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78-533: Southport Pleasureland is an amusement park located in Southport , Merseyside , England . The park originally operated from 1913 to 2006 as Pleasureland Theme Park under the ownership of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach company. In 2007, the park re-opened under the ownership of Norman Wallis . The first Pleasureland had operated since 1913 as a sister amusement park to Blackpool Pleasure Beach . In 2005,

156-600: A Monster Truck weekend. A circus was also moved onto the site for the spring season. The previous weekend hosted an Urban Graffiti Art Festival. The park opened in March, with a new ride called "Air" and a new log flume ride was constructed on the site of the old log flume which was demolished in 2007. A new 'Events Arena' was opened in July with plans to be used as a concert venue. The park re-opened in March, with 3 new rides from Camelot Theme Park which closed in 2012. The park underwent

234-487: A bathing house at what is now the south end of Lord Street . The area was previously known as South Hawes, and was sparsely populated and dominated by dunes. The area became popular with tourists due to the easy access from the nearby Leeds and Liverpool Canal , and by 1848 had a railway connection. The resort increased during the Victorian era and contains examples of Victorian architecture and town planning . Lord Street

312-406: A dependence on tourism the town is also home to businesses both in the private and public sector. Some manufacturing facilities were situated in the town, most notably Chewits were manufactured in the town from 1965 to 2006, only closing to move production to Slovakia . Manufacturing has diminished in the last few decades and only a few sites are still in production in the town today. Lord Street

390-575: A district of Lancashire: the final recommendations in 1991 "concluded that public opinion was more evenly divided than initially thought", and also that eastward transport links with Lancashire were poor compared to those southward to the Liverpool area. The government again directed the Local Government Commission for England to make a review in December 1996 (after it had finished the work on

468-442: A further rebrand for the 2014 season, with a new website, new logo, new name and new slogan - 'Where memories are made!'. The park also introduced a new electronic token system for its rides, known as the 'Fun Card'. Guests are required to purchase tokens from kiosks and are given a Fun Card with a lanyard to wear. The card can be swiped at any park ride, eliminating the need for paper tokens. Individual tokens cost £1 and all rides have

546-664: A future heritage fairground museum in Blackpool. Not much is known about the fate of many of the classic rides at Pleasureland, although some were purchased and put into storage for the Dreamland revival project in Margate. On 31 May 2007, it was announced that Dreamstorm International were to invest £100 million at the Pleasureland site. Pleasureland was re-opened to the public on 21 July 2007 and renamed New Pleasureland. In June 2007, some of

624-589: A group of coaster enthusiasts to try and save the ride, but this effort also failed. The Cyclone was demolished on 20 November 2006. One of the park's unique features was its Funhouse with traditional funhouse attractions such as the Wheel and the Social Mixer . The Funhouse continued to operate independently for several months until its closure on 31 March 2007. Soon after, the funhouse was gutted and parts taken to Blackpool; speculation exists that these will form party of

702-467: A head start compared to all the other places on the Lancashire coast because it had easy access to the canal system. Other seaside bathing areas could not really get going until the railways were built some years later. The Leeds and Liverpool canal brought people from Liverpool, Manchester, Bolton and Wigan amongst others. By 1820 Southport had over 20,000 visitors per year. Southport Pier is referred to as

780-572: A series of tragedies, local families from Southport raised the funds to buy a new lifeboat for the town, stationed at the old RNLI lifeboat house. The lifeboat, operated by the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust , is completely independent from the RNLI and receives no money from them. It relies entirely on donations from the general public. On 21 March 1926, Henry Segrave set the land speed record in his 4-litre Sunbeam Tiger Ladybird on

858-473: A unitary authority, with Banks wishing to see it tied to Lancashire ceremonially , but Fearn wishing to see it remain, as a separate borough, in Merseyside. The commission noted that Southport would have a relatively low population for a unitary authority, even including Formby (89,300 or 114,700), and that it was worried about the viability of a south Sefton authority without Southport, and therefore recommended

