Ruins of Sanger’s circus to be saved

A preservation notice has been slapped on Dreamland’s owners to preserve the historic remains of Sanger’s menagerie.

Council contractors uncovered the ivy-covered building as they put up a steel fence around the scenic railway to protect it against more vandalism.

Although the structures have been on the site for about a century they had become overgrown and hidden beneath trees and shrubs. Lord George Sanger, the most successful circus entrepreneur of the 19th century, bought the land in 1874 as a headquarters for his empire and housed lions, elephants and various other exotic animals.

Thanet council has served a preservation notice on owners Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company and the important finds could become listed.

Culture boss Roger Latchford said: “This is a very interesting find and a unique part of Margate’s history. What has been uncovered are three animal cages from the Sanger menagerie and a tower, which is believed to be part of Sanger pleasure gardens.

“The preservation notice lists the building for six months, pending a decision by the Secretary of State. This was done because we had reason to believe that these remains could be demolished and we wanted a chance to further explore their history.”

George Sanger, an eccentric millionaire renowned for being a smart dresser with his shiny top hat and diamond tie pin, had his base in Dreamland for about 30 years.

Margate resident Mark Miller and his sister Alison used to play in the cages in the late 1950s. He said: “It was great to see those pictures again because we were always playing in them as kids. We used to be able to squeeze through the bars. It’s amazing that they ever kept animals in there.

“We used to make a camp up there so it was good to see them uncovered again.”

The ruined structure was built as such and was used by Sanger as his menagerie. By 1905 the menagerie had gone and in 1919, eight years after Sanger died, the Hall by the Sea became Dreamland after being purchased by John Henry Iles for £40,000, the same price as the fence going up to protect it now.
 

Zoo knows about this?

Could this ivy-covered building be the remains of Sanger’s menagerie buried on the outskirts of Dreamland for over a century?

Lord George Sanger, the most successful circus entrepreneur of the 19th century, bought the land in 1874 as a headquarters for his circus empire and housed lions, elephants and other exotic animals.

Thanet council has recently begun putting up a 2.4 metre metal fence around the Scenic Railway to stop any further acts of vandalism. While erecting the fence around the fire-wrecked ride council officials came across a tower-like structure and cages.

There is the possibility for a preservation notice to owners Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company and the important finds could become listed.

Curator at Margate Museum, Bob Bradley, said: “We’ve got the ordinance survey map which clearly shows there was a menagerie on the site, even before Sanger arrived. “I think they had a dummy mansion made and it was built as a ruin where they stored the animal feed.

“Whether that’s in the same spot I don’t know.”

George Sanger, an eccentric millionaire renowned for being a smart dresser with his shiny top hat and diamond tie pin, had his base in Dreamland for about 30 years. By 1905 the menagerie had gone and in 1919, eight years after Sanger died, the Hall by the Sea became Dreamland after being purchased by John Henry Iles fro £40,000.

Former Margate mayor Mick Tomlinson remembers the cages during his time working at Dreamland and offers an alternative theory on what the remains could be. He said: “It’s unbelievable that they are still there. At one time you could get in them.

“It’s amazing that they used to keep animals in these things.

“At the time there used to be three buildings in that area and one of them was used by the gardener as an on-site home so it could be that.”
 

An exotic discovery
Fence workmen unearth wild animal cages

Animal cages belonging to Sanger’s menagerie have been uncovered by workers putting up a steel fence around the scenic railway.

Although the ivy-covered buildings have been on the site for about a century they have become overgrown and hidden beneath trees and shrubs.

Lord George Sanger, the most successful circus entrepreneur of the 19th century, bought the land in 1874 as a headquarters for his circus empire and housed lions, elephants, bears and other exotic animals. Thanet council has served a preservation notice to owners Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company and the important finds could be listed.

Lord Sanger, an eccentric millionaire notorious for being a smart dresser with his shiny top hat and diamond tie pin, had his base in Dreamland for about 30 years.

Margate resident Mark Miller and his sister Alison used to play in the cages in the late 1950s. He said: “It was great to see these pictures because we were always playing in the cages as kids. We used to be able to squeeze through the bars. It’s amazing that they ever kept animals in there. We used to make a camp so it was good to see them uncovered again.”

