After 28 years of service, Corkscrew at Alton Towers will be no more come the end of 2008. In a press release today, Alton Towers Resort confirmed that the park’s most iconic rollercoaster will be removed at the end of this season in preparation for a new development, rumoured to be opening in 2010.
Over the 28 years, Corkscrew has carried 43.5 million riders and has travelled over 820,000 miles to date - the equivalent distance of travelling to the moon and back nearly four times.
Russell Barnes, Divisional Director at Alton Towers Resort had the following to say…
“The corkscrew has played a key part in the heritage of the Alton Towers Resort, and I am sure millions of our guests will look back with fond memories of the first time they were inverted upside down, twice within three seconds.
“We are extremely proud to have hosted Europe’s first double helix rollercoaster, but it is now the right time to say goodbye to the attraction as we look forward to continuing to pioneer fantastic family entertainment of the future.”
For those who want to see the ride off and have a ride for the very last time, Alton Towers have announced that they plan to hold a special “Goodbye Corkscrew” event on Sunday 9th November. A number of attractions will be open including Oblivion, Rita - Queen of Speed, Nemesis, Air and of course Corkscrew!
Be sure to check out the link below as there is some excellent footage of Corkscrew back in 1980 - the year it opened. And be sure to visit Alton Towers Blog tomorrow when I’ll be giving my views on this breaking news!
Rumours are circulating Towers Times Forum that 2009 will see a SEA LIFE attraction arrive in Mutiny Bay at Alton Towers.
Not much is known at the moment but it has come from a reliable source and the idea of such attraction isn’t farfetched at all if we look at the facts. Earlier this year Chessington World of Adventures opened their very own SEA LIFE attraction - a park that is owned by Alton Towers’ parent company, Merlin Entertainments! Not forgetting to mention that the company SEA LIFE is also owned Merlin Entertainments!
Where in Mutiny Bay this attraction will go remains to be seen but the likelihood is that it will go in the space/tent left behind by the 3D Cinema which closed in 2004.
There are also rumours circulating that suggest the final monorail train re-theme will reflect next year’s new attraction by having an aquarium as the featured design.
I can see the logic behind this move and I fully support it! What better way to strengthen your resort offering and family attractions than introducing a nationally recognised and popular family attraction? If the park manage to get the theming right both inside and out, it could look fantastic. My only concern is that I’m not sure if Alton Towers should really brand it as part of SEA LIFE or simply as an aquarium connected to Mutiny Bay. Having SEA LIFE logos splattered around the area will only deter from Mutiny Bay’s theme and come across as SEA LIFE and not something from Alton Towers.
So what do you think about this possible new attraction? Please leave your comments.
As part of the ongoing re-theme of all the monorail trains, Alton Towers have released the Jelly Bean Train onto the track - but don’t get too excited as it is probably the worst to date.
Please note that the audio in the video is not from the monorail train due to it having difficulties playing it.
The idea of a jelly bean themed train sounded quite fun, colourful and one myself and many others were looking forward to seeing - but boy is it colourful alright, what an eyesore it truly is. The plethora of colours just makes you want to throw up as it is quite frankly horrid. I really do despair as Alton Towers have really lowered the standards here. The monorail train re-themes started off well, really well infact, but as time has gone by we’ve seen less and less creative ideas and this latest train is the worst of them all in my opinion. The patterns are just becoming too repetitive and I live in hope that the final train re-theme will end the project on a high note.
So what do you think of the Jelly Bean Train? Please leave your comments below.
Hey everyone, just a quick update today. I’ve managed to get hold of the new Alton Towers Resort map which has been given an spooky update to coincide with the upcoming Scarefest event!
It’s nice to see the park making little changes like this which strengthens the event’s appearance. As you can see, Scarefest attractions have made it onto the map as well as a number of “Giant Pumpkins” which are rumoured to be temporary food outlets which will sell a range of sweets and treats!
Looking at the map got me thinking though - notice how the water areas are green? How awesome would it be if the park added UV dye into the water and added black lights around the place to make the water glow? Now that would be spooktacular!
September 18, 2008 at 5:20 pm · Filed under Related News
For many years now the residents of Alton have called for a bypass or a relief road to redirect traffic to Alton Towers Resort away from the village. Following the recent coach crash last month, which was put down to poor road access, residents have upped their attempts so see this much needed bypass given the go-ahead. Unfortunately this doesn’t seem like happening anytime soon due to the ongoing dispute over who should foot the bill. However, in the past 7 days there has been a slight breakthrough.