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936-442: A value from 1 to 4 tokens each. Stations have been allocated around the park to show guests how many tokens remain on their card to use. The park opened on 28 March with The Crazy Mouse roller coaster amid many other minor additions. In October 2015, The Crazy Mouse was dismantled to make way for a new yellow looping roller coaster. Construction for the ride was completed in 2016 with the ride's name being "looping coaster". The ride

1014-404: Is a pinfari looping coaster. Construction on looping coaster had been completed In 2018 A Ferris wheel was added but taken away later that year. Another ferris wheel got taken down too which was ‘the kingdom in the sky’ which was moved from Camelot to Pleasureland in 2013. In 2019 a go kart track next door to pleasureland closed down and sold the land to pleasureland. The fair ground demolished

1092-557: Is a report from BBC News . It was announced in October 2008 that New Pleasureland would return for the 2009/2010 seasons. An official opening schedule has been announced for 2009, The Traumatizer station building has been demolished. In February 2008, the site of the Cyclone Rollercoaster was landscaped, and part of the old River Caves ride demolished to make room for more rides. "Norman Returns The Pleasure" The Park re-opened for

1170-554: Is often called England's Golfing Capital because it is at the centre of England's Golf Coast. Royal Birkdale Golf Club is one of the clubs in the Open Championship rotation for both men and women. The club has hosted the men's championship ten times since 1954, most recently in July 2017, and has hosted the women's tournament five times, including 2010. Southport's other courses include the 9-hole Southport Old Links in High Park,

1248-472: Is the main shopping street of Southport. It is one of the great shopping streets of Northern England and is said to be the inspiration for the tree-lined boulevards of Paris. In the 2000s Chapel Street was pedestrianised and is home to famous brands. Southport also has an indoor market situated on King Street and Market Street as well as a farmers' market held on the last Thursday of every month on Chapel Street. Southport has hosted conferences since at least

1326-514: Is to be replaced with a new Indoor Ghost Train. The ride opened in July 2010. Battlefield Live Southport has opened on the site of the old Southport Zoo , which is immediately adjacent to Pleasureland. Battlefield Live is an outdoor combat game using guns that fire infra-red beams. The site is accessed via Pleasureland and it opened in August 2010. The park opened during the Easter Holidays hosting

1404-662: The Domesday Book , and some parts of the town have names of Viking origin. The earliest recorded human activity in the region was during the Middle Stone Age when mesolithic hunter-gatherers were attracted by the abundant red deer and elk populations, as well as the availability of fish, shellfish, and woodland. Roman coins have been found at Halsall Moss and Crossens, although the Romans never settled southwest Lancashire. The first objective evidence of an early settlement in

1482-712: The West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea , approximately 17 miles (27 km) north of Liverpool and 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Preston . At the 2021 census , Southport had a population of 94,421, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England and the third most populous settlement in the Liverpool City Region . The town was founded in 1792 by William Sutton , an innkeeper from Churchtown , who built

1560-475: The county borough of Southport in 1912. This was a huge expansion of the town. In 1914, a very short romance story between a "2 park road Southport" private soldier and French lady took place in Valenciennes in north France during early First World War as described by Andrée Ducatez's Journal . In 1925, the RNLI abandoned the station at Southport and left the town with no lifeboat. In the late 1980s, after

1638-560: The creation of unitary authorities ), commencing in January 1997. This review was constrained by the legal inability of the commission to recommend that the current Sefton-West Lancashire border be altered. In a MORI poll conducted at the behest of the LGCE, 65% of Southport residents supported the campaign, compared to 37% in the borough as a whole. Local MPs Matthew Banks and Ronnie Fearn (MPs for Southport at various times) supported making Southport

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1716-587: The 1880s when the Royal Institution met in the town. The former Southport Theatre & Convention Centre closed in 2020 and a planning permission application for a new Marine Lake Events Centre was submitted at the end of June 2022. It has hosted the United Kingdom Independence Party national conference as well as the regional Labour Party conference. The Liberal Democrats held their federal Spring conference here in March 2018. Southport