The ruined structure was used by Sanger as his menagerie and former Margate mayor Mick Tomlinson remembers the cages well. He said: “There are three animal cages left on the site. It’s unbelievable that they are still there. At one time you could get in them. At the time there used to be three buildings and one of them was used by the gardener as an on-site home.”

By 1905 the menagerie had gone and in 1919, eight years after Sanger died, the Hall by the Sea became Dreamland after being bought by John Henry Iles for £40,000, the same price as the fence going up to protect it. 
 

Fence to protect Scenic Railway

Thanet council contractors set to work last week on erecting a new fence around the fire-damaged Scenic Railway at Dreamland, after the owners’ fence was found unsuitable. The work was expected to take up to two weeks and is costing in the region of £40,000, said council heritage development advisor Nick Dermott. This money will be charged to owners Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company.

The new fence forms a 420-metre-long barrier completely surrounding the grade II listed ride, which was badly damaged in a devastating fire in April. It is 2.4 metres high, has spiked tops and three gates built in to allow access for vehicles when the listed ride is being rebuilt.

Worried the ride could be further damaged if not protected, Thanet Council served an urgent works notice under the terms of the Scenic’s listing on MTCRC at the end of July, giving it until August 11 to complete work on the fence. The company then erected a fence around parts of the site, but the council decided this was not good enough, adding that it was set too close to the structure to allow renovation work to be carried out. It then issued a second notice saying it would appoint contractors to build another fence and charge MTCRC for the work.

Mr Dermott said: “The new fence stands some way back from the ride and will allow access for cranes and other vehicles to get to it and carry out the rebuilding work when the time comes.

“The cost is being charged to MTCRC, although they have the right of appeal to the Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
 

Council erects second fence around railway ride

Thanet council contractors have begun work on a second metal fence around Margate’s fire-torn scenic railway. The council issued owners of the Grade II listed structure with a notice to say it would put up a 2.4 metre metal fence around the structure to stop any further acts of vandalism. The current fence erected by owners Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company (MTCRC) just four weeks ago was deemed not good enough by council officers.

The council issued the original Urgent Works Notice at the beginning of the month demanding the fence be put up but as yet it has not been completed.

Nick Dermott, heritage adviser at Thanet council, said the owners had not complied with what had been asked for. He said: “We had asked for a continuous fence around the site but that has not happened, and in certain places you can get over the fence and onto the ride. The other part of the problem is the fence does not have spiky tops. It has round bits which make it easy to climb over. There is no fence at all by Arlington car park. Our sole interest is in securing the structure.”

The cost of the work being carried out will be recovered by Thanet council from MTCRC.
 

No! Wait! Yes! A fence farce

Thanet council has ordered a metal fence be put up around the Scenic Railway at Dreamland. The decision comes 18 months after it demanded one be taken down at the same site because permission for it had not been sought.

An urgent works notice to put up the fence was served last week after Thanet council said the owners needed to protect the Grade II listed site following an arson attack on the Scenic Railway in April.

Toby Hunter, director of the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, says the 2.4 metre fence is nearly complete.

He said: “We did have exactly the same fence up around the site about 18 months ago. It does seem a bit daft but we have been asked to do it. The previous fence may have stopped anything happening to the railway but that’s all speculation and who can say?

“We are working hard to get things up and running.”

The fire destroyed approximately 20 per cent of the tracks of the Scenic Railway, the workshop were the cars were housed and part of the station.

A Thanet council spokesman said: “A retrospective application was put into the council for the fencing but this was refused.

“Discussions were then held between the council and the owners of the site who then put in a new planning application in 2007 which was approved.”

The ride first opened in 1920 and was the first amusement park ride to be Grade II listed in 2002. Thanet council leader Sandy Ezekiel said: “We believe it’s absolutely essential that measures are taken to preserve the Scenic Railway until repairs begin. The time has come for us to take action and that’s what we’re doing.”

 

Owners told to put up fence to protect ride

Council chiefs have served the owners of Dreamland in Margate with an urgent works notice insisting they erect a fence to protect the fire-damaged Grade II listed Scenic Railway until it is full repaired.

