The Abandoned.. Dreamland Margate - England | Expedition Extinct 

KILLED WITH A HATCHET!!?? Gosh complaining to HR was way diffrent back then... Sam another Great one Buddy loved it Keep it up

I currently work just behind Dreamland and i've lived here my whole life, personally I like how dreamland is shaping out. When it first reopened they just had rides you find at traveling carnivals, the only difference was that they tried to hide the tires with decking. To be perfectly honest It was alright... but kinda shit, nothing special, it all looked so temporary. Now, however it's on the up, Screamland is awesome and friends of mine have been employed as extras there to dress up and scare people, so it at least helps the local economy in that sense. Each year Screamland seems to get better too. And over the summer while they had all the live events we would listen in on it from work in the evenings, they even installed a drop ride and we always wave at the people on the top. They did up the cinema at Dreamland at the beginning of this year but all they've done is made it look pretty, you can't go in and nobody seems to know when or if they'll actually use it. Unfortunately the fun practically stops there, Arlington Square which is also right next to dreamland is still closed off and shut, an entire shopping court that's been left to ruin with try-hard graffiti all over it. Further down the seafront is the Lido but while they keep the sign looking nice for it, the lido itself has been closed for ages now and is also just left to rot. Margate has a lot of history - hell I eat my lunch at work on a bench made from the old Margate Pier - but it still has a long way to go. I hope things do continue getting better for the local area as it needs it. If you actually read all this then I applaud you and I hope you found the insights of a local interesting.

I worked as a brakeman on the scenic railway last year! It's an amazing ride. The park is 100% haunted btw, the cinema gave me chills!

This is a rather happy ending. Good on them.

I went at least once a week in the summer from about 1991-1994. Dorothy Perkins would give out vouchers - if you bought anything (no minimum price), they would give you a voucher that would admit five people for £10. So our group would all go in separately, pick up a 99p pair of earrings and get the voucher. Repeat as necessary. Actually, it got to the point where we would walk in and the shop assistants would just give us handfuls of vouchers. Being minors, the cost on the train wasn't too bad at all, so it was a cheap day out. Basically, for a twelve year old, getting to have a theme park day on the budget of my not-gigantic pocket money was a major win. I'll always remember the looping star fondly as my first upside-down roller coaster.

Wow a park that was actually revived is rare sight! And also you did a great job with this episode as always

Oh gosh was not expecting to see Dreamland on the channel, I've been working there for 2 years and still going strong!

I've followed closely the regeneration of Dreamland over the years. I had the great pleasure of taking my grandchildren in 2017 and 2018 and they thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Lord George Sanger is my great X7 grandfather - my grandfather was also in Dreamland from 1969 - 1981 too. He had the Lightning Swirl, Waltzer, Tip Top, Speedway and the world's first Orbiter in 1976 before getting another in 1980. The Orbiter was the world's first all-hydraulic fairground ride.

"whatever you want to call it" Not quite! England=England Great Britain = England, Scotland, Wales UK = Great Britain + Northern Ireland

11:11 that's my footage :D happy for you guys to use it. Very interesting documentary.

Love that park in the 80's when I was a kid. The looping star was my favourite.

I remember being parked outside of Dreamland with my dad nearly a decade ago. He told me about how he used to go their with his family when he was a kid and how it used to be a lot bigger and how great and fun it was. At the time we were sitting in the car outside of the abandoned park, it just had the burned remains of a theme park. It was so cool to see but also so sad. I haven't had a chance to go back since it reopened. But knowing how many people loved the park makes me hope it'll stay open for a long time. Long enough that one day, I could be sitting in a car with my niece's or my own kids and tell them about how fun it is and how their grandparents used to go there too

This was part of my holiday childhood experience. Lo g may it live..

the little amusement park that could

Wow I have never heard of this park. Great job on the complex history of the park. Between you and me, I want to see their haunted event.