The Uttoxeter Advertiser reports…
Staffordshire County Council has revealed that taxpayers will not be expected to foot the bill to build a planned relief road or bypass in Alton.
Following last month’s tragic bus crash near Alton Towers, villagers have repeated calls for much-needed road improvements to reduce traffic travelling through the village.
But the authority has revealed that it expects the theme park to contribute heavily towards any potential developments.
A county council spokesman said: “We are continuing long-standing negotiations with Alton Towers to deliver the local community’s wish for a link road to take traffic serving the tourist destination out of the village.
“Alton Towers is a major asset to Staffordshire, generating much needed prosperity and jobs. But it also generates heavy traffic in an isolated rural environment served by a network of narrow country lanes.”
The council said improvements had taken place over the years, but much more needed to be done.
The spokesman said: “The local roads to Alton Towers are minor country roads serving rural hamlets, farms and villages. None could be upgraded and widened without significant further impacts on local communities.
“Staffordshire County Council and Alton Towers have been in discussion over the construction of a link road from the B5032, at Denstone, following the route of an old railway line across open fields direct to Alton Towers.
“The county council has always been willing to help in any way it can in delivering the solution, but the taxpayer cannot be expected to pick up a bill which is likely to exceed £15 million. The link should be a private road serving the Alton Towers business.”
This really is a troublesome situation because ideally everyone wants it to happen, but no-one seems prepared to foot the bill. So who do I think should pay for this much needed relief road?
Well it is obvious that the people who really want it are local residents - yet the local council say that they shouldn’t foot the bill through taxes? I ask why not? If they want the damn thing then they should at least make some sort of contribution towards it. No one is expecting them to cough up the whole £15 million but a little help wouldn’t be too much to ask for.
Residents are pointing the finger towards Alton Towers but at the end of the day why should they part with over £15 million to build a road that simply redirects traffic and offers no benefit to the resort? Alton Towers will get visitors regardless of whether this bypass is built or not, therefore the financial gain is simply non-existant and thus making a £15 million+ road unfeasible.
Perhaps as a gesture of goodwill Alton Towers will make some kind of financial contribution but they will never pay every penny and I don’t blame them. It’s simply unfair. Perhaps they could give a season’s worth of the £4 car parking charge towards the project and the council stump up the rest? I think that’s fair.
September 17, 2008 at 6:42 pm · Filed under Related News
Following on from yesterday’s report that Stephen and Suzanne Roper had withdrawn their private prosecution of Alton Towers over noise issues due to a change in park ownership, the circus act duo continues to throw out a barrel of laughs.
The Sentinel reports…
An application for court costs to be paid by Alton Towers after a couple were forced to withdraw legal proceedings against the company has been turned down.
Stephen and Suzanne Roper, who live in Farley near to the resort, claimed the theme park exceeded limits set out in a noise abatement order, enforced in October 2005 after the couple won a private prosecution.
They were bringing a case against the organisation which they believed managed the site, Tussauds Theme Parks Limited. But last week, the couple’s solicitor Richard Buxton confirmed the prosecution had been withdrawn.
In a statement he said the subsidiary company responsible for operating the park has changed as a result of a corporate reorganisation so it was no longer right to prosecute Tussauds.
Yesterday, an application was made at North Staffordshire Magistrates’ Court calling for the costs of the case to be covered by the tourist attraction, as the Ropers claimed it should have informed them earlier about the change of management. But Deputy District Judge Neale Thomas refused the application.
He said: “Any litigation involves the risk of costs. The question is, is the prosecution entitled to complain about the behaviour of the defence? Neither side has come out with any credit.
“The defence were unaware of the true state of the company they were representing.
“It seems ridiculously inept to me. But this was not a deliberate act. I am satisfied the defence solicitors were not negligent.”
Yesterday I said the Ropers were possibly the doziest people on the planet, today’s latest news pretty much confirms that. Who in the right mind would consider asking the defendant to pay the legal costs when it wasn’t them who opened up the case in the first place?!
Did the Ropers seriously think Alton Towers would pay the legal fees for a court case that was looking to prosecute the park?!
Join us tomorrow as the Ropers will have no doubt have another portion of codswallop ready.