The notice was served on the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company on Monday. It requires them to put up a continuous 2.4-metre high steel fence around the listed ride, the oldest of its type in the country and third oldest in the world. If the fence is not up by Monday, August 11, then the council will send contractors to the amusement park to erect the fence. The council will then recover the cost of this work from MTCRC.

The move follows the fire, which broke out in early April, destroying about 30 per cent of the railway’s tracks, the workshop where the cars were housed and part of the station.

The ride, built in 1920, was the first amusement park ride to be Grade II listed in 2002.

Thanet Council leader Sandy Ezekiel said: “Although the council is still in ongoing discussions with the owners of the site, we believe it’s absolutely essential that measures are taken to preserve the Scenic Railway until repairs begin.

“We have given this enough time since the fire broke out and still there is no fence to protect this unique asset. The time has come for us to take action. If the work is not completed in the next two weeks then we will be sending in people to do the work. That’s how important this is to us.”

In March 2006 Thanet Council instructed the park’s owners to take down industrial fencing they had erected without permission around the park, including parts of the Scenic Railway. It was taken down and a wooden fence erected around some of the historic ride.

Sarah Vickery of the Save Dreamland Campaign said: “Anything that ensures that the Scenic Railway is properly protected has to be welcomed.”

Dreamland regeneration to cost £8m

It could cost at least £8million to revitalise the listed Dreamland cinema and the fire-damaged Scenic Railway, according to a report by the Prince’s Regeneration Trust.

The 50-page document is effectively a route map setting out what needs to happen and suggesting uses for the cinema to make it viable, explained Derek Harding of the regeneration partnership. He said: “The next phase is to establish feasibility studies for both the Scenic and the cinema so that we can bid for funding from the Government’s Sea Change scheme.

“We need to test the market for a variety of uses for the cinema, produce costs and designs to ensure its future viability.

“We also need to produce a robust business plan for the heritage amusement park idea which has been discussed with the park’s owners and the Save Dreamland Campaign.”

Mr Harding added the partnership expected to hear back in September whether or not its Sea Change bid had been successful.
 

Dreamland’s £8m revamp price tag

The Prince’s Regeneration Trust has published its report on Dreamland’s future, suggesting at least £8 million is needed to revamp the park.

The 59-page document also says the Dreamland cinema needs to become more versatile and cater for live theatre, school prize days, rock concerts and gospel events. But at 10 metres deep, the cinema’s stage is currently unable to accommodate theatrical performances, says the report, so it should focus on short-term uses, such as organ concerts, live events and special screenings. Owners Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company envisage converting the cinema into a 2,000-seater music venue and rebranding it Dreamland Music Hall.

An inspection this year shows the building is largely weatherproof but is in a steadily deteriorating condition: “It must be at risk from water ingress, vandalism, infestation by pigeons and arson unless it undergoes a major overhaul.” 

As for Dreamland itself, the report cites the scenic railway as the heritage park’s flagship ride. The Save Dreamland Campaign has already bought several rides which are now in storage. The group’s masterplan, designed by Jean-Marc Toussaint, includes cable cars running through the gap in Marine Terrace, over the road and onto the Promenade.

To fund development, the Prince’s Trust say the Heritage Lottery Fund would be the cornerstone of any development, but that funds will be severely restricted due to budget over-runs on the 2012 Olympic Games.

The trust recommends that a Dreamland Steering Group be set up, consisting of Thanet council, the owners and Save Dreamland Campaign.
 

Changes planned for Margate before 2010

Dreamland is set to become a heritage amusement park. The plan is to have many of the original rides back including a refurbished Scenic Railway. The Fun House brought back from Southport, the water chute and a ferris wheel. There are also negotiations to buy some old-style waltzers. The Prince's Regeneration Trust has been commissioned to produce a report into the seaside site by its owners, Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company and the Margate Renewal Partnership.

MRP director Derek Harding said: "I can understand people's frustrations that nothing seems to have happened on the site and if we wanted we could put a fairground on every week but that is not the sort of thing that is going to bring people back year on year. We need to ensure we have robust proposals and proper investments for the future."

