Legoland Windsor
Encyclopedia
Legoland Windsor is a child-oriented theme park in Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....

 in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, themed around the Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...

 toy system. The park opened in 1996 on the former Windsor Safari Park
Windsor Safari Park
Windsor Safari Park was a popular family attraction built on St. Leonards Hill on the outskirts of the English town of Windsor in Berkshire; it has since been converted into the site of Legoland Windsor...

 as the second Legoland after Legoland Billund
Legoland Billund
Legoland Billund, the original Legoland park, opened in 1968 in Billund, Denmark. The Park is located next to the original Lego factory and Denmark's second busiest airport Billund Airport. 1.6 million guests visited the park in 2007 and over the years more than 40 million guests have been through...

 in Denmark. The park is located within close distance of Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...

 and about 8 miles (12.9 km) west of London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...

. In common with the other Legolands across the world, the park's attractions consist of a mixture of Lego-themed rides, models and building workshops. The park was acquired by Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd is a British operator of amusement parks and other attractions. It is the largest such company in Europe, and globally the second largest after Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....

 in 2005, who now operate the park, with the Lego Group
Lego Group
The LEGO Group is a family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, and best known for the manufacture of Lego-brand toys.The company was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen...

 retaining part ownership (30%). The facilities are mainly targeted at children between three and twelve.

In 2010, the park had 1.9 million visitors, making it the second most visited theme park in the United Kingdom after 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...

 and before Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded, the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...

, and the 10th most visited in Europe.

History

The Lego Group
Lego Group
The LEGO Group is a family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, and best known for the manufacture of Lego-brand toys.The company was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen...

 began research for the development of a second Legoland park after Legoland Billund
Legoland Billund
Legoland Billund, the original Legoland park, opened in 1968 in Billund, Denmark. The Park is located next to the original Lego factory and Denmark's second busiest airport Billund Airport. 1.6 million guests visited the park in 2007 and over the years more than 40 million guests have been through...

 in 1987, with over 1000 sites considered. In January 1992, Windsor Safari Park
Windsor Safari Park
Windsor Safari Park was a popular family attraction built on St. Leonards Hill on the outskirts of the English town of Windsor in Berkshire; it has since been converted into the site of Legoland Windsor...

 went into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...

 and the 150 acre (0.607029 km²) site was chosen. Throughout 1992 and 1993, planning, design, site preparation and the design and construction of models began, and new homes were secured for all the safari animals. 1994 saw the installation of services, foundations and infrastructures, and in 1995, one year prior to opening, Big Ben was installed in Miniland. By this time, buildings and attractions were becoming established and in September, advanced bookings were opened for entrance tickets. Final installations were completed by the beginning of 1996 and at this point, the Legoland Windsor staff-base was recruited. The grand opening of Legoland Windsor occurred in March 1996. During its first season, the park attracted over 1.4 million guests.

In April 2005, Lego
Lego Group
The LEGO Group is a family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, and best known for the manufacture of Lego-brand toys.The company was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen...

 made the decision to sell the Legoland parks, due to rising losses across the whole company. On July 13, 2005, Legoland
Legoland
Legoland is a chain of Lego-themed theme parks. They are not fully owned by Lego Group itself; rather they are owned and operated by the British theme park company Merlin Entertainment.The chain currently consists of:* Legoland Billund...

 was acquired by the Blackstone Group
Blackstone Group
The Blackstone Group L.P. is an American-based alternative asset management and financial services company that specializes in private equity, real estate, and credit and marketable alternative investment strategies, as well as financial advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions ,...

 and control of the parks passed to Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd is a British operator of amusement parks and other attractions. It is the largest such company in Europe, and globally the second largest after Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....

.

Timeline

1998
  • The first new area, Castleland, opened on March 14 with the park's first rollercoaster, Dragon.
  • Lego Mindstorms
    Lego Mindstorms
    The LEGO Mindstorm series of kits contain software and hardware to create small, customizable and programmable robots. They include a programmable 'Brick' computer that controls the system, a set of modular sensors and motors, and LEGO parts from the Technics line to create the mechanical...

