Pleasure Beach Blackpool: General History

Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach developed at the southern end of the resort from an informal fairground at the beginning of the twentieth century.  It relied from the outset upon American rides and was soon advertising itself as England’s greatest American amusement park.  In 1931, while on a visit to Philadelphia, the Pleasure Beach’s new managing director Leonard Thompson saw parks themed in the modernist style and thought the style might suit the Pleasure Beach.

In 1933 Leonard Thompson commissioned Joseph Emberton to prepare a long-term reorganization scheme for the whole Pleasure Beach to provide an overall visual unity with a Modernist theme, the work to be carried out in stages. Thompson had been introduced to Emberton by Austin Reed who had previously employed Westwood and Emberton’ Emberton continued to design for Pleasure Beach until his death in 1956 at which stage Jack Ratcliffe, who had been involved in the Festival of Britain, was appointed to continue the Emberton’s work.

Minor Works

•    1935    Pay box, “Jack and Jill Ride”. [Architects’ Journal 10 January 1935 page 56 - illustration]
•    1936 – Art Deco treatment to Big Dipper by Emberton. The Big Dipper Station was rebuilt in 1953 to an engineering design by Frank Newby of Felix Samuely and Partners. Felix Samuely himself had worked With Emberton on Simpson's, Piccadilly
•    1936    Wild Mouse Roller coaster ride designed by Frank Wright. Single-seater cars were designed by Joseph Emberton in 1939
•    1935    Station for Grand National