The old-style rides would be used but they would also be exhibits so people could learn their history as well as riding on them. The future of the site is expected to be announced in about six months' time. 
 

‘Pull out all the stops’

Dreamland cinema organ is under threat from a leaking roof and Thanet council is considering issuing owner Waterbridge with a notice to fix it.

The Compton Organ, billed on opening night as Lewis Gerard of Broadcasting Fame at the £4,800 Compton Organ, has been in the cinema since 1935. David Wattenbach from Hawkinge is part of the Margate Theatre Organ Society which preserves and looks after organs. He said: “I have inspected the organ within the last month. The organ chambers are sited in the roof above the proscenium arch. At the moment the chambers are dry, although the roof is in poor condition and was last replaced after the 1987 Great Hurricane. The organ will deteriorate if not played. The stalls area downstairs is very damp and covered in mildew.

“The organ console is under the stage and is also covered with mildew. This situation could cause the keys to warp and all the electrical contacts to corrode, costing many thousands of pounds to repair.”

Heritage development advisor at Thanet council Nick Dermott is considering issuing the owner, the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, with an urgent works and repairs notice to ensure that the organ and the rest of the building does not fall into any further disrepair. It would mean the roof would have to be fixed and the building made structurally sound.

In 1992 Dreamland Cinema was designated a Grade II Listed building by English Heritage and in May the building was up-graded to Grade II* Listed.

Ross Stewart, one of the directors at the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, said: “We invited David Wattenbach to inspect the organ and have fully taken on board his comments. Concurrent to this we are working with the council to agree schedules of repair work to both the scenic railway and the cinema, so far our fortnightly meetings have been very positive and constructive. We will be working with Jacobs Engineering on the scenic railway and would hope to start stabilisation and debris removal works very soon.”

Dream a little dream history

When first built there were 1,328 seats in the stalls and 722 in the balcony. The interior was designed by John Bird-Iles, son of the owner of Dreamland John Henry Iles, and sculptures of sea nymphs set into recesses each side of the auditorium were the work of Eric Aumonier, a sculptor famous for the Archer statue at East Finchley underground station. The cinema was closed from 1940 due to the war and did not re-open until July 1946. In 1973 the building gained two cinemas in the former balcony and the former stalls area became a theatre using the full facilities of the stage. The theatre was not a success and closed two years later and became a bingo hall. In 1981 a third cinema was added but this was closed in 1993 when Bembom Brothers took over the park. The cinema was finally shut down in November 2007 following the closure of the bingo club.
 

The way we were
Memories of iconic park never fade

Following a week-long celebration of Dreamland and the building of a miniature Scenic Railway, the Isle of Thanet Gazette hears some of the memories that have made Dreamland such an iconic part of Margate’s history and its future.

More than 500 people flocked to the exhibition in Margate’s Substation to leave their recollections and enjoy memorabilia from its long history. There were talks from authors and archive footage showing the heyday of the park.

Save Dreamland campaign member Sarah Vickery said: “It was a wonderful event. There were some great memories shared by those who used to visit the park and even the kids who had never been able to enjoy it.”

Dreamland opened in Margate in 1920 on the site of a seafront zoo and gardens. It was owned by showman CC Bartram and businessman John Henry Iles, who owned the rights to the Scenic Railway, one of a number operating at the time. Following Iles’ bankruptcy in 1938, Dreamland was taken over his son Eric but closed following the outbreak of the Second World War. It reopened in 1946, with the help of Billy Butlin, who was chairman of Dreamland from 1946 to 1950. In the 1980s, the park was taken over by the Bembom Brothers who turned it into a white-knuckle theme park, drawing two million visitors a year. It was the second most popular amusement park in the UK after Alton Towers.

Its name reverted to Dreamland when the park was bought by Jimmy Godden in 1995, with the help of an EU grant of more than £800,000. Mr Godden refurbished the entire park, including the Scenic Railway and removed rides including the big wheel and the water chute.

The Scenic Railway, which opened on July 3, 1920 was the oldest operating rollercoaster in the UK – one of only two scenic railways still existing of the 38 built. The other, at the Pleasure Beach in Great Yarmouth, was built in 1932.