Just days after Alton Towers Blog reported that Alton Towers were being taken back to court over noise issues, Stephen and Suzanne Roper have announced that they have withdrawn their case.
The Sentinel reports…
A couple has withdrawn a private prosecution against Alton Towers over claims the park is too noisy.
Stephen and Suzanne Roper, who live in Farley next to the resort, were scheduled to meet with theme park officials at North Staffordshire Magistrates’ Court in Newcastle on Monday.
They claimed Alton Towers exceeded limits set out in a noise abatement order, enforced in October 2005 after the couple won a private prosecution against them.
But their solicitor, Richard Buxton, said today: “Stephen and Suzanne Roper confirm that their prosecution against Alton Towers for breach of the abatement order has been withdrawn.
“The reason for this is that Alton Towers has explained that the subsidiary company responsible for operating the park has changed as a result of a corporate reorganisation so it is no longer right to prosecute the company against whom the abatement order was made (Tussauds Theme Parks Limited).”
Mr Roper said: “We were only told this by Alton Towers a few weeks ago after we had done a lot of work on the case.
“As far as we and others are concerned the nuisance is as bad as ever. The case is not over and we are considering how to ensure that this theme park operates as the planners originally intended it should – without “aural intrusion” on the neighbourhood and without, as the courts have twice decided it was, creating a legal nuisance.”
Divisional director at Alton Towers, Russell Barnes said: “Of course We are pleased that Mr and Mrs Roper have agreed to withdraw their complaint. We have always sought to be a responsible and co-operative neighbour.
“We have made substantial changes to reduce our controllable noise sources, but there will always remain elements that we can not change, such as screaming; we are after all a theme park resort which encourages people of all ages to enjoy themselves. We always believed that this latest claim had no prospect of succeeding. It has been a very long, and no doubt very expensive, process for Mr and Mrs Roper with little or no benefit to anyone other than lawyers over the years.”
The Ropers’s anger has been focused on noise from the public address system, rides, firework displays and screaming thrill-seekers.
Theme park visitor Christopher McDonnell, a 28-year-old engineer, said: “It’s not even that noisy inside the park. And even in the queues the noise doesn’t seem to be over the legal limit. I can’t see how it can be too much of a disturbance at a house outside of the grounds.”
Am I reading this right?!
The Ropers have dropped their case because they didn’t realise that Merlin now own the park, despite the fact the takeover made the national press? If you had an on-going dispute with the park surely you’d take notice of any news relating to it?!
I wonder if that makes the Ropers the doziest people on the planet, or if Alton Towers have just utilised the most humongous loophole in the law?
In the on-going saga between Alton Towers Resort and the Roper family, Alton Towers are back in court over yet more noise complaints about the theme park. The resort had a noise abatement order placed upon them back in October 2005 but local residents Stephen and Suzanne Roper are taking further legal action against the park.
These recent complaints from the couple state that the park are breaching their order through public address systems, rides and screaming guests. However, many other local residents have said that they have not noticed any increase in noise levels from the resort.
The Sentinel reports…
Alton Towers is being taken to court again over complaints about noise.
Stephen and Suzanne Roper, who live in Farley next to the theme park, are taking legal action against the firm, claiming it has breached a noise abatement order. They say Alton Towers has exceeded limits which were set in October 2005 after the couple won a private prosecution against the theme park.
A court hearing on the issue will take place on Monday, September 15, at North Staffordshire Magistrates’ Court.
Farley resident Richard Goodall, aged 68, said: “The noise level still is a nuisance. It is hard to measure these sorts of things. You don’t really know what it is like unless you are actually subjected to it.”
The September 15 hearing will be the latest in an ongoing legal battle between the couple and the resort, which employs about 1,800 people.
In 2004, the couple mounted a private prosecution case against Tussaud’s Theme Parks, the resort’s parent company which is now part of the Merlin Entertainments Group, in a bid to cut noise levels.
They won the case and the theme park was hit with a £5,000 fine and a noise abatement order.
Tussaud’s appealed against the decision and succeeded in getting the fine reduced to £3,500.
Its permissible noise levels were also raised from 3.2 to 4 decibels.
The Ropers have lived in Farley since 1969, when Alton Towers was a country estate.
Their anger has been focused on noise from the public address system, rides, firework displays and screaming thrill-seekers.
Janet Gibson, who owns the Bulls Head Inn in Alton, was surprised to hear about the latest court proceedings.
