Barry Island Pleasure Park opened in 1923, although rides had operated on the sands adjacent to the park site since 1897. The White brothers, who held the concession to operate rides on the beach, were the first tenants of the newly established amusement park, which was created when the Council rebuilt the promenade in 1923. Meanwhile, Pat Collins, a showman from the West Midlands, was expanding his empire of travelling fairs and amusements across the region. I expect he was less than impressed when, in 1929, he found out the White brothers had outbid him to operate an amusement park in Evesham, Worcestershire, which offered lucrative trade from West Midlands day-trippers. Pat then outbid the White brothers for the 1930 lease of Barry Island Pleasure Park and subsequently renamed the park New Evesham Pleasure Park, which it would be known as until 1950.
The Collins’ had interests in other amusement parks too, including Great Yarmouth’s Pleasure Beach, the lease for which Pat had acquired ahead of the 1929 season. In 1932, the Collins' installed a large scenic railway at that park, which they had bought from German showman Hugo Haase, who had operated it at the 1931 Paris Colonial Exhibition. Ahead of the 1938 Empire Exhibition, Scotland, Sir Cecil Weir, who was overseeing the project, appointed Lord Inverclyde the task of organising the amusement park, which was to be one of the attractions at the Exhibition. Lord Inverclyde toured Britain's amusement parks in search of attractions. He appointed Billy Butlin the principal amusement caterer and, on visiting Great Yarmouth, settled on a copy of the Collins' Scenic Railway, which had proven extremely popular, as the main attraction.
John Collins tasked Harry and Ted Wadbrook with building a copy of the ride. Harry and Ted had apprenticed their trade at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach and had become experts in the Scenic Railway's construction and operation. Their copy was virtually identical to the ride at Pleasure Beach and decorated in a similar way too, with sculpted plaster resembling mountainous terrain cladding the ride. The ride was built at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, where the Exhibition's amusement park was located, and it opened on 3 May 1938. The ride proved extremely popular and takings exceeded £30,000 by the time the Exhibition closed in December.
The Scenic Railway at Bellahouston Park, home of the amusement park of the Empire Exhibition, Scotland, 1938.
Harry (right) and Ted (Centre) Wadbrook. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook
The following videos feature the Scenic Railway at Bellahouston Park. The first is an overview of the Exhibition site. The second features Prince Henry and Princess Alice, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, riding the Scenic Railway. The third is an overview of the amusement park, featuring the various rides and attractions at the Exhibition.
The ride was dismantled and later shipped to Belgium, where it featured in the 1939 International Water Exhibition, held in Liège. The Exhibition opened on 20 May 1939, but it closed earlier than planned, following the outbreak of World War II. The ride was dismantled and brought back to Britain. It was subsequently constructed at the Collins' Barry Island park and opened in 1940.
Barry Island Pleasure Park, I expect taken some time during the early to mid 1950s. The Scenic Railway totally dominated the park, taking up nearly half of the site.
The Collins marketed this ride as the largest roller coaster in the work. In fact, this is a credit they also gave their Great Yarmouth Scenic Railway, although the two rides were more similar than different. The image above shows the slight differences between the two rides - principally the profile of the long drop running diagonally across the ride, and the last two drops before the station, in particular the first part. Relatively few changes were made to the ride after it opened, although the triple drop, running diagonally across the ride from above the station area was modified to a double drop, in the same way the Scenic Railway at Great Yarmouth later was.
The video below, from 1962, shows the Scenic Railway and Barry Island Pleasure Park and features an interview with John Collins.
The ride suffered extensive damage on 17 December 1963. A gale destroyed the lift hill and adjoining track between the turnarounds. A monumental effort by the operators saw the ride rebuilt and reopened for the 1964 season, sans cladding. Steel sheets were eventually used to clad the ride as replacement for the plaster. This method was later used on the Scenic Railway at Great Yarmouth.
Close up of the damage caused by high winds in 1963. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook.
The lift hill and centre section collapsed in the high winds. This is the gap left in the ride after the debris had been cleared away. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook.
New trestles for rebuilding the damaged centre section are stacked, waiting installation. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook.
Part of the turnaround was also damaged. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook.
New trestles to rebuild the ride are being installed in this image. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook.
The Collins’ family involvement with Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach had come to an end in 1958, and the Scenic Railway there was sold to Botton Brothers, who had been operating the park since 1954. The Collins family was still very much in control at Barry Island though, and John’s sons, named in the family tradition John and Patrick, purchased the freehold of the site in 1969. The video below features musician Acker Bilk riding the Scenic Railway, and interviews with Patrick Collins Junior. You will also see the ride has been repainted following its rebuild and reclad after its partial collapse in 1963.
A financial assessment of the park was undertaken in the early 1970s. The Scenic Railway was deemed to take up too much space for the money it made and it closed at the end of the 1973 season. It was demolished in two stages - the lift hill and centre section first, followed by the turnarounds - over the winter periods of the 1973 and 1974 seasons. Many were sad to see the Scenic Railway go. Pat himself later remarked that in hindsight the ride should not have been dismantled, as with new technology, different rides could have been incorporated over and under the structure to gain more income from the space available. Nevertheless, the Collins' ran the park successfully into the nineties. It is now owned and operated by Henry Danter.
Demolition of the Scenic Railway in 1973. The end of an era for Barry Island Pleasure Park.
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