Drayton Manor Theme Park facts for kids
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| Location | Drayton Bassett, Tamworth, Staffordshire, England |
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| Coordinates | 52°36′39″N 1°42′48″W / 52.61083°N 1.71333°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 1 April 1950 |
| Owner | Looping Group |
| Slogan | Creating Fun Family Memories |
| Operating season | Theme Park Main season: March – November Drayton's Magical Christmas: late November to December February Half Term: selected days in February Drayton Manor Zoo Year-round Drayton Manor Hotel Year-round Conference Centre Year-round |
| Area | 180 acres (73 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 40+ |
| Roller coasters | 4 |
| Water rides | 2 (one currently closed) |
Drayton Manor Theme Park is a super fun place in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, England, UK. It's not just a theme park, but also a zoo and a place to stay overnight! It covers about 180 acres, which is like 136 football fields, and welcomes around 1.5 million visitors every year. That makes it one of the biggest theme parks in the UK! Inside, you'll find Thomas Land and the Drayton Manor Zoo, home to over 100 amazing animals like Red pandas, Eurasian lynx, Sumatran tigers, and lots of different monkeys.
On August 3, 2020, a company called Looping Group bought Drayton Manor Park. They also own two other cool places in the UK: West Midland Safari Park and Pleasurewood Hills.
Contents
How Drayton Manor Started
The land where Drayton Manor Theme Park now stands used to belong to a famous family called the Peels. Their big house, Drayton Manor mansion, built in 1835, was mostly ruined by 1926. During World War II, the British Army used it as a training spot.
After the war, a brave couple named George and Vera Bryan borrowed £6,000. They bought the land, which still had 17 army huts on it. In 1950, they opened a small amusement park with just a few rides for kids.
In 1954, a lady named Mrs. Molly Badham, who later started the nearby Twycross Zoo, teamed up with the Bryans. They opened a zoo to go with the amusement park. The park grew slowly through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. But in the late 1980s, the park started adding bigger and more exciting rides. They wanted to attract visitors from all over the UK and compete with other theme parks.
In 1992, Colin Bryan, George Bryan’s son, became the boss of the park. Later, George Bryan's grandson, also named George Bryan, grew up helping with the family business from a young age. In 2013, George’s brother, William Bryan, took over as the managing director.
In February 2020, the park had some flood damage from a storm. Then, it had to stay closed until July 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 3, 2020, the Looping Group bought the park. Even with new owners, the Bryan family, especially William Bryan, still helps run the business.
In December 2020, there was a small fire in the Thomas Land area of the park. Investigators said it was an accident.
Exciting Rides and Fun Attractions
Drayton Manor has lots of rides for everyone!
Family Rides
These rides are great for families to enjoy together!
| # | Name | Opened | Manufacturer | What it's like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4D Cinema | 2009 | Simworx | A special cinema where you watch a short film with extra effects like wind and water! In 2021, it showed Thomas & Friends 4-D Bubbling Boilers. |
| 2 | Carousel | 1958 | Savage | A classic merry-go-round ride. You need to be at least 1.1m tall to ride alone. |
| 3 | Dodgems Ahoy! | 1990 | I.E. Park | Bumper cars with a pirate theme! You need to be 1.2m tall and 8 years old with an adult, or 1.45m tall and 12 years old to drive. |
| 4 | Drunken Barrels | 2006 | Intamin | A spinning barrel ride, like teacups, that also lifts and tilts. You need to be at least 1.1m tall. |
| 5 | Flying Dutchman | 1983 | Intamin | A swing ride that lifts you high into the air. You need to be at least 1m tall. |
| 6 | Jolly Buccaneer | 1992 | Mack Rides | A spinning boat with a pirate theme. You need to be at least 1.2m tall to ride alone. |
| 7 | Polperro Express | 1971/2003 | Severn Lamb | A fun train ride that takes you around the park, passing by Splash Canyon and Shockwave. |
| 8 | Sherrif's Showdown | 2000 (became Sheriff's Showdown in 2018) | I.E. Park | An indoor laser shooting game with a wild west theme. You need to be at least 1m tall. |
| 9 | The Haunting | 1996 | Vekoma | A spooky ride that makes you feel like you're in a haunted house. You need to be at least 1.2m tall to ride alone. |
Thrill Rides
Get ready for some adrenaline on these exciting rides!