1794-691: The 1980s and is now the site of part of the Ocean Plaza shopping development. A former landmark of Pleasureland was the Looping Star roller coaster, which was on site from 1985 to 1987. It featured in the video for the pop single Wonderful Life , by Liverpool band Black , which was also shot at other parts of the Sefton and North West coastline. On 24 April 2009 a serious fire occurred at the oldest attraction within New Pleasureland. Called The River Caves , it

1872-400: The 2002 local elections, including that of the leader of Sefton Council, Liberal Democrat Councillor, David Bamber. At the following election there were no gains and a drop in the number of votes for the party. At the all out election in 2004, one of their councillors stood down, whilst the other two lost their seats. To date, there have been no further moves to change Sefton's boundaries, but

1950-402: The 2008 season on 15 March and rides added for the summer months. Work has also continued on the grounds to make them look more presentable. A Big Top Circus was added during the summer weeks but was removed by its owners after only 2 weeks in the park due to the low number of people visiting New Pleasureland at the start of the summer holiday period. In Summer 2008, a new static ride was opened in

2028-764: The Boundary Commission indicated in 2004 that a future review is possible. From 2014 the Borough of Sefton became one of the six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority . The closest cities are Preston 20 km (12 miles) to the north east and Liverpool 27 km (17 miles) to the south. Existing on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain , most of the town is only slightly above sea level and thus parts of Southport used to be susceptible to flooding . Marine Drive

2106-602: The Hesketh Golf Club, Hillside Golf Club and Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club . One of Southport's main attractions for many years was Pleasureland , a fairground established in 1912. It was owned by the Thompson Family , and was closed in September 2006. A replacement fairground on the same site, provisionally named New Pleasureland , opened in July 2007. An earlier permanent funfair, Peter Pan's Playground, closed in

2184-518: The Internet of people dismantling the Cyclone, much to the dismay of local residents, Pleasureland fans, and coaster enthusiasts. On 18 September 2006, two protesters climbed to the top of the Cyclone in an attempt to save it. The protest lasted for three hours, after which the protesters came down over police concerns regarding the distraction they posed to passing motorists. There was a petition co-ordinated by

2262-557: The North of England. The United Kingdom Census 2001 showed a resident population for Southport of 90,336. Approximately 19,000 were aged 16 or under, 60,000 were aged 16–74, and 10,000 aged 75 and over. According to the 2001 census, 96% of Southport's population claim they have been born in the UK. The population of Southport began to rapidly increase during the Industrial Revolution and

2340-540: The South Port Hotel, moving to live there the following season. There was no port, but "Southport" soon became the name of the town. The locals thought him mad and referred to the building as the Duke's Folly , but Sutton arranged transport links from the canal that ran through Scarisbrick , four miles from the hotel, and trade was remarkably good. The hotel survived until 1854, when it was demolished to make way for traffic at

2418-741: The Southport Conservative Party . Southport born Kevin Laroux Wood stood in the 1983 general election for the Southport Constituency. He was supported by a team of people who raised the funds needed and formed the "Southport Back in Lancashire Party". Posters were distributed and articles published in the Visiter newspaper. Although was not elected as MP, it put the issue firmly on the local agenda which continues to this day. In

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2496-480: The Victorian era. From then the population has been stable with minor decline in some areas of the town. As a seaside town Southport has a history of leisure and recreation and is still dependent on tourism. The town went into decline when cheap air travel arrived in the 1960s and people chose to holiday abroad due to competitive prices and more reliable weather. However, the town kept afloat with people coming to spend

2574-528: The Z and sometimes after (i.e. ZL42, ZL50 or Z47L). The company also manufactured a popular children's coaster called Big Apple, nearly identical in design to Wacky Worms and Brucomela coasters by Preston and Fabbri . In the late 1990s Pinfari introduced a new model to eventually replace the Zyklon, although the Zyklon was still offered in the ride catalog. Known simply as Roller Coaster or Thriller Roller Coaster, these models were designated RC48 , RC50 or RC70, with