     Workshop
    opened on May 1.


1999
  • Dragon's Apprentice opened before the start of the season and The Balloon School opened, after construction delays, in April.
  • Water flume ride X-Treme Challenge opened on the slope in front of St. Leonard's Mansion in August.
  • The Imagination Theatre was refurbished with a truss lighting grid, lighting booth, and blackout drapes for the Christmas production of Peter Pan at the end of the season.
  • The park opened for its first Christmas season between November 20 and January 3.


2000
  • Construction started on the Creation Centre and Rocket Racers in January and both opened in December.
  • The Wave Surfer opened after delays, in April, with one of two turntables operational for the first weeks.
  • Bum Shaker closed and became a picnic area at the end of the season.
  • The park opened for its second and final Christmas season between November 18 and January 7.


2001
  • The Technic Garage became a food outlet, Muscle Maker became the remote controlled model lorry attraction Truck Stop and Sky Rider was refurbished at the end of the season.


2002
  • The I-Spy Express was renamed The Adventurer’s Express and re-themed around jungle animals during the season.
  • Sky Rider was refurbished for the season with new restraints added, a 'non-stop' loading system implemented and the direction of the cars around the track reversed.
  • The Imagination Theatre was converted to a 4D cinema
    4-D film
    4-D film is a marketing term that describes an entertainment presentation system combining a 3-D film with physical effects in the theatre, which occur in synchronization with the film...

     at the end of the season with the lighting booth fitted out with two large projectors, a large quantity of control equipment, a 36 feet (11 m) projection screen and a number of different theatrical effects machines, such as wind machines, snow machines and fog machines, in the truss rig.


2003
  • The Mindstorms Workshop was moved from Knights’ Kingdom to the Imagination Centre to replace the Dacta Workshops, Robolabs opened and Lego Racers 4D was introduced in the Imagination Theatre at the start of the season.
  • Queen Elizabeth II visited Legoland Windsor as part of British Tourism Day on June 10.


2004
  • The Jungle Coaster and Wave Surfer opened as part of Adventure Land, with the lake renamed Adventure Land Lake, for the start of the season.
  • The Big Restaurant was refurbished for the start of the season.
  • Rocket Racers closed after technical problems, low popularity and queuing problems and the Celtic maze of The Amazing Mazes was replaced with a path at the end of the season.


2005
  • The Fire Academy in Traffic, and Dino Dipper and Dino Safari in Adventure Land opened for the start of the season.
  • The Adventurer’s Express was renamed The Orient Express.


2006
  • Digger Challenge opened and Spellbreaker 4D was introduced alongside Lego Racers 4D in the Imagination Theatre for the start of the season.
  • The Amazing Mazes closed with the nautical maze of The Amazing Mazes demolished and the Tudor maze renamed Loki’s Labyrinth at the end of the season.


2007
  • Whirly Birds was renamed Chopper Squadron and the Mindstorms Workshop switched from using Lego Mindstorms
    Lego Mindstorms
    The LEGO Mindstorm series of kits contain software and hardware to create small, customizable and programmable robots. They include a programmable 'Brick' computer that controls the system, a set of modular sensors and motors, and LEGO parts from the Technics line to create the mechanical...

     to the NXT
    Lego Mindstorms NXT
    Lego Mindstorms NXT is a programmable robotics kit released by Lego in late July 2006.It replaced the first-generation Lego Mindstorms kit, which was called the Robotics Invention System. The base kit ships in two versions: the Retail Version and the Education Base Set . It comes with the NXT-G...

     system at the start of the season.
  • Mole-in-One Golf opened in July.
  • After severe delays from the original April launch, the first attraction of the Land of the Vikings, river rapids ride Vikings' River Splash, opened on August 18 with a reduced capacity of six passengers per raft and incomplete theming, with Loki's Labyrinth opening after being within the construction site since its retheming in 2006.