| # | Name | Opened | Manufacturer | What it's like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accelerator | 2011 (as Ben 10: Ultimate Mission) | Vekoma | A roller coaster that goes up to 62 km/h and reaches 20m high. You need to be at least 1m tall and over 4 years old. If you're under 1.2m, an adult must ride with you. |
| 2 | Air Race | 2014 | Zamperla | An aeroplane ride that spins you upside down! You need to be at least 1.2m tall. |
| 3 | Apocalypse | 2000 | Intamin | A super tall drop tower that drops you 54m! You can choose to sit or stand. You need to be 1.2m tall to sit and 1.4m tall to stand. It was the first stand-up drop tower in the world! |
| 4 | The Buffalo | 1987 | Zamperla | A roller coaster that speeds over the lake. You need to be at least 1m tall to ride alone. |
| 5 | Maelstrom | 2002 | Intamin | A giant swing ride with seats facing outwards. You need to be between 1.3m and 2m tall. |
| 6 | Pandemonium | 2004 | Fabbri | A ride that swings you 360 degrees! You need to be at least 1.4m tall. |
| 7 | Shockwave | 1994 | Intamin | A unique roller coaster where you stand up! It goes up to 85 km/h, is 500m long, and reaches almost 36m high. It has four inversions (where you go upside down!). You need to be at least 1.4m tall. It's the only stand-up roller coaster in Europe with a zero-gravity roll. |
| 8 | Unnamed River Rapids | 2021 (originally Splash Canyon in 1993) | Intamin | A 455m long river rapids ride where you float through water. You need to be at least 0.9m tall with an adult, or 1.1m tall to ride alone. This ride was closed for a while but reopened in April 2021. |
| 9 | Stormforce 10 | 1999 | BEAR GmbH | A water flume ride that's 500m long and has three drops, including a 9m drop backwards! You need to be at least 1.3m tall or 14 years old to ride alone. |
| 10 | The Bounty | 2007 | Intamin | A swinging pirate ship that swings up to a 75-degree angle! You need to be at least 1.2m tall. |
Thomas Land Rides
Step into the world of Thomas the Tank Engine with these fun rides!
| # | Name | Opened | Manufacturer | What it's like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bertie Bus | 2008 | Zamperla | A fun bus ride that moves in crazy ways! |
| 2 | Blue Mountain Engines | 2012 | Zamperla | A junior boat ride. |
| 3 | Captain's Sea Adventure | 2015 | Zamperla | A water ride where you can splash around. |
| 4 | Cranky's Drop Tower | 2008 | Zamperla | A mini drop tower that goes up 8m high! |
| 5 | Diesel's Locomotive Mayhem | 2008 | Zamperla | A bumping car ride with cars shaped like Diesel engines. |
| 6 | Flynn´s Fire Rescue | 2015 | Zamperla | A fire truck ride where you can pretend to be a firefighter. |
| 7 | Harold's Helicopter Tours | 2008 | Zamperla | A helicopter ride that spins you around. |
| 8 | James and the Red Balloon | 2017 | Zamperla | A balloon ride that lifts you up and spins you gently. |
| 9 | Jeremy Jet's Flying Academy | 2008 | Zamperla | A jet ride where you can fly your own plane. |
| 10 | Lady's Carousel | 2008 | Zamperla | A smaller, gentle carousel ride. |
| 11 | Rocking Bulstrode | 2008 | Zamperla | A rocking boat ride. |
| 12 | Sodor Classic Cars | 1972 | Supercar | A car ride that takes you on a tour, now themed like Sodor. |
| 13 | Toby's Tram Express | 2015 | Zamperla | A fun tram ride. |
| 14 | Troublesome Trucks Runaway Rollercoaster | 2008 | Gerstlauer | A junior roller coaster in Thomas Land. You need to be at least 1m tall with an adult, or 1.2m tall to ride alone. |
| 15 | Winston's Whistle-Stop Tours | 2013 | Zamperla | An aerial ride that gives you a view from above. |
| 16 | Thomas, Rosie and Percy Engine Tours | 2008 | Metallbau Emmeln | A train ride with Thomas, Rosie, and Percy! |
| 17 | Terence's Driving School | 2008 | SB International | A driving school ride where kids can drive small cars. |
| 18 | Spencer's Outdoor Adventure | 2008 | Unknown | A fun outdoor play area. |
| 19 | Emily's Adventure Play | 2008 | Unknown | An indoor soft play area for younger kids. |
| 20 | Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition | 2009 | HIT Entertainment | An indoor display of miniature models from the Thomas & Friends TV show. |
Other Cool Attractions
There's even more to explore at Drayton Manor!
| # | Name | Opened | What it's like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryan's Works Museum | 1990 | A large collection of old-fashioned penny slot machines. |
| 2 | Dino Trail | 2010 | Walk through a path with prehistoric dinosaurs! |
| 3 | Crazy Golf | 1992 | A fun mini-golf course. |
| 4 | HB Games | 1950 | A place with lots of arcade games. |
| 5 | Test Track | 2019 | A car attraction for small children, where you pay to ride. |
Drayton Manor Zoo
Drayton Manor is also home to a 15-acre zoo! It has over 100 different kinds of animals from all over the world. It's a great place to learn about wildlife.
Places to Stay
Drayton Manor Hotel
If you want to stay longer, Drayton Manor has its own hotel! It opened in 2009 and has 150 modern rooms. Some rooms are even themed like Thomas & Friends, which is super cool for families visiting the park.
The Camping and Caravanning Club
For those who love camping, there's a special site at Drayton Manor for tents and caravans. It has 90 pitches, glamping tents (fancy camping!), and a playground for kids.