2652-668: The back of the Dunes swimming pool which opened in June 2007. Meols Hall , a manor house, home of the Hesketh family, is open to the public for a limited period each year. Its history back to the Domesday Book. The British Lawnmower Museum is based in Shakespeare Street, a short distance outside the town centre. The Power Station, that was the base of the town's former radio station Dune FM , on

2730-436: The back of the park, near the seafront. The coaster will be a Zamperla Lightning coaster and it will be the park’s biggest investment since the park reopened in 2007. Southport Pleasureland is split into four themed areas, consisting of rides and attractions. The original building was initially used for Indy's Lost Adventure, then “Ghost Train, and now houses “Port of Discovery”. In 2000, body of murder victim Lindsey Wilson

2808-683: The beach, the largest independent flower show in the UK in Victoria Park , and the British Musical Fireworks Championship. The town is at the centre of England's "Golf Coast", and has hosted the Open Championship at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club . The town gets its name from the South Port Hotel; built around 1797 (see #18th century ). There have been settlements in the area now comprising Southport since

2886-452: The day by the seaside on bank holidays and weekends. The town has diversified with annual events, shopping and conferences. In 2011, Southport was named the fourteenth-most popular coastal resort in the country, benefiting from a 23% rise in money spent in the resort in that year. Part of the resort's progress is a result of the money invested in Southport over recent years. While Southport has

2964-560: The edge of Victoria Park, which itself is home to the Southport Flower Show . See also Listed buildings in Southport Southport has many unique buildings and features, many of which are privately owned Victorian villas and houses and the town centre shops are of architectural interest. The most notable buildings, gardens and places of architectural interest are: Pinfari The company, commonly known as Pinfari ,

3042-415: The end of Lord Street, but its presence and the impact of its founder are marked by a plaque in the vicinity, by the name of one street at the intersection, namely Duke Street, and by a hotel on Duke Street which bears the legacy name of Dukes Folly Hotel. Southport grew quickly in the 19th century as it gained a reputation for being a more refined seaside resort than its neighbour Blackpool . Southport had

3120-533: The end of October. The season has extended into weekend openings during November, February and March, weather permitting. An earlier model village, the Land of the Little People, was demolished in the late 1980s to make way for the aborted Winter Gardens /SIBEC shopping development. Its site is now occupied by a Morrison's supermarket. Other attractions in Southport include Splash World, an indoor water park situated on

3198-411: The first true "pleasure pier", being one of the earliest pier structures to be erected using iron. A design from James Brunlees was approved at a cost of £8,700 and on 4 August 1859 a large crowd witnessed the driving home of the first support pile. The opening of the pier was celebrated on 2 August 1860. On the night of 9 December 1886, the worst lifeboat disaster in the history of the UK occurred off

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3276-528: The form of a swinging pirate ship. In early 2008, a new roller coaster opened. "Indy's Lost World - The Ride" is a themed indoor roller coaster, based on the latest Indiana Jones' film; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull The roller coaster is situated inside the old Fun House building. In September 2008, it was announced that New Pleasureland will return for the 2009/2010 season. In October 2008,

3354-419: The frisbee will remain but the decorations will be changed. The building once home to The funhouse and Indie’s adventure and is now housing the ghost train will soon be home to ultimate expedition, a stem punk dark ride. The front of the building (which has stayed the same since the funhouse) will be replaced with a new design fitting the new theme. Planning permission has also submitted for a new rollercoaster at

3432-631: The larger RC70 having two loops and a corkscrew. The company also introduced a large non-looping family coaster designated FC80. The first RC70 was installed at M&D's Theme Park in Scotland. The first and only FC80 was built at Wiener Prater in Austria. Pinfari continued to expand its product line offering a junior inverted coaster in 1999 and a suspended looping coaster, with the first two suspended looping models going to Nigloland in France and Moreno's Park,

3510-564: The late 18th century, it was becoming fashionable for the well-to-do to desert inland spa towns and visit the seaside to bathe in the salt sea waters. At that time, doctors recommended bathing in the sea to help cure aches and pains. In 1792, William Sutton, the landlord of the Black Bull Inn in Churchtown (now the Hesketh Arms ) and known to locals as "The Old Duke", realised the importance of

