Jurassic 3001

Jurassic 3001

Clarence Pier Status Defunct Operated March 1994 to 2001
Statistics
Product	Dark Ride
HELP

Jurassic 3001 is a Tracked Dark Ride formerly sited at Clarence Pier in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, UK.

History

Jurassic 3001 was situated on the top floor of the Pier's "Wheel of Fortune" arcade, which formerly situated the "Seahorse Bars"/"Barnums" pub, which was destroyed by a fire in the aftermath of a road traffic collision in June 1993. The owners Whitbread decided not to reopen the venue, and was sold off to Clarence Pier, who reconstructed the space as a dark ride in February 1994, and it opened as Jurassic 3001 in March 1994.

The ride's facade was styled like a prehistoric piece of stone, with the ride's logo on it. A robotic triceratops head sat next to the ride's name, and would occasionally roar at passers-by. The front of the ride near the Wheel of Fortune facade featured a large Dinosaur mural on the front side, with two doors that would briefly take the riders outside. This mural was later changed to become brighter.

In May 2001, the Pier put the ride up for sale alongside Wave Rave and all their children's rides. The ride was closed at the end of the year as planned, with the ride's cars being sold to Coney Beach Pleasure Park for usage on their Ghost Train, while the rest of the ride including the track, animatronics and decor were all scrapped. The ride's facade (apart from the Triceratops) remained, abit worn out and degrading. The mural was covered over with advertising in 2006, and in 2012, planning permission was granted to convert the space, giving the "Wheel of Fortune" building the makeover it desperately needed.

Today, the former space of the ride functions as a backstage room for the Pier.