Alton Towers Location Alton, Staffordshire Opened 1980 Operating season March to October Area 500 acres Rides 33 attractions in total 8 roller coasters 2 water rides Owner The Tussauds Group Website Alton Towers Alton Towers is Britain's best-known theme park. It is based north of the village of Alton in Staffordshire, on the site of an old mansion by the same name. Contents 1 History of gardens 2 Modern theme park 3 Park Guide 3.1 Towers Street 3.2 Merrie England 3.3 Katanga Canyon 3.4 Gloomy Wood 3.5 Forbidden Valley 3.6 Ug Land 3.7 Cred Street 3.8 The Towers 3.9 X-Sector 3.10 Adventure Land 3.11 Storybook Land 3.12 Old MacDonald's Farm 4 Facts and Figures 5 Related links 6 External links 6.1 Official Website 6.2 Miscellaneous Link History of gardens Alton Towers in 1880 As an example of the Mixed Style of Humphrey Repton's gardens, Alton Towers' garden was begun, ca. 1814 by the eccentric 15th Earl of Shrewsbury, of whom J. C. Loudon (who was consulted on design features of which there were many) relates that he consulted every artist, only to avoid 'whatever an artist might recommend'. Loudon's published criticism remains history's wittiest pan of preposterous garden design since Alexander Pope. Alton Towers grew into a collection of gardens: a Swiss Cottage, a Stonehenge, a Dutch garden, a Pagoda Fountain, said to be based on the To Ho pagoda in Canton, Lysicrates' Choragic Monument from Athens (a feature in English gardens since the 1760s), domed glasshouses (originally gilded), even a fairly large Matterhorn as a backing to one of England's earliest Alpine gardens. The first garden gnomes were introduced at Alton Towers, in punishment for which the rides and slides of the modern Theme Park add to the eccentricity of a nobleman's fancy whose parkland, 'the work of a morbid imagination, joined to the command of unlimited resources' (according to Loudon) is now also occupied by a hundred acres (400,000 m²) of 'sensational rides and attractions'. Modern theme park Alton Towers was opened as a theme park in 1980. It was purchased by The Tussauds Group in 1990. In 2005 it was bought up when the DIC investment group purchased The Tussauds Group. Today it is notable for its extreme rides, including Nemesis, a roller coaster in which people hang with their legs dangling down (or up as the case may be), and Oblivion, the world's first vertical drop roller coaster. The oldest rollercoaster at the site is Corkscrew built in 1980, a ride with two inversions which many riders find uncomfortable due to its rough track. Billed as the first of its kind, Air is a roller coaster, unusual in that riders find themselves suspended horizontally facing down, as though flying. This is known as a flying roller coaster. Inside the towers is the ride Hex, a surreal attraction which is based on a local legend about a chained oak. It is one of Staffordshire’s great legends. The latest attraction at Alton Towers is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride which is based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name. The ride is located in the Cred Street area of the park and opened on April 1, 2006. Guests can stay at one of two hotels on the site. When Cariba Creek, a waterpark, was first built, only hotel residents could visit. However, non-residents can now also use the water park with payment of an admission fee [1]. Rumours are rife that a so-called "Project Dolphin" is being planned for the park, which will represent a massive investment in Alton Towers (where and when this money is being invested is currently unknown, however). Project Dolphin is Alton Towers' plan to change with the public's needs for extreme entertainment. This could involve moving into completely different realms of entertainment, from extreme golf to ice climbing which are both listed by the Towers as possibilities, along with many more. With DIC rumoured to be investing around £48 million in the towers next year, guests can possibly expect to see some vast improvements. Due to a recent court battle with local residents, Alton Towers is starting to have problems with its end-of-season fireworks display. However, the towers is still fighting hard to keep them running. The court battle ended in October 2005 leaving Alton Towers with the permission to stage three of the five firework and laser displays. The park now has a noise abatement order in place meaning that it cannot exceed 40 decibels to nearby neighbours. Another court battle with local residents resulted in a court injunction which prevents Alton Towers from building any rides above tree height. The local residents argued that the park should not be visible above the surrounging forest as it spoils the landscape. At first it was thought that this would mean Alton Towers would no longer be able to build extreme rollercoasters. This, however has proved not to be the case as the theme park has overcome this problem by building new rides either in man-made ravines in the case of Nemesis or partially underground as in the case of Oblivion. This, many might argue has resulted in Alton Tower's rollercoasters being amongst the best and most extreme in the world. Park Guide The park is split into several themed areas. In order clockwise they are: Towers Street Towers Street is the first area that visitors to the park encounter, themed as a town street, which leads to views of the gardens and the towers. The street contains several shops, including the Towers Trading Co., which sells official park merchandise. Also in the area is the first Skyride station. The Skyride is a cable car system which visitors can use to reach Forbidden Valley, and Ugland Merrie England An area themed around medieval England. Rides include spinning tea cups and The Flume, a log flume themed around bathtime, with riders sitting in bath tubs. Also in the area are several gaming sideshows, such as hoop-tossing and basketball hoops, in which prizes can be won. Several food outlets provide food, with the Courtyard Tavern also serving alcohol, as the park's only pub. Also not in use at the moment, but still there, is a 3D cinema and near the lake are some splash boats. Katanga Canyon Rides include the Runaway Mine Train (an electric coaster) and the Congo River Rapids. Both are classic well-established rides in the park and meet in a tunnel where the screams of the Runaway Mine Train meet the cheers of the River Rapids. The area hosts Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut stalls with a shared indoor seating area. There is a shop located at the exits of the two rides called Katanga Cargo, hosting much strange and wonderful