3588-578: The nearby planned metropolitan county of Merseyside, to join with Bootle and other units to form a district with the 250,000 required population. It was duly included in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton . A recurring local political issue has been the cross-party movement campaigning for Southport to leave Sefton and form its own unitary authority , perhaps adjoined to the neighbouring West Lancashire authority. Support for this has been seen amongst Liberal Democrat councillors, and also within

3666-423: The newly created canal systems across the UK and set up a bathing house in the virtually uninhabited dunes at South Hawes by the seaside just four miles (6 km) away from the newly constructed Leeds and Liverpool Canal and two miles southwest of Churchtown. When a widow from Wigan built a cottage nearby in 1797 for seasonal lodgers, Sutton quickly built a new inn on the site of the bathing house which he called

3744-442: The northern end of the town is named after them, having been built on land donated by Rev. Charles Hesketh. Extensive sand dunes stretch for several miles from Woodvale to Birkdale , the south of the town. The Ainsdale dunes have been designated as a national nature reserve and a Ramsar site. Local fauna include the natterjack toad and the sand lizard . Southport hosts events, including an annual air show on and over

3822-461: The only remaining original feature of Pleasureland, was destroyed in a fire on 30 January 2010. The Pleasureland main entrance building, which was built not long before the original park closed in 2006, was also demolished in February 2010. The Casablanca Entertainment complex was repainted white in June 2010 and is awaiting refurbishment. Indy's Lost World Indoor Roller Coaster was closed early 2010. It

3900-448: The original Pleasureland buildings were demolished, except for buildings around the perimeter. The site re-opened under new management as scheduled, with a temporary travelling fairground. Then, following a successful summer season, the park was kept open (weekends only) until November 2007, when some demolition of remaining unwanted buildings was carried out and refurbishment of other buildings completed. A Pinfari "Zyklon Loop" rollercoaster

3978-513: The parish were almost completely surrounded by water until 1692 when Thomas Fleetwood of Bank Hall cut a channel to drain Martin Mere to the sea. From this point on, attempts at large-scale drainage of Martin Mere and other marshland continued until the 19th century, since when the water has been pumped away. This left behind a legacy of fine agricultural soil and created a booming farming industry. In

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4056-486: The park introduced an entrance fee, which proved unpopular and resulted in a severe downturn in the number of visitors. On 5 September 2006 it closed, due to a claimed lack of return on investments. A number of rides, including the Traumatizer , were moved to the company's site at Blackpool. The park included several historical rides such as the Cyclone wooden rollercoaster; on 14 September 2006, pictures were released onto

4134-516: The park's Pinfari Roller Coaster, Storm was removed from the park and sold. On the evening of 21 April, an arson attack took place, destroying the Lost Dinosaurs of the Sahara (River Caves) and a nearby inflatable attraction. In May 2009, the original Pleasureland Wildcat coaster was bought by Norman Wallis and rebuilt in its original location. The Wildcat opened on 12 August 2009. The 'Haunted Inn',

4212-448: The park. It will be divided into different themed areas. These areas will be a racing themed area, a steampunk themed area, a pirate themed area, a viking themed area, a beach themed area and a dinosaur themed area. Two of these ares (The viking area and the steampunk area) has already been built. The majority of rides currently at the park will get removed such as the ghost train and the majority of travelling fair ground rides. Rides such as

4290-487: The race track and built a new roller coaster called crash test, a ghost train and the grand canyon was moved here as well as another few rides meant for small children, which were removed later. Also the magic card system was removed as well as the entrance fee which was good for most people and attracted more guests. No updates were made to the park due to the COVID-19 virus. A new pinfari family coaster known as 'The Rocket'

4368-532: The region is in the Domesday Book , in which the area is called Otergimele . The Domesday Book states that there were 50 huts in Otergimele, housing a population 200. The population was scattered thinly across the region, and it was at the northeast end of Otergimele (present-day Crossens), where blown sand gave way to alluvial deposits from the River Ribble estuary, that a small concentration of people occurred. It