2008
  • The Q-Bot was introduced at the beginning of the season.
  • The Land of the Vikings, along with Mole-in-One Golf, were readvertised as new for the 2008 season, with Vikings' River Splash finished and the second ride of the land, the Zamperla
    Zamperla
    Zamperla is a designing and manufacturing company in Vicenza, Italy. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin operated rides commonly found inside shopping malls....

     'Rocking Tug' Longboat Invader, opening after being delayed from 2007.
  • Cinderella in the Duplo Theatre and Revenge of the Aztec Queen, which replaced The Saphire Scorpion at the LEGO City Harbour, opened for the season.
  • Xbox Gaming Zone replaced the Magic Theatre in the centre of LEGO City.
  • The Big Restaurant was refurbished and renamed City Walk, taking Pasta Patch's menu, which was itself renamed as fish and chips restaurant Captain Barnacle's Boatshed, Cinnabon Bakery was replaced with Harbourside Coffee Co. Express and Bricks 'n' Bits was renamed Cuddles Corner, selling clothing.


2009
  • Rocket Racers was reopened.
  • New land, Kingdom of the Pharaohs, opened, with existing, rethemed carousel, chairswings and ferris wheel, new Sallys ride Laser Raiders, utilising the current tent for queuing and new buildings for the ride, and Scarab Bouncers, a Zamperla Jumping Star ride.
  • A new spider was placed on top of the spinning spider ride, with the previous one residing on the hill between Spinning Spider and Longboat Invader.
  • Crossed Ribs and Knights Table restaurants changed to table service and a new family and female toilet block was opened in Lego City, replacing the previous Explorer's Institute attraction.


2010
  • The Jungle Coaster was removed to be relocated to Legoland Florida
    Legoland Florida
    Legoland Florida is a theme park in Winter Haven, Florida. It opened on Saturday, October 15, 2011. Merlin Entertainments Group operates the park which encompasses of the former Cypress Gardens amusement park, making Legoland Florida the world's largest Legoland park.-Announcement:A press release...

     and replaced by a hotel, due to open 2012.
  • The Lego City Harbour show was replaced with new Pirates of Skeleton Bay show and Lego City A Clutch Powers 4D Adventure was added to the 3 previous shows in The Imagination Theatre.
  • The Wild Woods was rethemed as Pirates Landing, with new Huss boat Jolly Rocker and existing attractions Rat Trap rethemed with additional equipment as Pirates Training Camp and Pirate Falls enhanced with water cannons and a new audio track and renamed 'Pirate Falls Dynamite Drench'.


2011
  • An omnimover
    Omnimover
    The Omnimover is an amusement ride system used for Disney theme park attractions. Roger Broggie and Bert Brundage developed the system for WED Enterprises, which patented Omnimover in April 1968...

     based Sealife attraction, Atlantis Submarine Voyage by Sealife, opened on 20 May, using the site of the Dino Dipper, which was relocated to Knight's Kingdom and rethemed Knights' Quest.
  • Rocket Racers closed on 10th October to make way for a new attraction for 2012.

Areas

The park is split into a number of themed areas, incorporating various attractions, restaurants and shops.

In addition to the physical presences, various carts and stands are located around the park selling souvenirs and other small products, food and drink and items for special events, such as glowsticks, as well as caricature artists. Also, on-ride Photography
On-ride camera
An on-ride camera is a camera mounted alongside the track of a roller coaster, log flume or other thrill ride that automatically photographs all of the riders on each passing vehicle. They are often mounted at the most intense or fastest part of the ride, resulting in humorously distorted...

 is available for Driving School, L-Drivers, Pirate Falls, The Dragon, The Dragon's Apprentice, Fairy Tale Brook, Laser Raiders and Viking's River Splash, and from May 2008, there have been roaming photographers, with prints purchased from a hut in The Beginning.

