Flambards Theme Park

Flambards Theme Park is an amusement park on the southern outskirts of the town of Helston in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1976 as the Cornwall Aero Park by Douglas Kingsford Hale MBE.

Flambards Theme Park
LocationCuldrose Manor, Helston, Cornwall, England
Coordinates50.092°N 5.258°W / 50.092; -5.258
Slogan"Best Day of the Week"
OwnerHale family (1976-2013)
Livingston Leisure Ltd (2013 - Present)
Opened1976
Previous names
  • Cornwall Aero Park
  • The Flambards Experience
Operating seasonEaster–October with winter opening of undercover exhibitions
Area27
Attractions
Total19
Roller coasters1
Water rides1
Websitewww.flambards.co.uk
Rides at Flambards

History
Park entrance

Flambards first opened in 1976 under the name of 'Cornwall Aero Park'. Owned by Douglas Kingsford Hale MBE, the park slowly built up an array of aircraft, models and exhibitions.

By 1990, the park had grown and was renamed "The Flambards Experience". Early rides which featured at the theme park included the Dragon Coaster, the Canyon River Log Flume, Paddle Boats and the hyperglide.

In 1984, "Britain in the Blitz", a mock-up of a bomb-hit street during World War II, was opened.

For the 2007 season, three rides were added: The Rocking Tug, The Carousel, and The Space Shuttle.

For the 2008 season the Cornish Mine Train ride was added in addition to the introduction of the War of the Worlds paintball game. 2009 saw no major additions to the park, however the field housing the helipad was sold late in the season. The museum exhibitions are open year-round, but the rides and play areas are open seasonally.

In 2010, the Skyraker 001 opened and claimed the title of the UK's first twisting drop tower. As well as this addition, the Park was renamed to Flambards Theme Park.

On 6 December 2013 the park was bought by Livingston Leisure Ltd.[1]

Livingstone Leisure have invested in the Park and in 2015 have opened a new ride 'Sky Swinger', Added screens fronted to like a picture frame, to the Victorian Village and are continuing to make improvements to the Park which will have been open for 40 years in 2016.

In March 2016 Jurassic Journey opened, a permanent exhibition where visitors can follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs.

March 2017 brought the announcement of further investment in the form of a new HUSS Frisbee Ride, transported from the defunct Pleasure Island park in Lincolnshire, and renamed as Sky-Force to fit in with the current Sky High thrill rides promotion. The ride took the former place of the Kids Ladybird Boats, Coin Operated Trucks and Kids climbing frame.

The winter of 2017/18 saw an improvement of current facilities and a major redecoration, which has led to a much cleaner and brighter feel for the 2018 season.

The 2018/19 Winter closure, saw minor renovations around the park, including redecoration of some of the indoor exhibits. It also saw the addition of a coin operated, ‘Faulty Repair Shop’ shooting gallery, manufactured by Pan Amusements. The unit is located next to the entrance of the indoor attractions. Access to the Avro Shackleton cockpit was also removed, over radiation fears.

The winter of 2019/20 saw minor improvements around the park. These included, removal of trees around the Hornet Coaster, a new canopy on the Carousel, and improvements to park and ride lighting.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Flambards Theme Park was closed for a brief period of time in early 2020. The site was reopened in July of the same year, after government guidance was changed.

Attractions

The Big Ride Zone
Attraction Age range Year Opened Opening time Notes
The Hornet RollercoasterFamily199510:00A Zierer Hornet style coaster.
Canyon River Log FlumeFamily1990’s10:00Made by Zamperla.
Balloon RaceFamilyUnknown10:00Balloons spin around a centerpiece. Made by Zamperla.
CyclocoptersChildren/Family1990’s10:00Pedal powered monorail with cars themed as helicopters.
Sky SwingerThrill201610:00A Chair-O-Plane ride, whizzing 13m above the park. Manufactured by Lamborghini Rides.
Space RaceThrill201110:00former fairground ride of the Super Bob style. Originally Chariot race, but is now located indoors with strobe lighting effects.
ThunderboltThrill200110:00Superrides International made Super Star ride (SS6) previously owned by Scott Manning as "Wild Thing". This ride was used in the millennium celebration on the Mall in London.
Rocking TugFamily200710:00Made by Zamperla; formerly owned by The American Adventure Theme Park
CarouselFamily200710:00Formerly owned by The American Adventure Theme Park
SkyrakerFamily/Thrill201010:00It is the tallest ride in the park, with views of the surrounding area. Manufactured by SBF Visa Group.
Sky-ForceThrill201710:00A HUSS Frisbee Ride, originally located at Pleasure Island until its closure in 2016.
Flambards Formula CircuitFamily(New Fleet in 2017)10:0020 go karts (10 single and 10 double seaters) on a figure of 8 track. A pay for attraction.

Jurassic Journey

Follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs. Over a dozen life size dinosaurs including a 5 metre tall Brachiosaurus to a T-Rex and giant Treiceratops. There is also a Dino- Nursery including baby velociraptors and a Dino-dig – where children can unearth fossilised remains of a prehistoric boneyard.

Ferdi's Funland

Aside from the bigger rides, an area at Flambards is devoted just for families with young guests. There are 6 kiddie rides. There are also multiple play areas indoors and out nearby.

  • Human Cannonball – As you spin, control your height as you fly in 4 person capsules.
  • Pirate Ship – A miniature version of the swinging ship.
  • Tea Cups – A miniature version of a tea cups ride.
  • Dino Express – Travel through a Dinosaur Haven in Dinosaur themed cars.
  • Space Shuttle – Control your capsule and you travel up and down the tower.
  • The Cornish Children's Eye – A miniature version of a classic ferris

.

Exhibitions
The Victorian Village
  • The Victorian Village Experience – The Victorian Village was created of just three rooms in 1979 by Mrs. Audrey Kingsford – Hale who wanted to portray a life size recreation of the fascinating Victorian period. Through the years the village has grown to some 50 shops, cottages and attendant trades including a butcher’s shop, bakery, blacksmiths and sweet shop. A time capsule is also available to view showing the history of William Whites Chemist Shop.
"Britain in the Blitz" display
  • The Britain in the Blitz Experience – The Britain in the Blitz exhibition was opened in 1984 by Dame Vera Lynn.
  • The War Gallery – The War Gallery is closely linked with the Britain In The Blitz exhibition, and is a tribute to all of the men and women of Great Britain and The Commonwealth who served in World Wars 1 and 2.
  • Memory Lane – Charts a century of Wedding Gowns from Mid Victorian to the 1970s including a War Time dress made from a parachute. The stitch marks of the seams show that it was re-fitted and worn by several brides. The selection of photographs also charts weddings from the late Victorian period.
  • The Aviation Experience - A Century of Pioneering Flight is an inter-active exhibition of some highlights in aviation history throughout the last Century. It features the achievements of:
    • Richard Pearse, the son of Cornish parents settled in New Zealand, claimed by some to have made the first sustained powered flight in 1902, a year ahead of the American Wright Brothers.
    • Charles Kingsford Smith, who in 1929 piloted the a flight between Australia and England.
    • The full-scale flight deck of Concorde, built by BAC for defining and confirming the ultimate positioning of the highly complex instrumentation, plus flightcrew and passenger seating.
  • Hands on Science
  • Operation Sealion - an insight into the German intelligence gathering in preparation for the planned Nazi invasion of England in World War 2.
  • William White’s Chemist Time Capsule - Discovered after being locked away and forgotten since 1909 in South Petherton, Somerset. Every item in the shop was numbered and charted so that when it was re-assembled at Flambards everything was exactly the same as the original.

Family Entertainment
  • Space Orbitors (Coin Operated Bumper Cars)
  • ‘Faulty Repair Shop’ Shooting Range (Coin Operated Shooting Gallery)
  • ‘Harley’s Angels’ (Coin Operated Ride on Motorcycles)
  • Remote Control Boats
  • Coin Operated Crane Machines
  • Family Amusements
  • Free to Play Mini Golf (9 hole golf course - Requires a deposit for Balls and Clubs)

References
  1. Livingstone Leisure
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