4446-462: The rest of western UK. The coast-to-coast Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) stretches the breadth of northern England – 215 miles (346 km) from Southport in the west to Hornsea in the east. The TPT is a route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders linking the North and Irish seas and passing through the Pennines. It runs alongside rivers and canals and through some of the most historic towns and cities in

4524-424: The ride's introduction. The models were designated Z40, Z47, Z64 and Z78 — "Z" representing Zyklon and the number representing the length of the coaster base in meters (i.e. the footprint of a Z47 is 47 metres (154 ft) by 18.5 metres (61 ft)). In the 1980s Pinfari added loops to the Zyklon model and marketed them as a Looping Zyklon or Looping Star. The model designation added the letter "L" sometimes next to

4602-512: The ride. In 2007 the park was fined £95,000 for breaching health and safety laws and was also ordered to pay £50,000 in costs. The park was a key location in Helen Blakeman 's 2003 television film Pleasureland , shown as part of Channel 4 's Adult at 14 season . Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside , England. It lies on

4680-527: The same period in 1980, a Private Member's Bill proposed restoring Southport to Lancashire, and renaming the residue of Sefton to the Metropolitan Borough of Bootle. The Local Government Boundary Commission for England conducted a review of the area in 1987, which attracted 10,000 messages, of which "70% were pro forma ". In 1990, the LGBC made suggestions that Southport, Ainsdale and Birkdale should be made

4758-409: The sands at Southport at 152.33 mph (245.15 km/h). This record lasted for just over a month, until broken by J.G. Parry-Thomas . Southport elected their first ever Labour MP in the 2024 general election . On 29 July 2024, three girls aged 6, 7 and 9 were murdered in a stabbing incident , with eight children and two adults left injured. A violent riot the following day in response to

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4836-402: The season the area around the ghost train was rethemed to a steam punk area called discovery bay. Three new permanent flat rides were added for the new area called Paradox (a small indoor Miami), Enigma (a gyro-swing ride) and Ultra (a booster ride). New theming was added including shipping containers and industrial machinery. Pleasureland has announced plans to expand and alter existing areas of

4914-612: The shores of Southport. A cargo ship called the Mexico was on its way to South America when it found itself in difficulty. Lifeboats from Lytham , St. Annes and Southport set off to try to rescue those aboard the vessel. The crews battled against storm-force winds as they rowed towards the casualty. The entire crew from the St. Anne's boat was lost and all but two of the Southport crew were too. In all, 28 lifeboatmen lost their lives on that night, leaving many widows and fatherless children. A memorial

4992-435: The stabbings organised by far-right groups left 53 police officers injured, with eight sustaining serious injuries. Multiple police vehicles were burned and destroyed and shops were raided. In 2024 Southport elected its first ever Labour MP since the creation of the constituency in the 1880s, with Labour politician Patrick Hurley succeeding Conservative incumbent Damien Moore . Prior to that, Liberal Democrat John Pugh

5070-465: The status quo be kept. The commission suggested the use of area committees for the various parts of the borough and also that Southport could become a civil parish . Another request made in 2004 was turned down, the Electoral Commission must request such a review. In 2002, a local independent party calling themselves the Southport Party was established, with many members supporting a policy of "Southport out of Sefton." Three council seats were won in

5148-419: The town and wider Sefton Borough. Southport is located within the historic county of Lancashire , and was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1866. It became a county borough independent of the administrative county of Lancashire in 1905, having reached the minimum 50,000 population (the 1911 census gave a figure of 51,643). The Birkdale Urban District, including the parishes of Birkdale and Ainsdale

5226-425: Was added to Southport in 1912. The county borough had its headquarters at Southport Town Hall . Under the 1971 Local Government White Paper, presented in February 1971, Southport would have lost its county borough status, becoming a non-metropolitan district within Lancashire. Rather than accept this fate and lose its separate education and social services departments, Southport Corporation lobbied for inclusion in