The Beginning

The Beginning is the entrance to the park and is accessible before park opening. The area contains the ticket booths and gates, height chart, guest service, Annual Pass and Q-Bot facilities, as well as toilet and cash machines. The area features the Creation Centre, originally sponsored by Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...

, housing various models, such as Lego Crown Jewels
Crown jewels
Crown jewels are jewels or artifacts of the reigning royal family of their respective country. They belong to monarchs and are passed to the next sovereign to symbolize the right to rule. They may include crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords, rings, and other objects...

, Virgin Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...

 cockpit and a motorbike, and model makers in the Model Maker's Workshop, andRocket Racers, where visitors build and drive a virtual car.

The Hill Train, a funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...

 railway down a curved slope, remains the only attraction from Windsor Safari Park
Windsor Safari Park
Windsor Safari Park was a popular family attraction built on St. Leonards Hill on the outskirts of the English town of Windsor in Berkshire; it has since been converted into the site of Legoland Windsor...

, being revamped when the parked open with stained glass windows made from translucent Lego bricks from local school children. It travels 300 metres between The Beginning and Traffic and with a height difference between the top and bottom stations of approximately 27 metres.

Shops in the area are The Big Shop, incorporating Pick-a-Brick, which is the park's main store, selling a wide range of Lego products and souvenirs and being open during the winter when the park is closed, Kids Wear, which sells a variety of Lego branded children's clothing, and Racers Store, which sells discounted Lego items.

Imagination Centre

The Imagination Centre is just above Miniland. It features educational attractions Build & Test Workshops, Lego Mindstorms NXT
Lego Mindstorms NXT
Lego Mindstorms NXT is a programmable robotics kit released by Lego in late July 2006.It replaced the first-generation Lego Mindstorms kit, which was called the Robotics Invention System. The base kit ships in two versions: the Retail Version and the Education Base Set . It comes with the NXT-G...

 based Lego Mindstorms Workshop and Robolab Workshop, all of which are open to schools during term time. Rides include wire climbing Space Tower and aerial powered car track Sky Rider. Finally, the Imagination Theatre is a small cinema showing 4D films
4-D film
4-D film is a marketing term that describes an entertainment presentation system combining a 3-D film with physical effects in the theatre, which occur in synchronization with the film...

, currently showing Lego Racers 4D,Spellbreaker 4D, Bob the Builder 4-D: Bob and the Rollercoaster, added in 2009, and Lego City A Clutch Powers 4D Adventure, added in 2010.

Miniland

Miniland is a miniature park
Miniature park
A miniature park is an open space that displays miniature buildings and models, and is usually open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village, or it can contain a number of different sets of models...

 in Lego form, depicting towns and cities from around the world, using nearly 40 million Lego bricks in models often at 1:20 scale. The area features a number of animated models, interacting with each other. Motor vehicles use cables under the paths emitting radio wave signals to steer and allow charging when required and overnight. The train system runs on tracks, slowing for stations using slow down bars and also charging, and the boats use rubber loops under the water driven by motors, with sensors to detect the boats for operating bridges and locks. The system, with lights and sounds, is run by 14 computers using 300 kilometres of underground cabling.

London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 includes the Gherkin, the Millennium Bridge, a rotating London Eye
London Eye
The London Eye is a tall giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London, England.It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually...

, Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...

, St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...

, Horseguards Parade with the Queen, Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...

 and a train system modelled on the Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...

 and the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...

. England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 includes Brighton Pier
Brighton Pier
The Brighton Marine Palace and Pier is a pleasure pier in Brighton, England. It is generally known as the Palace Pier for short, but has been informally renamed Brighton Pier since 2000 by its owners, the Noble Organisation, in an attempt to suggest that it is Brighton's only pier...

, the Angel of the North, Smiths Arms Wiltshire, the smallest pub in Britain, and Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...

, with Scotland including Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...

, Royal Mile
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle...

, Eilean Donan
Eilean Donan
Eilean Donan is a small island in Loch Duich in the western Highlands of Scotland. It is connected to the mainland by a footbridge and lies about half a mile from the village of Dornie. Eilean Donan is named after Donnán of Eigg, a Celtic saint martyred in 617...