I can just imagine the group that caused the ''accidental'' fire thinking bugger didn't expect them to rebuild the park

I and my family, my dad a US Air Force airman stationed at a nearby airbase, lived one year in Margate in 1954 on All Saints Ave., a short walk to Dreamland. On the way just over the overpass on Hartsdown Rd. on the left was the greatest fish and chips shop that served the goodies in cone shaped news paper with plenty of salt and malt vinegar. I was 12 and recall the wonderful cinema which had an organ that rose from the floor or the orchestra pit, when being played. I recently returned to Margate with my wife to relive this wonderful period in my life. Our duplex on the corner is still there as fixed and beautifully sound as my memories. I regret not knocking on the door. I love Margate, Kent, England.

So yeah, I live in Margate and used to frequent Dreamland back in the day (late 90's early 00's), when you could get an all day wristband for £10, or from 5pm-10pm for £5 and ride everything as many times as you liked. I ended up working there for a summer in 04'ish when the site was used by a travelling fair, it was so creepy at night when empty, and the stowaway water ride (think pirates of the carribean under blacklights) was definitely haunted. In fact, it featured on one of them Strange but True type shows around the same time I think! Godden definitely caused the fire as he had already put in planning permission to the council to build flats on the site, I have friends who worked in the police who all but confirmed this but there was no actual proof in order to charge him (Edit..apparently I need to say 'allegedly'!). I was actually there when the scenic railway was on fire, and managed to capture footage as the police and firefighters arrived. It was terrible and I'm so glad they were able to rebuild. When they first relaunched Dreamland they tried to do so as a 'Park of the Past', i.e vintage steam powered rides, and victorian penny arcades. It didn't do well as it offered nothing thrilling or enticing for the younger demographic. I actually went to the Save Dreamland Campaign launch night, and signed up to their newsletters, meaning I got a park update sent to me each month during 2014. If anyone is interested in seeing the information message me and I will forward the emails on to you. Anyways, sorry for the longest comment ever but I've been binging the Expedition vids and couldn't believe my eyes to see Dreamland on there, Great job!! :)

It was the day trip of choice when I was 1 to14 years old 70,s were great times,loved it there haven't been since I was 18 im now 52! Would love to re visit,thanks for the nostalgia trip,brought a year to my eye of some really fun times when I was a child👍

Fun Fact! Dreamland is actually the filming location for the music video of the song "BLUE" by Marina and the Diamonds. They shot it in 2015 according to their wiki and it has many a good shot of dreamland looking very beautiful under blue skies. Definitely worth a watch if you like dreamland.

Thanks for keeping some of my old Bembom Brothers Dreamland clips going, nice one 👍

I use to work there back in the 90's as security at night.the cinema is haunted btw

It did indeed have a successful 2018 . Few more summers like we had and it will be heaving . So happy for them . Been going as child, teenager and now mother .

Great vid ,I didn't realise that the park was stripped bare then rebuilt up again .

I used to go to margate every year on a kids outing from London , about 50 coaches filled with mums and their kids the first Monday in July in the 60’s , we be on the beach then into dreamland , I loved it , I have wonderful childhood memories of margate and dreamland 👍

I worked here on the 2015 re-opening, we were still painting fences as that ribbon was being cut. Such happy memories though, everyone worked really hard to get the park reopen. We had to go through months of intense training before the park even opened, this included in depth history lessons. The menagerie cages were definitely a favourite of mine and of course all the ghost stories, we'd frequently tell guests about the supposed murdering strongman. [edit] Jimmy Godden was accountable for a few amusement park closures including the beloved Folkestone rotunda amusement park, another park with an interesting history.

Love these episodes on long lost attractions the most, a snapshot of history. Great work! By far the best theme park channel out there, great info and visuals, quality production too! I remember that 2008 fire on the news.