5304-466: Was added. This coaster was built in 2001 and has lived in a few parks before being added to Pleasureland. A new mini golf course with a Viking theme was built by Pleasureland in the site of the former car park. Plans were also announced for a new Zamperla lightening coaster to be put at the west side of the park facing the Irish sea. A new travelling gyro swing ride was added next to frog hoppers and Remix. The parks flagship rollercoaster ‘looping coaster’

5382-433: Was completely destroyed in this arson attack, and a 16-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the fire. Southport Model Railway Village is situated in Kings Gardens opposite the Royal Clifton Hotel and near the Marine Lake Bridge. The Model Railway Village opened in May 1996 and was created by Ray and Jean Jones. The Jones family still run the attraction today. The Model Railway Village season extends from April to

5460-426: Was constructed on the site where the Traumatizer once stood and was opened at the start of the 2008 season, named 'Storm'. The Traumatizer was moved to Blackpool Pleasure Beach and opened as the Infusion in 2007. The Park reopened in 2008 on 21 March. However, on 20 March, Sefton Council announced that a company called Urban Splash had been chosen to develop Southport seafront including the Pleasureland site. Here

5538-401: Was developed as a wide, tree-lined shopping street, and attractions such as Southport Pier , which is the second longest seaside pleasure pier in the British Isles , were constructed. A particular feature of the town is the extensive tree planting. This was one of the conditions required by the Hesketh family when they made land available for development in the 19th century. Hesketh Park at

5616-575: Was erected in Duke Street Cemetery and there is a permanent display in the museum at The Atkinson on Lord Street. There is also a memorial inside the Lifeboat house, now operated by the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust . Mexico was just one of many shipwrecks in the Southport area . From 1894 to 1912 Birkdale and the adjoining village of Ainsdale were separate from Southport and administered by Birkdale Urban District Council before becoming part of

5694-412: Was established in 1926 building Dodgem cars and buildings. Its first roller coaster was a wild mouse-style ride in 1954 called "bob-slide". In 1965 the company introduced a small portable coaster called Zyklon . These coasters proved very popular with traveling fairs and carnivals as wells as permanent amusement parks . Pinfari manufactured Zyklons in several variations and sizes, building over 200 since

5772-551: Was found at the Pleasureland. She had been decapitated and dismembered by her husband Mitchell Quy, and had her body parts hidden near a roller coaster. While under the ownership of the Thompson family, two incidents occurred on the Sky-Ride attraction: In April 2004, four people were stranded on the ride due to an electrical fault, while in August 2004, a 59-year-old employee was killed after he became trapped while performing maintenance on

5850-640: Was here that a primitive church might have been built, which gave the emerging village its name of Churchtown, the parish being North Meols (pronounced "meals"). A church called St Cuthbert's is still at the centre of Churchtown. With a booming fishing industry, the area grew and hamlets became part of the parish of North Meols. From south to north, these villages were South Hawes, Haweside, Little London, Higher Blowick , Lower Blowick, Rowe-Lane, Churchtown, Marshside , Crossens , and Banks . As well as Churchtown, there were vicarages in Crossens and Banks. Parts of

5928-458: Was regularly closed due to flooding from high tides , but in February 1997, new sea defences started being constructed and in 2002 the whole project was completed. Southport has a maritime climate like most of the UK. Due to its position by the coast, Southport rarely sees substantial snowfall and temperatures rarely fall below −5 °C (23 °F) so it does not have frequent frosts . Southport generally has moderate precipitation, unlike

6006-547: Was removed and the site is now empty. The front of the park has become a viking themed area meaning that ‘Log-flume’ has been rethemed into ‘loki’s log-flume’ and ‘happy caterpillar’ has been rethemed into ‘Odin’s little dragon’ and there has been a new viking building has been built. They have also painted the Casablanca brown and that has become part of the viking area. It now houses 'Alice in Wonderland' dark ride. Midway through

6084-570: Was the MP for Southport, holding the seat for 16 years until his retirement in the 2017 General election . Southport, as part of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton , one of the six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region. . It is governed by the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region , and the combined authority, which is responsible for areas of transport, trade and strategic governance of devolved powers in

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