A scenic railway does not have under-track wheels; the trains run in troughs, which limit the speed and steepness of drops. The ride also has a brakeman who sits on an elevated seat between cars one and two.

In January 2003, the owners announced the park was to close as it was no longer profitable, but the railway has run every year since. With the exception of 1939-45, it has operated every summer season since 1920. In March 2002, the railway gained Grade II listed status. In April, the railway was hit by arsonists and roughly a third was destroyed.

Hot dogs and happy memories

With both parents working at Dreamland in the 1950s, the amusement park was a home-from-home for Sally Taylor. Her family came to Margate from Southend in 1949 for a two-week holiday and never went back. Her mum Peggy was a cashier while dad, Jimmy, the Pipe, ran a Spot-A-Dart stall. Sally, 70, said: “I loved the night times with all the pretty lights. There was so much to see and do and it was great to watch people having a lovely time.

“One felt safe in those days. I used to go and collect the tea and rolls for my dad from the Wayside Café just outside Dreamland.

“In our teens we would sit on a wall called Lovers’ Wall just watching people go by and having a good laugh. There was an indoor and outdoor skating rink. I just wish it was here now for everyone. I loved the big wheel and the lovely view from the top.

“It’s so sad to see it all go.”

Along for the ride

Messages left by visitors at the Dreamcoaster exhibition last week:

“My grandmother told me that the Scenic Railway was held up with sticky tape. It was always really frightening whenever I went for a ride on it because I believed her.”

“This was the first rollercoaster I rode as a child. It started my life-long obsession with coasters that has taken me all over the world and on over 400 coasters. The Scenic is still my favourite ride, though. Let’s hope we can all ride it again soon!”

“Dreamland with nan and grandad and mum. Nan holding the coats, grandad telling me he had painted the Scenic and me being small thinking he would of done that all by himself and feeling very proud. Being scared on the Big Apple but not on the Scenic or water chute. Oddly, the smell of burgers, candy floss and excitement. Getting over-tired and teary.”

“Mum used to do cleaning at one of the places you could get hot dogs and I remember the satisfying schlop of spatula clearing the lard and burnt bits from the hot plates and the lovely taste of slightly stale bread rolls (by the tunnel under the Scenic Railway).”

“August, 1989. My second visit to Margate and Dreamland. My girlfriend Cheryl would not stop regaling me with her tales of this magical place. Magical? Well, here was a virgin of rollercoasters and white knuckle rides queuing up for the Scenic Railway, followed by the Looping Star, not once but three times each! Then I chose the moment our gondola stopped at the very top of the big wheel to propose to her. Seventeen years married and still coming back. Now our children ask that question: “When can we come back and ride the Scenic again?” Magical? Yes, and that magic will be reborn for future generations. The magic of the Scenic? No two experiences are ever the same.”

Thrill of railway ride…  on a bike

George Battley, 78, now lives in Canton Beach, New South Wales, Australia. News of the Scenic Railway fire shocked him, but also stirred fond memories of Thanet, which is where he lived with his family at 3 Vincent Cottages, Vincent Farm, Manston, after moving from London.

He has vivid memories of schoolboy antics in an empty wartime Dreamland: “Some friends and I had bicycles from the greengrocer’s shop where we worked in Northdown Road. One day we saw a gate open at Dreamland, so, being boys, we went in with our bikes. This must have been about 1942 or 1943. After riding around the empty shows, we looked at the Scenic Railway. Wouldn’t it be good to ride up there on our bikes?

“So Peter Godden helped me lift my bike over the small fence and I started walking in the middle of the rails, pushing my cycle. When I got to the bottom of the first hill I got apprehensive, to say the least, but I said I would do it and pressed on. Some of the boards were creaking on the way up, but having reached the top, looking out over the station and roof tops, I got on the saddle and started down. In later years I did go on the trains, but nothing compared to the thrill of that ride; stopping and walking up the next hill and going around the bend and onward to the end with Peter waiting at the bottom. We walked out of the park and sat on the kerb, laughing.”