I first went to Dreamland in 93 - and in those days most referred to it as Bembons ... there wasn't much in the park when I went and it looked like it was operating on a wind-down ... I can remember the Looping Star coaster, the Melody Swing - which was sort looked like a Paratrooper ride in drag! The scorpion and of course the Scenic Railway and the flying chairs which I now know to have onc been the space capsule ride. Other than that there was not much there ... and a lot of structure with peeling paint and weed starting to grow through cracks in the concrete. It looked like it was ready to be put to sleep ... 2020 Delighted that the park has made a brilliant and awesome comeback !!!

dreamland is pretty rad now, i live like five minutes away from it :)

Jeez, there’s a lot of history on that sight, I had no idea

This is cool. I live down the road from dreamland. I can pretty much see it from my house

I can remember watching the pirate ship and looping star with awe as a tiny kid. never forgotten the amazement at the fact they went upside down! I liked that massive rotating planet thing.

The looping star might have been the first ever rollercoaster I ever rode when I was about 8 or 9. My mum lives in Margate and she is so happy about the park being successful as it reminds her of her childhood, and for years every day she would commute to work past the abandoned (and then partially burned down) scenic railway. She also loves her little claim to fame that she made out with the scenic railways brake operator during park hours when she went there as a teenager hahaha. Seeing the 90s footage was very nostalgic. I remember that the Mary Rose was noisy as shit and a bit terrifying, the wild mouse actually hurt to ride on those corners, and I fondly remember how the loop of the looping star would visibly wobble a couple of feet back and forth when the cars went through it. It all felt quite rickity but I have very good memories of the park.

I live in Kent and margate only about 40 min drive from. Me it nice to see they restored it after it been abandoned for years ❤️

Worked there for the 2017-2018 season. Loved working Screamland. 😊

Thanks man! Great convo for my Grandparents who live there now. The new Park is great!

Dream land it once was and brought many dreams come true there along with fun added . I loved it and always will . The lovely evenings at Dream land cinema too hours of happiness there . Nothing they do now to regenerate it back can ever have the same wonderful experience I once had there .

Another fantastic video! Well written and well edited! Love it!

So happy that the park is finally back. After the park closed and many fires, they look here to stay.

Thanks mate, I lived in Margate and spent many hours in Dreamland. My father also ran the Bar called Rocky Springs for a few years, with pony rides in about 1974. Your research is very interesting and had some things I didn't know. It's great that it has been saved again. Hopefully more people will start visiting as less people travel abroad

What an informative and fun video. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I also subscribed. Thank you for the upload!

Sam amazing history! I have been to margate many times but did not get to experience the park. I am so happy that they bought the park back and will have to look into visiting when I am in England during Christmas.

Great video - thanks for putting it together!

I have many fond memories of riding the Scenic Railway, and the looping Star was my first real rollercoaster ride,

BEST HALLOWEEN SPECIAL EVER!!!! Love the cool eeriness of this one

What a crazy story! I really wish that this same thing had happened to other amusement parks. Hope Dreamland can be open for years to come.

Jimmy owned a lot of amusement property in Kent and all “suspiciously” have been set alight when they started to see failure.

i recently found your channel, it's amazing the amount of work that you put into each video. thank you for your content.

I visited the park a lot in the 1950s a magical place to be-I see you have used some of my 8mm film shots in your video good to see,

I visit here every now and again as we have a flat nearby. Honestly great fun!

I love seeing this park had a happy ending instead of being scrapped altogether.

Great video. Used to enjoy day trips on the train down to Benbom Brothers in the 1990s, it was a good park and always seemed packed. Haven't been back since.

used to go in the 60s loved it while i worked at butlins was my fav place to go on my spare time

I've Might Go To Dreamland Margate Theme Park Next Year In 2019. Thanks Expedition Theme Park Mate. X

Loved it in 80s miss them years moved away in 87 still remember the rides and the music

BemBon..wow I went there a few times it was good ol fashion fun..loved it. Glad to hear its still going a happy ending...well done chaps!

The Haunted Snail inspired a fellow Bear-y Tales fan who is building a dark ride. Good to know the original inspiration!

I'm so glad it came back

This is where I went when I was a kid visiting family, glad it's had a better fate than the other one I went to, camelot! Love the videos!

You should definitely do a future episode on frontierland in Morecambe. Very similar to dreamland except frontierland didn't reopen. I get depressed every time I walk past the blue hordings out front remembering what used to be there.

Glad about the happy endings for once :D

That was very informative and interesting. Thank you.

I’m here after watching Empire of Light. Thank you for this video 👍

Murdered with a hatchet?! That is some Halloween horror nights level scary!!

Good to see a happy ending. Thanks for the video.

That was bloody excellent!

Daaaaaaaooooowwwwwn to Margate! Was gonna go to Margate a few years ago thank to The Jolly Boys Outing and couldn’t believe it was scrapped. Glad it’s come back, gonna go in the summer

Fantastic Video!

Love this channel 👍

Nice one Sam and great to see David Sanger opening it as his great great grandad started this

I have fond memories of dreamland as a child, went there early last year and it was a shadow of its former self

Sam, Please do Coney Island. I know you have done Dreamland (the original Dreamland in Coney Island) but Coney Island is worthy of its own special long episode!! It would be very worth it to buy a plane ticket to NYC in the summer with swimming trunks packed to see it. Some bare bones background, sorry about the spiel: Coney Island is located at the southernmost point in Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City. It got its name from the Dutch and was named "Koniijn Eylandt" originally, and thereafter became "Coney Island", a cognate of the original Dutch. (Both mean "Rabbit Island", since little Eastern cottontail rabbit warrens were everywhere along with the cute little buggers themselves.) After the Civil War (1860-1865) it became a very popular getaway from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan Island and in time there were a lot of stage revues and dancing girls and, yes, brothels. It slowly attracted things like restaurants and hotels, similar to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, as well as visits from PT Barnum's Circus. Changes accelerated with massive migration out of Europe to New York. Immigrants from all over were often cooped up in little tenements and building codes and labor unions were still inchoate ideas. And, then, as now, IT WAS HOT. In July, it is normal for New York to be at least 25°C plus humidity (which makes it feel hotter than it really is. Again, this is normal for New York and Boston: icy cold, snowy, freezing winters, warm and humid summers) Late Victorian fashions were not compatible with heat, no matter what class you were!! Seaside resorts were becoming all the rage in the USA up and down the East Coast, but the twist was that all classes were flocking to Coney Island and its sisters to the east Rockaways and Brighton Beach. Of the three, Coney was geographically closest to Manhattan Island (and thus the parts that are now Chinatown, Greenwich Village, the East Village, and Battery Park, plus the richer folks that lived uptown) and there was a railroad of sorts that was erected by 1876 that connected the island with Manhattan, plus a ferry that existed from earlier (it is also around this time that the first amusement ride was built for Coney: the Iron Tower.) One of the first rollercoasters ever built was built at Coney Island in 1884; it would have had a layout very close to Margate's and Coney's no longer stands :it fell out of fashion and as of 2019 the location of the old 1884 Scenic Railway ride is occupied by the Cyclone, built 1927. (The Cyclone is a city landmark in its own right and nearly got torn down in the 1960s. That being said, locals would probably have a fit if they were threatened with losing her ever again: she is very old, she looks rickety, but generations of New Yorkers and Americans she is one of a handful of wooden coasters built between 1900-1930 that survives and she has given children of all ages their first coaster ride since the day she opened.). Coney Island was one of the first theme parks that had different "lands"-Walt Disney did not lick that up off the floor, he learned it from places like Coney Island. It would have had all sorts of attractions: Bumper cars, animal acts, daredevils getting shot out of cannons, carousels, midway rides, one of the first log flumes in history, pony rides, the occasional elephant walking down the street, batting cages for baseball, and some of the earliest dark rides known to man. Nathan Handwerker set up his first business just outside the gates of the park. He called it Nathan's. THIS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST HOT DOG STANDS IN AMERICA AND A SPOT FROM WHENCE IT SPREAD TO THE REST OF THE LAND BY THE LATE 1940s. Freakshows were everywhere at Coney Island. The circus was a regular visitor and fireworks first went off in summer at Coney Island, not Disneyland, at night. It almost died completely by the 1990s. The Cyclone was originally one of three coasters built before the Great Depression. The other two were the Tornado and the Thunderbolt; the former was destroyed by a fire. The rest of the tale involves a big slump after the Great Depression, then decline into the 1960s plus a criminal element ruining the park, then a nosedive into oblivion into the 1980s and the start of a recovery today. GET INVESTIGATING, SAM!!

