over 4 pay the same as adults.There is a "Q-Buster" system which at a cost (up to £3 per person per ride) allows visitors to enter a virtual queue on certain rides. Visitors must purchase credits and then send a text message detailing the ride and number of passengers. The credits needed for rides vary between 1 and 3 credits; for example Mumbo Jumbo requires 3 credits, Kumali requires 2 credits and Cliffhanger needs only 1 (per passenger). The credits are deducted from the visitors account and a time slot is provided. This allows guests to bypass the standard queue but enter a virtual queue of which the more people wanted 'Q-Busters' for that particular ride makes the time slot later thus allowing guests to explore other areas and attractions at the park.
Flamingo Land in the media
Go FlamingoGo Flamingo opened after the departure of Talk Flamingo in October 2009. It features a discussion board ran by the parks fans. It is currently the only forum dedicated to discussion about the Resort.
Theme Park on ITV
Theme Park is an ITV docusoap shown in the Yorkshire
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
and Tyne Tees
Tyne Tees Television
Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television franchise for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire. As of 2009, it forms part of a non-franchise ITV Tyne Tees & Border region, shared with the ITV Border region...
Regions, following the behind the scenes activities of Flamingo Land. The first series was broadcast in 2001 and a prominent part of the show was the building of new area "The Little Monsters Den of Mischief" including attractions such as "Mischief Mansion".
The series in 2004 particularly followed the development of the new water ride, The Lost River, which replaced the previous log flume
Log flume
A log flume is a flume specifically constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain to a sawmill by using flowing water. These watertight trough-like channels could be built to span a long distance across chasms and down steep mountain slopes...
Klondike Creek. The Lost River was Flamingo Land's most ambitious project ever when it was undertaken in 2004. The water ride was a concept attraction which was to form the centre piece of the Lost Kingdom themed area of the park. The idea was to create a safari style ride which also had a thrill element.
2006 saw the third series of the popular ITV1 show. This particularly followed the construction of the parks new coaster for that season, Kumali.
Zoo Vet
The park's animal collection has also been a main feature of Zoo Vet at Large
Zoo Vet at Large
Zoo Vet at Large is a television series following the work of zoo vet Matt Brash at Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire. The programme originated from Yorkshire Television and is also shown world wide on channels such as Sky Travel and the Danish channel Viasat.Matt Brash has been called the James...
, which follows vet Matt Brash, both at his North Yorkshire surgerys and in his role at head vet at Flamingo Land. There have been multiple series which were aired on ITV1 and are often repeated on the digital channel Sky Real Lives.
Chuckle Vision
In one episode on 'Chucklevision
ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision is a popular British television series shown mainly on CBBC. New episodes are always first aired on BBC One, and occasionally episodes are shown on BBC Two. The first episode was shown on 26 September 1987. It follows the adventures of the Chuckle Brothers & the Patton Brothers, who...
', The Chuckle Brothers visit Flamingo Land in search of a pair of underpants which they believe to be of great value. The ride they predominantly ride during the episode appears to be the Corkscrew.
ITV Weather Sponsorship
Flamingo Land took up the sponsorship of ITV Yorkshire weather in June 2007 and ITV Tyne Tees weather in July 2007. The campaign ran until the end of the season. This sponsorship was renewed with both ITV regions in March 2008 at the start of the new season.
Talk Flamingo
Talk Flamingo was a popular and long running discussion based website about the park with news, construction, history, pictures, reviews and multimedia. The site closed at the end of the parks 2009 season.
Flamingoland Official TV
Flamingoland Official TV is also available on the website and on YouTube providing monthly updates on what's going on at Flamingoland . Currently there are 21 editions to watch with exclusive close up footage of the animals, new arrivals and the rides and attractions . You can see everything from a baby tapir to POV shots from the test run of Mumbo Jumbo. Flamingoland Official TV stopped in 2009 however, previous episodes are still available on the Flamingoland website
Other Sponsorships
2011 saw Flamingo Land sponsor the following programmes on ITV 1: Animals Do The Funniest Things, Babboons With Bill Bailey, Lion Country, Survival.
They even became a sponsor of the children's show Milkshake on Channel 5 while also being part of a competition prize from The Gadget Show on Channel 5 offering a 1 week holiday.
External links
- Flamingo Land Park & Resort - main website for the Park and Resort.
- Flamingo Land Gym and Leisure Centre - website for the Flamingo Land Gym and Leisure Centre.
- Go-Flamingo - The ONLY Flamingo Land Forum and Discussion Board run by The Ride Guide