Blackgang Chine

Blackgang Chine

Blackgang Chine Blackgang Chine (Isle of Wight)
Location	Blackgang, Isle of Wight, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates	50.58889°N, 1.31444°W
Owner	Alexander Dabell/Vectis Ventures Ltd.
General Manager	Dan Selle
Opened	May 1843[1]
Operating season	March to November
Rides
Total	3
Roller coasters	1
Water rides	1
Website	Blackgangchine.com

The site of Blackgang Chine.

The remains of the Chine in 2008

Blackgang Chine is the UK's oldest Theme Park amusement park. Named after a now-destroyed chine (a coastal ravine) in the soft Cretaceous cliffs, it is about 6 miles from Ventnor at the southern tip of the Isle of Wight just below St Catherine's Down. Run by the Dabell family since May 1843 Blackgang Chine has a sister park Robin Hill. Blackgang Chine is home to life-sized Pirate Ships, Fairy Villages and Castles, Dodo Valleys, and the original Cowboy Town, Owing to the unstable land on which the park is situated, landslides occur frequently, meaning that attractions have continually to be moved further inland to safer ground.

History

During Blackgang Chine's early years, the area was a steep gaunt ravine, overlooking Chale Bay, stretching around 3/4 of a mile down to the shore. It was a quiet place, visited by few people other than local fishermen with rumours of a thriving smuggling trade, which has now become a key theme of the park.^[2] On 11 October 1836 the cargo ship Clarendon was wrecked at the foot of Blackgang Chine, with the loss of all aboard.^[3]

During Victorian England, people were seeking out new healthy holiday resorts, ideally near the coast. As the railway network was getting closer and closer to the South Coast, the Isle of Wight was becoming an increasingly attractive holiday destination. Alexander Dabell, the founder of the park, soon realised the business potential of this, trying various ventures. In 1839 Alexander became friends with a publican who had recently built a hotel at Blackgang, which now forms the Pirates' Pantry restaurant and administration offices.<ref name="Blackgang Chine history"/ After studying the gault and chine gorge, he knew instantly that gardens could be set up that would appeal to the Victorians as a romantic holiday destination. This along with the increasing popularity of the adjacent Sandrock Spring (a Chalybeate spring) led to Alexander concluding a lease for the site in 1842 and the establishment of Blackgang Chine amusement park in 1843. The area was then opened up to the public with pathways built down to the ravine and gardens landscaped on the cliffs. Steps were built to give access to the beach from the lower road. Since the park was opened, it has remained a family business, with the descendants of Alexander Dabell owning it ever since.^[4][5] The park's establishment in 1843 allegedly makes it the oldest theme park in the UK. Its initial theme of a general-purpose scenic and curiosity park led to one of its most famous attractions, a large whale skeleton, which had been washed up near the coast of The Needles in 1842, and is still a showpiece today.^[2]

The chine today

Owing to continual landslides, the chine itself has been destroyed. However, coastal erosion still has a significant impact on the area today. The park's focus now is themed entertainment for families with young children, lifesize animatronic dinosaurs being a noted feature. The same owners run a sister site, the Robin Hill countryside adventure park.^[6] Clifftop walks in and around the area give panoramic views of the English Channel and the south-western Isle of Wight coast.

According to a May 2000 talk to the Isle of Wight Postcard Club by the then Director, Mr Simon Dabell, the etymology is simply "black pathway" (the original appearance of the chine),^[5] but the theme park understandably fosters the interpretation of a smuggling origin. Thus visitors to the park are greeted by a gigantic fibreglass smuggler between whose legs they could pass to enter.^[6]

The Blackgang Chine park is featured in the book Bollocks to Alton Towers, a humorous book concerned with "uncommonly British days out". It was chosen for its apparent eccentricity.^[7] Blackgang Chine is also featured in a documentary based on Bollocks to Alton Towers called Far From the Sodding Crowd. In a recent interview, star of the Harry Potter films, Rupert Grint praised the park, stating that his family's favourite holiday was visiting the Isle of Wight, their favourite attraction being Blackgang Chine.^[8]

The park is frequently associated with ghosts, particularly related to smugglers, with several tales of sightings around the park. In 2008 a video was recorded, showing what appeared to be the apparition of a girl in a blue dress.^[9]

Southern Vectis bus route 6 serves the amusement park on its way between Newport & Ventnor.^[10] In the summer, the Island Coaster also stops here.^[11]

Geology

Blackgang Chine circa 1910

Sited below the village of Blackgang at the western end of the Undercliff, Blackgang Chine was, historically, a spectacular ravine (in 1800 a "steep gaunt ravine" descending 500 feet over about three-quarters of a mile).^[2]

The location is based on unstable terrain owing to the underlying Gault Clay strata, resulting in a succession of huge landslips giving the area a very rugged appearance akin to the better known Jurassic Coast.^[12] Currently the cliffs are eroding at a rate of about 3.5 metres per year, although this process is not gradual. Large areas of land tend to collapse in stages after periods of heavy rain. The areas most recent and destructive cliff falls occurred in 1928, 1961 and 1994.^[13] Continuing landslides and coastal erosion swept away the paths in the early 1900s, and have since obliterated the chine itself and repeatedly forced the park owners to move the clifftop facilities inland.^[14]

