From the Tower of Terror to Knightmare and Excalibur 2 – a trip to Camelot was a big part of any summer holiday for kids from Greater Manchester
Once upon a time, a day out at Camelot amusement park was an exciting part of any summer holiday for kids in Greater Manchester, loved for its white-knuckle rides such as Knightmare, the Tower of Terror and Pendragon’s Plunge.
The pseudo-medieval theme park opened in 1983 near Chorley, Lancashire. Owned by Park Hall Leisure, it enticed both adults and children with the legend of King Arthur, his Knights of the Round Table, and the wizard Merlin.
It was in the late 1980s the site experienced its golden age. By then, the park had been bought out by Granada and was seeing 2.5 million visitors a year. But by the mid ’90s, the glory days began to fade with visitor numbers falling to around 500,000 a year in 1995.
Granada sold up to Prime Resorts Limited, who axed rides including Excalibur and Tower or Terror while bringing in Excalibur 2, Whirlwind, and the new Knightmare.
By 2000, visitors dropped to 400,000 a year and then 380,000 by 2004. And by 2009, numbers were below 300,000 with the park entering receivership and temporary closing.
Sadly, by 2012, the once vibrant, family orientated theme park closed for good. Since then, the site has fallen into disrepair and many of its iconic rides and structures left to decay and were demolished.
The park site has only been used for occasional events, such as live-action zombie horror experiences, which took advantage of the decaying and abandoned setting for thrilling escapades.
However, Camelot was back into the news recently, with plans to bulldoze the site and replace it with a 350-home village.
So to celebrate the loved, but now sadly lost theme park, we’ve put together a list of 10 lost rides and attractions that we still miss today.
Tower of Terror
The Tower of Terror was a fixture at Camelot from 1989 to 2000. A steel rollercoaster, it was one of the theme park’s big draws for over a decade. According to Coasterpedia website, the track was painted black and its loop enclosed in a castle façade in keeping with the park’s medieval theme.
In 2000, the ride was removed after a fire destroyed the façade, at it was replaced by The Gauntlet and Excalibur 2 for the following season. Most recently, the ride was still in use under the name Big Blue at Dalmaland in Croatia since 2017.
Knightmare
Knightmare opened at Camelot in 2007, boasting a stomach-churning ‘psycho drop’ and a two minute ride full of twists, turns and gravity-defying drops. Costing £3 million, it closed along with the park in 2012.
Following the park’s closure, the ride stood abandoned for a number of years with sections of its track and a train relocated to Southport Pleasureland. The ride was finally demolished in 2020.
Excalibur 2
Excalibur 2 opened at the park in 2001 on the site of the former Tower of Terror. It was an upgrade to the original Excalibur ride which operated from 1995 to 2000 in a different area of the park.
When the park closed in 2012, the ride was bought by Southport Pleasureland and renamed OMG, where it remained until 2015.
Gauntlet
A steel rollercoaster ride, The Gauntlet opened at Camelot in 2001 on the site of the former Tower of Terror. It left the theme park in 2006 to make room for Knightmare and relocated to Southport Pleasureland as Storm.
Since then, the ride has been refurbished and become an attraction at theme parks in Bulgaria.
Dragon Heights
Dragon Heights was a colourful and popular ride for younger kids that opened in the park in 1987. Not to be confused with the diesel powered Dragon Flyer rollercoaster, this spinning ride featured three pink dragons that rotated through 360 degrees, but didn’t turn upside down.
Sadly, the ride only lasted a few years because of maintenance issues.
Whirlwind
Opening at Camelot in 2003, spinning steel rollercoaster Whirlwind was a single car ride that remained at the park until its closure in 2012. It was relocated to Spain’s Skyline Park a year later and renamed Sky Spin.
Formula-K Go-Karts
The Go-Karts and track located just outside the entrance were a feature of the park from 2000 until its 2012 closure, when they were scrapped.
Pendragon’s Plunge
Opening in the park in 1997, Pendragon’s Plunge was a water-based thrill ride where people would sit in a dingy before being propelled down one of three waterslides. After Camelot closed, two of the slides were relocated to Gulliver’s Kingdom in Derbyshire.
Camelot Cascade
This popular log flume ride opened in 1986 and remained a stalwart of the amusement park until it closed in 2012. Renamed Skull Rock, the ride was relocated to Oakwood Theme Park in Wales the following year.
The Galleon
This pirate ship ride was another long-standing attraction at Camelot, opening in 1986 and remaining until its 2012 closure. Like a good number of other popular rides, it was relocated to Southport Pleasurebeach the following year as the Pirate Ship.
Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE