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There was once a place in Somerset that was the life and soul of a good day out. But now, this once loved attraction has been left eerily deserted.
The South West has had some much-loved adventure parks. But sadly, as has been the case with so many things, these attractions are no more.
However we have dug back through our archives to take a look and some of the eerie parks which now stand empty and are disused after years of joy and happiness. Here are some eerie photos of the attractions across the South West that lay neglected.
READ MORE: Lacock: The tiny village near Bath that looks like a Christmas card in winter
Blobbyland, Somerset
Based on the popular Saturday night TV show Noel’s House Party, which was set in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, Blobbyland was opened at Cricket St Thomas in Somerset. In the height of Blobbymania, when the pink spotty sidekick starred in the show, it featured a range of Mr Blobby themed attractions.
Rides included the Animals of Farthing Wood, a safari ride, a deer park and Dubblobbin, Mr Blobby’s house which was painted bright pink with yellow spots and a blue roof.
(Image: Thom Winter-Gray/Dunblobbin)
The park closed in 1998 following dwindling attendance figures but in the years that followed many attempted to break into the empty site. Efforts were made by the owners to stop people breaking in, including blocking up an access tunnel, but the site was eventually demolished in 2014.
Shire Horse Centre, Yealmpton
The fate of the Shire Horse Centre was sealed after plans were revealed that planned for the old tourist attraction to be turned into a luxury development of 25 homes. Despite campaigns and petitions to get the fondly-remembered centre, near Yealmpton, brought back to life, no efforts gained any real traction since its closure in 2000. The site was originally part of a working farm since the late 1800s.
Tony Flower – who died in 1997 at the age of 68 after a two-year battle against cancer – established the National Shire Horse Centre in 1978 and quickly built it up into one of the most popular tourist attractions in the region, visited by more than 300,000 people every year. Mr Flower’s aim was to let the public see traditional farming methods at close quarters, and he used the horses to gather oats and hay on the 60-acre park.
At its peak the centre employed 100 people, opening summer and winter, and having an annual turnover of £1million, but in 1989 it went into receivership. Its plans for expansion had been rejected by the local authority, and as the recession bit, visitor numbers declined. The centre was sold off to the Hockin family for £430,000.
Spirit Of The West, Cornwall
The Spirit Of The West theme park that was based in St Columb Major in Cornwall was once a popular destination. The theme park was closed in 2009 and redeveloped into holiday lodges which use the name Retallack Resort & Spa.
Retallack Resort & Spa is a five star luxury self-catering holiday destination with holiday Lodges, watersports, spa, and entertainment. The Spirit Of The West theme park received lots of attention a few years back when pictures emerged of the abandoned theme park in publications such as the Mail Online, however the former theme park has now been completely demolished.
Tivoli Park, Cornwall
Hidden deep in the woods next to a picturesque Cornish river, lies the overgrown ruins of a 100-year-old pleasure garden, inspired by one of the world’s oldest and most popular amusement parks.
The abandoned fountains, arches, bandstand and swimming pool, appearing unexpectedly through the trees and undergrowth beside a woodland path in the village of Lerryn, were once attractions within the long forgotten Tivoli Park, named after the world famous Tivoli Gardens amusement park in Copenhagen.
Created by China Clay magnate, Frank Parkyn, who was born in the village in 1850, work began on the elaborate park around 1920, following his visit to the Danish Tivoli.
Inspired by the fountains, the octagonal Glass Hall, as well as the arches at the entrance and on the Nimb Hotel of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Parkyn cleared a large area of his woodland and built ornate structures and water features – including an octagonal pool – within the space.
In 1922, Cornwall’s Tivoli Park was opened to the public, and provided a new venue for the increasingly popular Lerryn Regatta. However, the annual event, once known as ‘The Henley of the West’, was held for the last time in 1968, and though Tivoli Park remained relatively clear into the late 20 century, it has gradually been reclaimed by nature over the last few decades.
Kitley Caves, Yealmpton
Over 20 years ago one of the Plymouth area’s most loved tourist attractions temporarily closed – and it has never reopened. Kitley Caves were a cherished landmark in the woods at Yealmpton.
A mecca for school trips and archaeology geeks alike for two decades. But they closed to the public in 1999 and have remained cordoned off ever since, with little prospect of ever reopening. The historic caves and grottoes along the Yealm estuary were home to Bronze Age and Stone Age artefacts.
Later, green marble was quarried there – some of which has been used in London landmarks. Since a Devon workman first blasted a hole and opened up the caves by accident, there have been a number of finds at the caves, including a 6,000-year-old human bone and a lion.
They opened as a tourist attraction in the 1970s, where visitors would take a self-guided tour from one side of the network to the other. The two main chambers were known as Bob’s Cave and No Name Cave. But bosses decided in 1999 that not enough people were coming along and, after 114 years of being open, the caves were sealed up.
Dobwalls Adventure Park, Cornwall
It was a sad day a decade ago when Dobwalls Adventure Park announced its closure. John Southern became a tourism pioneer back in 1970 when he converted his pig farm into one of the South West’s first tourist attractions.
For more than 35 years, locomotives trundled along two-mile-long tracks at the park, just 20 minutes drive away from Plymouth. The site quickly became number one for school days out for generations.
For the price of admission, you could explore Krazee Kavern play barn, get unlimited rides on the park’s trains, head to Rocky Ridge sand and water play, check out the locomotive shed, and visit the Steam Back in Time exhibition. The star attraction of the park was its beautifully kept steam and diesel trains. Visitors could take their pick of two tracks – the Union Pacific Railroad and the Rio Grande.
The Rio Grande line was the first to open in 1970 and included a four per cent gradient, making it the steepest climb on a passenger-carrying miniature railway in the world. The track was so successful that in 1979 the Pacific was added – modelled closely on the genuine Union Pacific Sherman Hill line in Wyoming.
A planned redevelopment of Dobwalls including a new arts centre stalled and the 22-acre site was put up for sale with a guide price of £400,000 by sealed bid auction in 2012. In March 2013 the site was bought by Charteroak and renamed Southern Halt – now home to a collection of eco-friendly log cabins.
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