I remember going here once or twice because it wasn't that far from where my grandparents lived in Herne Bay. I also remember when it closed.

I went to dram land laat summer (2018) and its still amazing My mum attended the site in the 80s along with my dad. we are plannung to go every summer as its only 30 mins away. im so happy that its still here today

I visited the park in the mid 90s wen I was 8 I have really fond memories glad to see it bk :)

Very cool video. Thanks for posting and have a nice day too.

I use to go to Margate each year from about 2017 up until the pandemic we always went in to Dreamland and went on a screamland night (it was hosted in another dreamland building to the right as you walk down to dreamland's entrance) since the pandemic we haven't been to Margate since also due to the Showboat arcade closing down ended it for us, we use to stay in the Premier Inn (10 mins walk from dreamland) it was a bit pricey but being as we are both disabled Premier Inn has (accessible rooms) on the ground floor and disabled parking.

glad it did get saves used to go there in the 60s while working at butlins

Jimmy clearly set his parks on fire for insurance money.

The Looping Star was then at the Budapest Amusement Park in Hungary until the park's closure. I went there with my family a couple of times. Unfortunately they closed it before I was old enough to ride the coaster.

I was literally at dreamland this week man reading my mind 😮😮

7:42 This Famous Theme Park Dreamland Margate In Kent Is Starred In The Episode Of Only Fools And Horses Series 6 The Jolly Boys Outting. Based On The Classic 1981 BBC Comedy Television Series Of The Same Name. Thanks Mate. PS I'm A Huge Only Fools And Horses Fan. Lovely Jubbly. X

Ooooooh just sat down for lunch and saw this was up cant wait CANT WAIT !!! i will report back in a few Jeff OUT!!! LOL

Great fun park to visit

Excellent video please have a look at Morecombe

I visited Dreamland in August and it was quite good for a small quaint park. If it keeps expanding then it’s future should be bright

Great video. I visited here in the 90s but I never knew the history of the place really interesting. Could you do an expedition to the parks in southend?

Went to dreamland today and it brought back alot of nostalgia of the park as a kid. Will you do a video on folkestones rotunda theme park?

In 2003 me and my pal josh for his 8th birthday was on mouse trap and on starting climb near the top it rattled and dropped us to the bottom hitting the emergency breaks giving us both whiplash. 15 years later I got a job there and soon realised it wasn't the same as it once was.

We’ve visited twice in 2018 we love it Still more to do but I hope the future is a bright one long live Dreamland

I live near Margate and Dreamland is currently the only other non-Merlin theme park I’ve been to, the other being Blackpool Pleasure Beach! Keep in mind I am NOT counting: - Butlins - local carnivals - theme parks in other countries

my grandfather rebuilt the scenic railway in the 50's. if anyone needs info hes long gone but i know so many stories

We lived in Westgate nearby as kids in the late 70s early 80s, you could walk along the coast to Margate and climb a fence to get into the park for free!

Super interesting!

my uni was involved in the 2017 reopening. rly wish i'd joined in with that now :/

I went to Margate in 1975. Also l missed it ever since. A lot has happened since then.

Excellent video as always. One question at 6 mins 8 secs what is the side friction coaster shown. I have never known there to be one like that....?

Spent a fantastic Halloween night there last year their mazes are the best I've been too in uk and comparable to universals mazes which I have done also.this little park should be proud👍👍👍

What a happy ending! :)