, Jedburgh Abbey
Jedburgh Abbey
Jedburgh Abbey, a ruined Augustinian abbey which was founded in the 12th century is situated in the town of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders just north of the border with England at Carter Bar...

, Blair Atholl
Blair Atholl
Blair Atholl is a small town in Perthshire, Scotland, built about the confluence of the Rivers Tilt and Garry in one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the Grampian Mountains. The Gaelic place-name Blair, from blàr, 'field, plain', refers to this location...

 and Loch Ness
Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...

 and Wales featuring a rugby pitch and a typical Welsh village street while the National Anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...

 is played. Other countries featured include Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

.

During 2001, an audio tour
Audio tour
An audio tour or audio guide provides a recorded spoken commentary, normally through a handheld device, to a visitor attraction such as a museum. They are also available for self-guided tours of outdoor locations, or as a part of an organised tour. It provides background, context, and information...

 was introduced, but removed at the end of the season. In 2009, Lego versions of the Top Gear presenters Richard Hammond
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...

, Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...

, James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....

 and The Stig
The Stig
The Stig is a character in the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy...

 were introduced near the racetrack in Miniland, standing around a Caterham model. Since 2009, The Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....

 from Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...

, along with his relevant current assistant, K9, the Tardis
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...

 and enemies including Davros
Davros
Davros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...

 and the Daleks, have been added. Others featured include Yoda, Andy and Lou characters from Little Britain, Boris Johnson, Gordon Brown and H.M. The Queen.

Duplo Land

Duplo Land, previously Explore Land and Duplo Gardens, is aimed at younger children, with attractions including boat based fairy tale ride Fairy Tale Brook, controllable mock helicopters Chopper Squadron, Duplo Playground play area, children's water play area Waterworks, short narrow-gage railway Duplo Train and regular puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....

 shows in the Duplo Theatre, previously 'Willow Stage'.

Other attractions include two nine-hole minigolf courses operate as Mole-in-One Golf for an additional charge and two 100m water slides for Extreme Team Challenge originally named X-treme Challenge.

The shop in this area is Cuddles Corner, which sells stuffed toys and clothing.

Traffic

Traffic is themed around transport. Driving School is for children 6 to 13 years old and sponsored by Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

, and L-Drivers is for children aged 3 to 5 years old, both of which are where children can drive a Lego car around a track complete with traffic lights and road signs to gain a mock license. Boating School lets guests of all ages take control of boats around a course of waterways, Balloon School lets visitors take a 40 ft (12.2 m) ride into the sky in a mock hot air balloon and Fire Academy lets groups of 2-4 board a 'fire engine' vehicle, which they must power to a mock-up of a burning building to pump water cannons before returning to the start.

LEGO City

LEGO City, previously My Town, is a mock-up of a small Lego town. The town includes LEGO City Harbour, where live stunt shows are performed at intervals throughout the day, with the show currently showing being Pirates Of Skeleton Bay. The city also includes Orient Expedition, which is a train ride around Lego City, Traffic and Adventure Land, with Lego safari animals along the track, Digger Challenge, sponsored by JCB
J. C. Bamford
JCB is a global construction, demolition and agricultural equipment company headquartered in Rocester, United Kingdom. It is the world's third-largest construction equipment manufacturer. It produces over 300 types of machines, including diggers , excavators, tractors and diesel engines...

, which offers guests the chance to operate a mock hydraulic digger, and also console gaming area Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...

 Gaming Zone
.

The shop in this area is Brick Brothers Souvenir Co, which sells a range of Lego souvenirs.

Land of the Vikings

Land of the Vikings is situated behind the Hill Train. The main attraction is the Viking's River Splash, a river rapids ride built by ABC Rides with nine-seat rafts, interactive water features, the 'Troll Wash', where buckets of water are emptied from the top of a four metre high bridge across the water channel and two Lego dragons, blue representing ice and red representing fire. Longboat Invader is a swinging, spinning 'Rocking Tug' boat ride by Zamperla
Zamperla
Zamperla is a designing and manufacturing company in Vicenza, Italy. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin operated rides commonly found inside shopping malls....