Park guide

The park combines whimsical and unusual outdoor and walkthrough attractions with award-winning heritage exhibitions and a couple of significant rides.^[15][16] Below is a list of the attractions currently in operation at the park:

Attraction	Date opened	Description	Image
Cliffhanger	2005	A small roller coaster perched 400 feet above the sea located next to the cliff's edge. The coaster reaches heights of 11 metres before dropping in curves and twists at about 35 kilometres per hour.
Water Force	1998	A 100 ft-long water slide with three chutes. Two of the chutes are open and known as 'overflow 1 and 2', while the third is enclosed and known as the 'plughole'. The ride is done in small boats.
Rumpus Mansion	1993	A walk-through attraction inside an old manor house, home to animated goblins, mischievous boggarts and other fantasy creatures.
Fantasyland	1991	Features the walk-through Liquorice Factory, the angry dragon and the animated Weather Wizard show.
Nurseryland	1974	Various 'life-sized' nursery rhyme characters, many of which are animated. 'Old Mother Hubbard' is pictured.
Water Gardens	1962	An attractive garden area, featuring ponds, fountains and a large gnome display. Until 2006, these gardens were floodlit during the summer evenings.
Hedge Maze	1963	A large hedge maze with path to the centre.
Snakes and Ladders	1990	A giant version of the board game, with large slides.
Restricted area 5	2014	Features animatic dinosaurs that move and roar when people walk past. Also features some fiberglass dinosaurs from Dinosaurland for children to climb on.
Buffalo Canyon	1976	Full-scale Old West frontier town including a saloon, jail, covered wagons and teepees.
The Triassic Club	1994	Comic animated walk-through attraction. Features Darwin the Allosaurus, dressed in a tuxedo, who invites guests 'to dinner' and sings a unique version of the 'Eton Boating Song'.
The Musical Pet Shop	1992	Animatronic animals sing a rewritten version of 'Up a Lazy River'.
Crooked House	1968	A small walk-through attraction of disorientating crooked corridors and humorous scenes.
Butterfly Walk	2008	Larger-than-life butterflies, with signs denoting their respective names.
Giant Bug Walk	2009	Oversized arthropod models
Smugglerland	1978	Features the 'Jolly Smuggler' play ship, a play pub, and the Smugglers' Cave, which tells the story of a shipwreck.
Pirate's Barrel Ride	2006	A themed version of the traditional fairground teacups.
The Wight Experience	2008	Exciting film show featuring aerial views of the island by helicopter, made by 'Flying Pictures', who worked on many of the James Bond and Harry Potter films.
Chocolate Heaven	2008	A chocolate shop selling island-made sweets, chocolate and dairy ice cream.
World of Timber	1981	Originally known as Blackgang Sawmill, an award-winning heritage exhibition 'telling the story of timber' in the setting of an old water mill. Some of the features include Blacksmith's Display, Wheelwright's Workshop, Mill Owner's Cottage, numerous working steam and oil engines, Timber at Sea, Timber in the Home and Mill Pond Gardens.
BBC Coast	2010	Exhibition based on the popular BBC Two television series, looking at the Isle of Wight coastline, and telling the story of Blackgang, the disappearing village.
Fairyland	2011	Features a Magical Fairy Village, including a Fairy Castle and the story of Sleeping Beauty.
Cask and Weevil	2011	New attraction featuring a barrel that looks like it is spinning round, when actually it is an optical illusion.
Dodo valley	2013	People press buttons and make fiberglass Dodo's dance to disco songs.

Former attractions

Attraction	Date opened	Date closed	Description	Image
Jungleland	1978/9	2008	Similar to Dinosaurland, but with jungle animals instead. Replaced with Butterfly Walk.
Model Village	1953	1980s	Closed and removed owing to landslips. Photo shows Cowes Castle.
Buffalo Creek	1976	1994	Some removed following 1994 landslip; remainder relocated uphill to form Buffalo Canyon.
Adventureland	1970	1994	Closed after the 1994 landslide. The derelict remains of this area, including a roundabout (pictured) and the old mission control building, can still be seen just to the west of the main park.
Tornado	Never Opened	2004(removed)	Removed after many failed attempts to fix the ride structure which was deemed unsafe.
Pirate Fort Play area		2008	Replaced by The Wight Experience.
Dinosaurland	1972	2013	Replaced by Restricted area 5

Latest developments

In 2010, a new section to the park opened, designed for adult visitors and known as "Blackgang's Disappearing Village". The new section includes a new attraction "BBC Coast" which tells the story of the island's coast and illustrates the cliff falls and erosion that Blackgang has suffered from over the years. In addition to this new attraction, the new section includes older attractions such as the 87' skeleton of the whale, Wight Flight, Timber World, and the shop named Chocolate Heaven. A new cafe restaurant has also been opened adjacent to the village and known as the Ship-Ashore Tea Rooms.

In 2011, a long awaited fairy land section has been constructed near the base of the old fairy castle. Other changes include a newly rebuilt pirate ship and a "rolling barrel challenge" named The Sailors Return. ^[17]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blackgang Chine.

• Blackgang Chine - official site
• Audio and Video Clips from the fantasy park
• Old pictures of Blackgang Chine
• Blackgang Chine discussion
• Far From the Sodding Crowd (Film)