ancient tribal themed mechandise as well as the photo stalls for the rides. Gloomy Wood The Gloomy Wood is a small, ghosts-and-monsters themed area home to Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back!. The ride used to be a normal haunted house ride, but in 2003 it was modified; given laser guns and a scoring system to make it more eye-catching and exciting. Forbidden Valley Themed around a post-apocalyptic landscape, with huge rocks and rusty chunks of metal scattering the area. One of the major rides is Nemesis, an inverted roller coaster based around a monster. At the far end of the valley is an "oasis", with calmer colours and plants, where the ride Air, a Bolliger and Mabillard flying coaster, is located. There is also Ripsaw, a top spin ride, and The Blade, a swinging-ship style ride, as well as a Skyride station. This part of the park is not viewable from most of the theme park areas. There are better views available from the monorail and the carpark. Ug Land Ug Land is the prehistoric land home to two of Alton's major roller coasters. These are Rita - Queen of Speed, Alton Towers' newest roller coaster, constructed for the 2005 season, and Corkscrew, their oldest coaster. It also features Ug Swinger, a traditional waveswinger ride. There is also the usual range of food outlets and shops. Cred Street Cred Street is aimed at the younger audience of Alton Towers. There is a wide selection of bouncy castles and ball pits in the Cred Street playground, as well as a cafe and sweet shops. There are four rides in cred street; Frog Hopper, Bouncing Bugs, Cred Street Carousel and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride. A new ride is currently being constructed in Cred Street: a Peugeot Driving School ride, for under 10's, which will open in July 2006. The final Skyride station is located at the area's edge. Toyland Tours used to be located next to Cred Street. It was recently transformed into Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride. The new ride utilises most of Toyland Tours' boat system, which has been altered to allow guests to disembark and continue the ride on foot. The extensive theming is based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and will there are several shows during the ride. The ride cost around 4.5 Million pounds (with another 3.5million pounds spent on the licence for the book's storyline). The climax of the ride gives guests the chance to experience the great glass elevator which is used by Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket. The Towers The towers are what gives the park its name, a features a spooky maze during the Halloween period. Added for the 2000 season was Hex - the Legend of the Towers, an indoor swing ride which made use of the history of the towers, in particularly the legend of a curse which stated that whenever a branch from a specific tree fell, a member of the Earl's family would die. There is currently a 1.1 million pound project in place to restore the oldest parts of the castle. What will happen to the space when restored is currently unknown, however new rides or tours of the castle are both possibilities. X-Sector A futuristically-themed area, X-Sector contains the park's innovative Oblivion ride, a roller coaster in which riders are said to experience a 90 degree drop. The extra-wide roller coaster cars are held danging over the edge for a few seconds before plunging downwards into a big hole amid mist, and then re-emerging into a heavily banked turn leading back into the station. It was the first vertical drop coaster in the world and was manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard. Its official name is a diving machine. Also in the area are the Enterprise and Submission thrill rides, and the Black Hole rollercoaster, which features a spiral lift and is entirely indoors, in the dark. This ride has been closed since the 2005 season however, and is currently standing but not operating. The park is looking for a buyer for the ride. Adventure Land Adventure Land is aimed at visitors between five and ten, and is mainly made up of climbing frames, slides, swings and similar equipment. There are two rides: Beastie, a small, child-friendly roller coaster, and Spinball Whizzer, a Maurer Söhne pinball-themed spinning roller coaster. Storybook Land Storybook Land is aimed at the youngest visitors, and is themed around fairy tales and other children's stories. It boasts Squirrel Nutty's Ride, a track-based ride which includes story-telling elements, and an ice show that changes every few years. Old MacDonald's Farm Themed around a traditional farm, this area contains a small petting zoo as well as a few rides for younger visitors, which include Doodle Doo Derby, a farm-themed carousel, and Riverbank Eye Spy, a recently rethemed boat ride. Facts and Figures The monorail is from Expo 86 which was held in Vancouver, British Columbia. The theme park is home to the world's first vertical drop roller coaster, Oblivion, as well as Nemesis, Europe's first inverted rollercoaster and Air, one of the world's first flying rollercoasters. The park was featured as an add-on park to Chris Sawyer's Rollercoaster Tycoon. Related links List of theme parks in the United Kingdom External links Links to Alton Towers related websites Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alton Towers Official Website Official Alton Towers Website. Miscellaneous Link Alton Towers add on for Rollercoaster Tycoon Roller coasters at Alton Towers Air - Beastie - Corkscrew - Nemesis - Oblivion - Rita: Queen of Speed - Runaway Mine Train - Spinball Whizzer UK Theme Parks: Tussauds Theme Parks: Alton Towers | Chessington | Thorpe Park Other Parks: Blackgang Chine | Drayton Manor | Dreamland Margate | Flamingo Land | Lightwater Valley | Oakwood | Robin Hill Selected amusement and theme parks Adventureland (Iowa) | Alton Towers | Alabama Adventure (Visionland) | Blackpool Beach | Busch Gardens chain |Cedar Point| Cypress Gardens | Disneyland Resort | Dollywood | Dorney Park | Dubai Land | Efteling | Geauga Lake | Hersheypark | Kennywood | Knoebels | Knott's Berry Farm | Lake Compounce | Legoland | Liseberg | Mystery Park | Paramount Parks | The Park at MOA | Port Aventura | SeaWorld chain |Six Flags chain| Tivoli Gardens | Universal Studios chain | Valleyfair! | Walt Disney World Resort | Wild Adventures | Worlds of Fun Search Term: "Alton_Towers" Categories: Theme parks in the United Kingdom | Amusement parks in the United Kingdom | Visitor attractions in Staffordshire | Historic houses in Staffordshire | Gardens in England | Gothic Revival architecture