. Finally, there is Loki's Labyrinth, a Viking themed hedge maze
Hedge Maze
A hedge maze is an outdoor garden maze or labyrinth in which the "walls" or dividers between passages are made of vertical hedges.-History:...

 and Spinning Spider, a spinning teacups
Teacups
Teacups is an amusement ride characterized by cup-style spinning vehicles atop a turntable-like floor.-Operation:Typically, each set of four teacup vehicles has a circular floor or a motor capable of turning 360 degrees. The circular floor or motor sits within a larger, turntable-like floor...

 style ride with a spider theme previously part of Wild Woods.

Kingdom of the Pharaohs

The Kingdom of the Pharaohs contains "Laser Raiders", an interactive dark ride through an Egyptian tomb where visitors shoot targets to gain points, with characters based on the Johnny Thunder series, which previously featured in the stunt show. The ride is similar to Lost Kingdom Adventure in Legoland California
Legoland California
Legoland California is a theme park located in Carlsbad, California, focused on Lego bricks. It opened on March 20, 1999. It is the third Legoland park to open, and the first Legoland outside of Europe...

 and is based in the former circus tent, which was rethemed to a desert facade with a 6m high pharaoh made of 200,000 Lego bricks. There is also Scarab Bouncers, a Zamperla Jumping Star ride which has two drop towers of around 15 feet (4.6 m), similar to Beetle Bounce at Legoland California
Legoland California
Legoland California is a theme park located in Carlsbad, California, focused on Lego bricks. It opened on March 20, 1999. It is the third Legoland park to open, and the first Legoland outside of Europe...

. From the former Brickadilly's Fairground, three rides were rethemed as part of the land, with The Ferris Wheel re-named Aero Nomad, Chair-o-Plane re-named Thunder Blazer and the Carousel re-named Desert Chase.

The shop in this area is The Bazaar in the tent, which sells souvenirs and Lego products with an Egyptian theme, as well as 3D crystal.

Pirates Landing

Pirates Landing features log flume
Log flume (attraction)
Log flumes originally referred to a special construct used to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain to a sawmill by using flowing water. Today, however, the term is also used to refer to an amusement ride consisting of a water flume and artificial hollow logs or boats...

 Pirate Falls
Pirate Falls
Pirate Falls Dynamite Drench is a ride at Legoland Windsor, it is part on the Pirates Landing area.-Ride Experience:After the boat leave the station, The boat go round a gentle stream. Along the stream there are Lego Pirates and Rats that spray water at you. You turn into an area where there is a...

 - Dynamite Drench
, which includes a Pirate themed storyline and models around Blackbeard and also an on-ride photography opportunity.Pirates Training Camp is a three-storey labyrinth of walkways, scramble nets and chutes, with interactive elements and clues to follow with a mystery to solve. The final attraction is Jolly Rocker, a giant pirate ship that swings 18 meters high, relocated from Heide Park
Heide Park
The Heide Park Resort is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony. With an overall area of over 850,000 m², it is one of the biggest German amusement parks and the biggest in Northern Germany....

. Visitors can also do Panning For Gold for an extra charge, with gold exchanged for a medal, and the area also includes a restaurant, Crossed Ribs BBQ.

Knights' Kingdom

Knights' Kingdom features The Dragon roller coaster constructed by WGH Transportation., which starts inside the castle-shaped building, passing Lego tableaux, before travelling outside through a rollercoaster track at speeds of around 30 mi/h. As a complement to The Dragon, The Dragon's Apprentice is a smaller rollercoaster for younger children and Enchanted Forest is a walk-through nature trail surrounded with many naturalistic Lego Creations. Dino Dipper, a MACK
MACK Rides
Mack Rides is a German company that designs and constructs roller coasters. The family that owns the company also owns Europa Park.-History:The creation of the Mack company goes back to 1780, by Paul Mack, when he started building carriages. The Mack company started to design roller coasters in 1920....

