Twists

The Twist, or commonly now, Twister, has been a staple of amusement parks for nearly seventy years. This article takes a look at the Twist rides that have operated at Pleasure Beach. 

Pleasure Beach's current Twist ride, Twister, in 2020.

The Twist was invented by Richard Harris, who installed the first example at Lakewood Fairgrounds in Atlanta, US, in 1938. He was granted a patent for his design in 1941, although the Eli Bridge Company subsequently obtained this. The first of their rides appeared in 1953 and they had sold five models by the end of 1954. Edwin Hall obtained a license to manufacture the rides in Britain and produced his first version in 1959. These models are so-called grasscutters. They have a basic frame driven from below, and no platform. Travelling examples are often erected directly on the surface of the fair ground, which is usually grass. More permanent installations may have a platform built for the ride to sit on.    

This is an extract from Harris's patent for the Twist, showing the general layout of the ride.

Hall built several Twists for UK showmen, including Botton Brothers, who installed their ride at Pleasure Beach in 1969. This ride, called Flying Twist, was a typical grasscutter model, featuring twelve cars in three groups of four. A concrete base featuring decorative brickwork and perimeter fencing was constructed for the ride to sit on. The ride proved extremely popular and operated successfully at Pleasure Beach each season until the end of 1992. This ride is now in use at Marleybrook House, which offers outdoor fairground weddings. 

The Flying Twist ride at Pleasure Beach in 1969. A concrete base with decorative brickwork was constructed for the ride to sit on, although it is still considered a 'grasscutter' model. 
Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield. 

This image from 1978 shows the decorative features that had been added to the ride.
Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield. 

This image from 1982 shows a few modifications to the decorative lights. The ride enclosure still features the original fencing and is open, although additional fencing had been added opposite the entrances. 
Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.   

Whilst the ride remains essentially the same, the original perimeter fencing has been replaced by tall metal fence panels featuring the letters BA (Botton's Amusements), as more onerous safety standards dictated. 
Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.

It is testament to the original design concept that the basic design and ride experience has changed little over the years. Bennett produced Twist rides throughout the 1960s which featured a wooden platform and improvements in design aesthetics. This design was developed throughout the 1970s, culminating in production of the Sizzler in 1982. This ride features modern hydraulic drive, thicker arms, a bright colour theme with lights and a backflash, and formed the basis of most modern Twist rides. Following release of the Twister film in 1996, many rides were decorated in twister themes. 

Twister arrived at Pleasure Beach during the 1999 season. It was built by Sonacase, which at the time was run by British showman Monty Hammond. This ride is based on the Twister film, and the backflash artwork depicts the stars of the film, played by Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, among suitably chaotic scenes inspired by the film. It is a trailer-mounted ride with slightly inclined platform featuring the classic layout of three arms supporting four cars. The ride has a capacity of 36, although it has operated at only 24 (two persons per car) since 2006. The ride is hydraulically driven, and the operator has full control over the speed and duration of the ride.

The ride was initially installed south of the Scenic Railway. It was subsequently moved to the centre of the park, although it was moved  south of the Scenic Railway again to allow installation of the Family Star ride in 2013. It remains a popular ride with visitors to Pleasure Beach. 

Twister at Pleasure Beach in 2011. 

View of the ride from the control box. The lever near centre is used to control the speed and duration of the ride. The control panel on the right includes the 'on', 'emergency stop', ‘lapbar lock' and light switches among others.