History of the Park

	1790	Estate, including a Georgian House, is purchased by Sir Robert Peel.
	1830	The building of the new Drayton Manor house begins. It would take five years to complete.
	1843	Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visit the estate.
	1884	The Peel Estate, which had expanded to over 10,000 acres, is split up to pay off debts.
	1926	Drayton Manor is sold to Mr King of Aberdeen for £6,780 who demolished the house. Only the clock tower was left standing.
	1939-45	Drayton Manor is used as an army base
	1949	The estate is purchased by Mr & Mrs George Bryan for around £6,000. 16th October – arrive on site and work to create Drayton Manor Park also begins.
	1950	Easter – Drayton Manor Park opened with one restaurant, a tea room, three hand operated rides, six rowing boats and some dodgems.
	1954	A small zoo is opened by Mrs Molly Badham, who later opened Twycross Zoo.
	1959	Mr J Shipley introduced more rides and side shows as a concession.
	1960	The Tower Ballroom was opened.
	1964	The Chairlift was built at a cost of £27,000 across 1/2 mile of water.
	1966	A new larger zoo is built covering 15 acres.
	1971	Drayton Queen Paddle Steamer is launched.
	1976	Dinosaurland was built with 29 life size models on display.
	1981	Roller coaster and log flume installed.
	1982-1992	Between £500,000 to £1m is invested yearly on installing new rides. In 1990 the Pirate Adventure was built at a cost of £3 million. The park also celebrated its anniversary.
	1993	Splash Canyon is opened after six months work at a cost of £3 million.
	1994	Shockwave, the only stand up coaster in Europe is installed.
	1995	The Python roller coaster is replaced with the Klondike Old Mine ride.
	1996	The Haunting, a haunted house, opened at a cost of £1 million.
	1998	Seven new children’s rides are introduced to Robinson’s Children’s Corner, including Frog Hopper, Mini Balloons and the Whirly Copter Wheel.
	1999	Stormforce 10 is opened at a cost of £2 million.
	2000	Apocalypse, the world’s first stand-up drop ride is opened, along with the Golden Nuggets Wild West Shoot-Out and the Popeye Stage Show, at a combined cost of almost £3 million.
	2002	Maelstrom, the thrilling gyro swing, which soars to a height of over 22 metres and revolves at up to 120 degrees, is launched.
	2003	Excalibur, a dragon’s tale is opened. This is a journey through a medieval town in the company of a mighty, but normally friendly, dragon, who is chased by a gang of knights.
	2004	Jolly Roger, a new family ride opened during the Easter holiday. This is a boat ride with a difference, which joins the Jolly Buccaneer and Pirate Adventure, in the Pirate cove area. Pandemonium is launched on 29th June, a new £1million ride which sends the world upside down for 64 thrill-seekers, when sat on two 32-seater platforms, riders are sent soaring as high as 24.7 metres into the sky. In 2004 George Bryan received an OBE.
	2005	G Force is opened by G4 on 26th July. The new £3 million roller coaster features a revolutionary new hip restraint system, leaving passengers dangling totally free to experience the ride of a lifetime.
	2007	The Bounty is launched and quickly becomes a favourite with thrill seekers.
	2008	Opening of Thomas Land™. Set within three acres of the existing park, Europe’s first and only Thomas Land features 12 themed rides, an indoor play arena, café, an outdoor play area, as well a huge shop where visitors can choose from a massive range of Thomas & Friends goodies.
	2009	Curtains rise for the sensational 152-seat 4D Cinema. This new £1m attraction uses the latest in technology and film content to ensure the ultimate cinema experience. It allows the audience to watch a movie in 3D whilst seated in chairs that react to scenes in the film by moving up and down, releasing bursts of air, bubbles and various smells. The unique Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition, featuring the original model sets from the highly acclaimed TV series, unveiled in Thomas Land. The exhibition has been painstakingly recreated using original sets from the TV series filmed at Shepperton Studios.
	2010	Marks Drayton Manor’s 60th Anniversary year. Premier of the Oscar-winning animation, Happy Feet in the 4D Cinema. This specially adapted 12-minute film tells the tale of penguin Mumble, who bravely tries to save his friends from starvation after humans steal their supply of fish. New Dino Trail that has near-life size models of dinosaurs, including the likes of Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Brachiosaurus, Iguanodon and Stegosaurus. Building work begins on the Drayton Manor Park Hotel.