Adventure Island (UK)

Amusement park in the United Kingdom


Adventure Island
Location
Southend On Sea, Essex, England, UK
Status Operating
Opened 1918
Owner Stockvale Ltd
Operating season February to November
Previous names Peter Pan's Playground

Peter Pan's Adventure Island

Website http://www.adventureisland.co.uk
Overview of the park in 2021
Overview in 2019

Adventure Island is a free-admission amusement park located at Southend On Sea, Essex, England, UK. It has five roller coasters and over 30 other rides, as well as attractions including restaurants and a gift shop.

The current site of the park flanks the north end of Southend Pier and has been an amusement park since 1976 when the Miller family purchased the land now forming the west side of the park. The site is currently owned and managed by Stockvale Ltd.

History

In 1976, the land to the west of the pier was purchased by the Miller family and they developed their amusement park on the site from the rudimentary original. The site was extensively redeveloped and in 1995, the park was vastly expanded when the land to the east of the pier was purchased to form part of the park.

The park has previously been known as Peter Pan's Playground and Peter Pan's Adventure Island, before becoming simply Adventure Island.

In 2022, the park applied for planning permission to build a new large Ferris Wheel and a Drop Tower up to 38 metres tall.[1]

Roller coasters

Present

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Status
Barnstormer Zierer Sit-Down 2000 Operating
Green Scream Zierer Sit-Down April 1998 Operating
Kiddi Koasta Zamperla Kiddie 2011 Operating
Mighty Mini Mega Pinfari Sit-Down 2003 Operating
Rage Gerstlauer Sit-Down February 10, 2007 Operating

Past

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Closed Fate
Space Chase J. Bakker Denies Kiddie 1984 1998 Travelling UK
Wendy Glide Lang Wheels Kiddie 1961 or earlier 1970s Scrapped

Attractions

Operating

Name Manufacturer Type Opened
Adventureville Self-built Tracked Dark Ride 2016
American Whip Self-built Junior Whip 2009
Archelon Zierer Waveswinger 1997
Axis SBF Visa Group Frisbee 2019
Big Wheel Pinfari Ferris Wheel 1983
Carousel SBF Visa Group Junior Carousel 2015
Choo-Choo-Ville Supercar Roundabout 1972
Cow Jump Self-built Junior Miami 2003
Crooked House Self-built Walk-through 1949
City Wheel Unknown Ferris Wheel 2022
Dragon Zierer Sea Storm 1996
Drop 'N' Smile Self-built Junior Drop Tower 2003
Dune Buggies SBF Visa Group Jump Around 2015
Fireball Self-built Ferris Wheel variant 2006
Flying Jumbos Modern Products Junior Jets 1999
Helter Skelter Supercar Helter Skelter 1986
Jumping Jolly Rogers Self-built Junior Sea Storm 2004
Over the Hill 2: Spooksville Self-built Tracked Dark Ride 1999
Pharaoh's Fury Sonacase Twist 1998
Pirates Plunge SBF Visa Group Junior Drop Tower 2015
Ramba Zamba Zamperla Disk'O 2004
Screature Tivoli Manufacturing Orbiter 2021
Sk8borda Zamperla Rockin' Tug 2004
Sky Drop Zamperla Drop Tower 2004
Smiles Per Galleon SBF Visa Group Pirate Ship 2015
Tidal Wave Interlink Dinghy Waterslides 1996
Time Machine Self-built Time Machine 2012
Vertigo SBF Visa Group Drop Tower 2024
Viking Boats Zierer Roundabout 1996

Closed

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Closed Fate
American Freeway Sobema Superbob 1989 2000 Travelling UK
Barracuda A.R.M. Ranger 1994 2000 Travelling UK
Blackbeard's Pirate Adventure Art Tech Design Walk-through 1998 2005 Scrapped
Devil's Creek Gold Mine Self-built Tracked Dark Ride late 1930s 2015 Scrapped
Dodgems Reverchon Dodgems 1986 2022 Scrapped
Dragon's Claw Tivoli Manufacturing Move It/Spin Out 2001 2021 Undergoing Refurbishment
Ferris Wheel Unknown Ferris Wheel 1961 or earlier c.1970s Unknown
Fireball Zierer Hexentanz 1999 2000 Relocated to Washington State Fair
Formula AI Karting Formula K Go-Karts 1995 2021 Scrapped
Magic Monsters Modern Products Roundabout 1999 Unknown Unknown
Pirat Galleon Zamperla Pirate Ship 1990s 2003 Relocated to Funland Hayling Island
Raging River Interlink Log Flume 1996 2006 Relocated to Kongeparken
Scorpion Tivoli Manufacturing Troika 2001 2018 Travelling UK
Sea Serpent Zapfun Tube Slide 1996 2015 Relocated to Funland Hayling Island
Sky Lab J. Bakker Denies Enterprise 1990 1997 Relocated to Funland Hayling Island
Telecombat SDC Jets 1985 1999 Travelling UK
Vortex Tivoli Manufacturing Orbiter 2001 2021 Relocated to Web Adventure Park

External links

  1. Willis, Anna (2022-07-26). "Adventure Island: Two new rides in the pipeline as Southend theme park plans big shake-up". EssexLive. Retrieved 2022-10-01.