She said: “I thought it was all sorted. Every case the Ropers win does have an effect on trade. It was a shame to see the fireworks stop. I haven’t noticed any increase in noise.”
Jane Pickles, the landlady at Ye Olde Star Inn in Cotton, said: “This sort of thing can affect trade. I used to live right next to Mr Roper and I never heard any noise.”
Stella Heritage, who lives in Alton, said: “I can see Mr Roper’s point, he lives right next to the theme park. However, it is a theme park, so it is difficult to know what to do.”
Alton Parish Council chairman, Tony Moult, said: “I have never received any complaints from residents about noise. Our main concern has always been the volume of traffic. But the Ropers must have incurred massive court costs over the years which suggests the noise does annoy them.”
An Alton Towers spokesman said: “We believe there is no basis for this prosecution. Alton Towers is and has been operating within the noise limits.
“Our lawyers have advised us that there are preliminary legal and technical issues which should be addressed before there is any trial.”
Mr and Mrs Roper said they would prefer not to comment until a decision is made.
I must say that I’m very disappointed that this issue has been raised yet again and I very much doubt Alton Towers have breached their noise level restriction. Afterall, there is nothing of significant noise been added to the resort since the abatement order was placed upon them.
On a lighter note, if this Alton Bypass happens to go ahead then lets hope that it happens to go right through The Roper’s house as these two are nothing but a pain to the park.
Alton Towers’ official website has received a small makeover in preparation for the upcoming Scarefest event! The only major changes to report are an updated park logo, a few spider’s webs here and there and the main resort picture has been spookified! It’s nothing too drastic but puts the message across I suppose. It would have been nice to see the park give the event its own official mini-site like they did with Mutiny Bay though. It could have gave Scarefet its own web presence which would have been ideal for marketing material.
There is a full dedicated page to the event though which features all the neccessary information such as opening hours and new attractions for the event! The website has confirmed that The Boiler House will be situated next to the Alton Towers Hotel and tickets for the attraction are £5 - yet a double ticket for both The Boiler House and Field of a 1000 Screams can be bought for £8.
Remember, Scarefest runs from 17th October until 2nd November - make sure you don’t miss it!
If you’ve been looking up Alton Towers this season you’ll have no doubt come across their recent batch of quirky promotional material, one of their many discount vouchers and the infamous word of “fantabulous”. Everywhere you read, look and search you’ll more than likely come across this word which is causing more than just a stir within enthusiast communities.
First and foremost, where does this word originate from? It most certainly isn’t a recognised word in the english dictionary nor is it something you’ll hear in some parts of the country (accents). “Fantabulous” has came from the whacky world of Alton Towers, a description of themselves as both fantastic and fabulous. Clever huh? What a wonderful and quirky word, right? Well not quite according to the masses.
At first people actually quite liked the word “fantabulous” as it was different and sounded rather magical - that was up until Merlin pressed the overkill button and used it at any given opportunity and thus the magic seemed to fade. The people who orginally liked it are ironically now finding it quite irritating, a bit like Rihanna and her song ‘Umbrella’ I suppose. There are a few who still find it fun though and are rather annoyingly using it in their own forum contributions and the like which really doesn’t help the situation.
I kind of stand in the middle on this one. As a word I really like it, why not describe an amazing theme park with something out of the ordinary? Afterall, it is things that are different that have made Alton Towers the magical place it is today. But then again, seeing the word over and over again is a bit too cheesy and a bit, “Yeah, we get the point now shut up, we know this attraction is a piece of crap, don’t make it sound like it is something it’s clearly not”.
For example, The Dung Heap. The name is as good as any description in my opinion as it quite literally is a big pile of dung. Is it a fantabulous attraction? Clearly not. How about The Towers themselves? Recent signs state the “fantabulous” Towers ruins are closed for Scarefest preparations. Now, let’s get one thing straight shall we? The ruins at Alton Towers are not, nor ever have been, “fantabulous”. They are awesome, breathtaking, awe-inspiring, beautiful, overwhelming, stately, magical, dumbfounding, astonishing…almost any descriptive word other than “fantabulous”. There are times when the use of the word is called upon, and there others when it quite clearly ought to be left alone.
So, what do you think? Fantabulous - love it or loathe it?
Please leave your comments and have a fantabulous day (excuse the pun).
