The Giant

The Giant terrified children visiting Pleasure Beach during the 70s, 80s and 90s. It’s 20 years now since The Giant was removed, but his legacy lives on at Pleasure Beach.

The Giant and accompanying diorama near the entrance to the Snails ride in 1976.

Laminators Limited of Kessingland, Suffolk, was contracted to build the 30 foot tall model to be used in a Jack and the Beanstalk themed diorama for the Snails ride. A gentleman by the name Derek Waghorn single-handedly built the model using glass reinforced plastic (GRP, fibreglass) on a steel frame and painted it - a process which took him nine weeks. Once completed, the model, which weighed a tonne, was transported to Pleasure Beach and erected near the entrance to the Snails ride by Pleasure Beach’s own maintenance team in July 1967. 

Derek Waghorn puts the finishing touches to The Giant from atop a ladder, outside the workshop in which he made the figure.

The Giant was accompanied by a house made from a boot inhabited by a witch. A model witch flying a broomstick was driven by a mechanism so it seemed she was flying around the chimney of the house. A mechanism within The Giant also caused his arm with club to move up and down. 

The Giant was an imposing figure, towering over small children waiting their turn on the Snails ride. Credit: David Palmer.

The Giant, boot house and flying witch are seen on this postcard from the mid 1980s. Some of the scenic cladding has been removed by this point.

The Giant's face, showing David Waghorn's attention to detail.

The boot house and flying witch, accompanied by her cat.

Despite its popularity, The Giant and the rest of the diorama was removed without fanfare at the end of the 2001 season. A diorama, inspired by Jack and Beanstalk, was painted on the Scenic Railway cladding near the entrance to the Snails ride and a new giant model was installed, accompanied by a giant-sized table and sacks of gold coins. The Giant’s legacy lives on however. The Dodgems ride was revamped ahead of the 2021 season with new signage featuring various Pleasure Beach figures. The giants go head to head to tell drivers no head on bumping. 

The new giant and diorama inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk in 2004.

The old and new giants feature in new signage for Dodgems, installed in 2021,twenty years after The Giant was removed. Credit: Pleasure & Leisure Corporation Ltd.