 'Old Train' ride, featuring a loop of cars travelling at high speeds over bumps, was relocated to the area from Adventure Land and renamed Knight's Quest.

The shop in this area is Turret Shop, which sells a large range of Lego products with medieval themes.

Adventure Land

Adventure Land is situated around a lake at the bottom of the park. The main attraction is Atlantis Submarine Voyage by Sealife, which features "submarine" vehicles used to travel through the 1 million litre tank to view marine exhibits and a Lego recreation of the lost city of Atlantis, which is guarded by live sharks, as well as touch pools and other interactive areas located after the main ride element of the 1,230m2 indoor attraction. The area also includes Wave Surfer, where riders swing round on a gondola suspended over water to avoid water jets activated by spectators and Dino Safari,which is a car ride featuring Lego model dinosaurs. For an extra charge, visitors can go on the seven metre Climbing Wall.

Future

The site of former ride Jungle Coaster, a MACK
MACK Rides
Mack Rides is a German company that designs and constructs roller coasters. The family that owns the company also owns Europa Park.-History:The creation of the Mack company goes back to 1780, by Paul Mack, when he started building carriages. The Mack company started to design roller coasters in 1920....

 Wild Mouse style rollercoaster, themed to Lego Technic
Lego Technic
Technic is a line of Lego interconnecting plastic rods and parts. The purpose of this series is to create more advanced models with more complex movable arms, such as machines with wheels, in addition to the simpler brick-building properties of normal Lego....

 over 400 metres of track to a height of 16 metres at a top speed of 60 km/h (37 mph), is currently the building site for the new hotel to open in 2012, after the ride was relocated to Legoland Florida
Legoland Florida
Legoland Florida is a theme park in Winter Haven, Florida. It opened on Saturday, October 15, 2011. Merlin Entertainments Group operates the park which encompasses of the former Cypress Gardens amusement park, making Legoland Florida the world's largest Legoland park.-Announcement:A press release...

, which will open in October 2011. The hotel will be LEGO themed, with a restaurant, bar and pool.

In 2009, Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd is a British operator of amusement parks and other attractions. It is the largest such company in Europe, and globally the second largest after Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....

 announced it was planning to spend £30 million on Legoland over the next 5 to 10 years, with plans to build new rides, the in-progress Lego-themed hotel, opening in 2012, and a Sea-Life Centre, opened in 2011, as part of efforts to make Legoland a resort, with enough rides to sustain 2 or 3 day visits.

Q-Bot

For the 2008 season, the Q-Bot queueing system was introduced. For a per-person fee, the system provided a small pager-like device per party to "reserve" places in queues virtually, allowing guests to use their queuing time elsewhere in the park. Whilst the system allows guests to queue for one ride at a time, due to number of "persons" notionally queuing for rides and also guests riding other rides whilst "queuing", ride queues have increased. Most rides admit regular and Q-Bot riders on a 1:1 basis. The initial contract between Q-Bot developers Lo-Q was for 1 year from April 8, 2008., but was extended for 2009 and on March 26, 2010, it was extended for a further 3 years.

Transport

By road, Legoland Windsor can be reached by M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...

, signed from the M3
M3 motorway
The M3 motorway runs in England for approximately from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, to Southampton, Hampshire and forms an unsigned section European route E05. It is dual three lanes as far as Junction 8 near Basingstoke and then dual two lane until Junction 9 near Winchester and then dual three...

 at junction 3 and M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...

 at junction 4 and located on the B3022 (Winkfield Road). By coach, Green Line Coaches
Green Line Coaches
Green Line is a commuter coach brand in the Home Counties of England. It is owned by the Arriva group.Green Line has its origin in the network of coach services established by the London General Omnibus Company in the 1920s and 1930s...

 operate the 702 coach service from London's Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station is the largest and most significant coach station in London. It serves long distance coach services and is also the departure point for many countryside coach tours originating from London. It should not be confused with the nearby Green Line Coach Station serving Green Line...

 and Golden Tours operate daily. A shuttle bus, service 200 and 191 from First Berkshire & The Thames Valley
First Berkshire & The Thames Valley
First Berkshire & The Thames Valley is a bus operator serving Bracknell, Slough and Wokingham, in England. It is part of First Group, a major bus and train operator with a turnover of nearly £2.5 billion a year and 62,000 employees across the UK and North America...

, runs from Windsor's town centre. Also, Windsor itself is served by rail at Windsor and Eton Riverside and Windsor and Eton Central, which are a short walk from the connecting shuttle service.

Operating Calendar

Legoland Windsor typically opens from March to November, with closures on some Tuesdays and Wednesdays in May, September and October. The park's opening time varies between 9.30am and 10am and closing time varies between 5pm and 8pm, with 9pm for special events. All times vary in accordance with the UK school and public holidays, with longer hours during the summer months and weekends.

Special Events

Legoland Windsor runs a variety of special events throughout the year. A number now run annually, with several additional one-off events. Regular events are as follows:
  • After Dark, held at Easter, is a three day late night event, with a laser, pyrotechnics and water show over Lego City Harbour or lately, Adventure Land Lake, with access to a number of rides during the evenings. The shows are often themed, such as the 10th anniversary in 2006, Batman in 2007 and Star Wars in 2011.
  • Legoland Live! is a family based concert in July, with singing, dancing and interactive attractions, featuring well known stars and characters.
  • Amazing Machines is monster truck, motorbike and vehicle stunt show in September.

  • Fireworks occurs at the end of the season for several weekends, with fireworks over Adventure Land viewed from Lego City Harbour and Miniland, activities and rides open late. Due to the fall out zone, the access road is closed during the display. The event is usually themed around Lego related products, such as Rock Raiders, Lego Insectoids, Bionicle
    Bionicle
    Bionicle is a line of toys by the LEGO Group marketed primarily for 5- to 16-year-olds. The line was launched on December 30, 2000 in Europe and June/July 2001 in Canada and the United States. "Bionicle" is a portmanteau constructed from the words "biological" and "chronicle"...

    , Star Wars
    Star Wars
    Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...

     and Lego Indiana Jones
    Lego Indiana Jones
    Lego Indiana Jones is a Lego theme based on the Indiana Jones film franchise, licensed from Lucasfilm. The exclusive franchise was first announced in June 2007, and followed the successful Lego Star Wars franchise, also with Lucasfilm...

    .

Incidents

  • In 2006, a fire broke out in a storage barn on site during the end of season fireworks on October 28, with no injuries.
  • In 2008, after noise complaints were received, Jungle Coaster plastic housing was placed over the cars, leading to reduced capacity to two adults per car, due to weight restrictions. However, at the end of the 2009 season, the ride was removed and the site used for hotel construction.
  • In September 2010, the park's high level of wasps during the season was featured on Watchdog
    Watchdog (TV series)
    Watchdog is a BBC television series that investigates viewers' reports of problematic experiences with traders, retailers, and other companies around the UK...

    , with general manager Sue Kemp appearing with host Anne Robinson
    Anne Robinson
    Anne Josephine Robinson is an English journalist and television presenter, known for her assertive views and acerbic style of presenting. She was one of the presenters on the long-running British consumer affairs series, Watchdog, from 1993 to 2001 before returning in 2009...

     and confirming new signage, actions and details on the website.

Awards

Since opening in 1996, the park has won a number of awards:
  • Voted UK's Number One Family Attraction by Group Leisure Magazine, 1999.
  • Best UK Attraction for Children, issued by Yandell Publishing in 2002.
  • Best Family Visitor Attraction in the 2007 Tommy's Parent Friendly Awards.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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