Camelot Theme Park was a resort and

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

located in

Charnock Richard Charnock Richard is a small village and civil parish in the borough of Chorley, Lancashire, in England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 1,748. History The village was named in the early 13th century by the local ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England. The park's theme was the legend of

Camelot Camelot is a legendary castle and Royal court, court associated with King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described ...

, and the park decor incorporated pseudo-

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

elements. It was located on a site owned by The Story Group and was operated by Knights Leisure. The park featured many rides, taking a target audience of families and younger children; however, the park also boasted numerous thrill rides and roller coasters, including Whirlwind (a Maurer Söhne spinning coaster), Knightmare and Excalibur. On 4 November 2012, Knight’s Leisure announced that they would not be reopening for the season of 2013. The site was used for a zombie horror experience attraction Camelot Rises between February and April 2022.

History

The park opened in 1983 and was operating seasonally until the end of 2012.https://parkhallhotel.com/ Park Hall Hotel & Spa The park was based on the story of 'Camelot, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table'. The local area was once covered by

Martin Mere Martin Mere is a Mere (lake), mere near Burscough, in Lancashire, England, on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The mere is a vast marsh, around that was, until it was drained, the largest body of fresh water in England. History Martin Mere ...

, sometimes described as the largest body of fresh water in England, which was first drained in 1692 by Thomas Fleetwood of

Bank Hall Bank Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Bretherton, Lancashire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building and is at the centre of a private estate, surrounded by parkland. The hall was built on the site of an older house in 1608 by the Banastres w ...

Bretherton Bretherton is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England, situated to the south west of Leyland and east of Tarleton. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 669. Its name suggests pre-c ...

. The story was that Sir Lancelot's parents King Ban of Benwick and his queen Elaine escaped to

from their enemies in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Elaine went to help King Ban who had fallen and put Lancelot down on the shore of the lake, where he was abducted by

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

Vivian who vanished into the waters of the lake with him. Vivian brought up Lancelot, and when he went to King Arthur's court, he was knighted as 'Sir Lancelot of the Lake'. Martin Mere has been locally known as the 'Lost Lake of Sir Lancelot' following the myth. In 1986, the park was taken over by the Granada Group and operated by them alongside its now-defunct sister parks American Adventure and

Granada Studios Tour Granada Studios Tour was an entertainment theme park at the Granada Studios complex in Castlefield, Manchester, England, which operated from 1988 to 1999. The park was in the heart of Manchester city centre adjacent to the Granada House buildin ...

. In June 1998, the park was subject to a management buyout, in which the park went to Prime Resorts Ltd. Camelot had seen a downturn in attendance in later years, in 1995, Camelot's attendance was 500,000 visitors throughout the season. The park was featured in a 1994 episode of '' Sooty & Co.'', in which presenter

Matthew Corbett Matthew Corbett (born Peter Graham Corbett on 28 March 1948) is an English former actor, singer, comedian, magician, puppeteer, television presenter, and writer, best known for presenting '' The Sooty Show'' and later '' Sooty and Co''. He is ...

takes

Sooty Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in '' The Sooty ...

Sweep Sweep or swept may refer to: Cleaning * Sweep, the action of using a brush to clean * Chimney sweep, a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys * Street sweeper, a person's occupation, or a machine that cleans streets * Swept quartz, a cle ...

, Soo and Little Cousin Scampi there. The park was also featured in a lengthy sequence in

Michael Winterbottom Michael Winterbottom (born 29 March 1961) is an English film director. He began his career working in British television before moving into features. Three of his films—''Welcome to Sarajevo'', ''Wonderland (1999 film), Wonderland'' and ''24 ...

's 1995 crime drama ''

Butterfly Kiss ''Butterfly Kiss'' (alternative title ''Killer on the Road'') is a 1995 British film, directed by Michael Winterbottom and written by Frank Cottrell Boyce. It stars Amanda Plummer and Saskia Reeves. The film was entered into the 45th Berlin In ...

''. One of the roller coasters could be seen from the M6 near the Charnock Richard Services. However, as of February 2020 said rollercoaster "The Knightmare" has been demolished after SBNO (Standing But Not Operating) for eight years. In 2005, Camelot's attendance was only 336,204 visitors. In August 2006, in a survey of healthy food available at leading tourist attractions in the United Kingdom, Camelot came joint bottom, scoring only one point. In February 2009, Prime Resorts announced that the park was in

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...

, and would not reopen for the 2009 season. The hotel was bought by Lavender Hotels in March 2009, and in April 2009, it was announced that a buyer had been found for the park and that it would reopen in May 2009. The theme park was purchased by Story Group, a construction company based in

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

, and leased to Knight's Leisure who ran the park.

Closure

The closure of the park was announced by its operator, Knights Leisure, on 4 November 2012, the managing director blaming poor summer weather and events such as

London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and the

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

for declining visitor numbers. Some roller coasters were sold, for example, the Whirlwind was relocated to Skyline Park in Germany, but others remained in the abandoned park. The site's future was uncertain, as the new owner was planning to redevelop the site. The then indications were that it would be a

housing development A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex, housing development, subdivision or community) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throug ...

. Research published in 2019 suggested that the site of Park Hall Road in Charnock Richard is projected to be able to fit 6,294 new homes across its 140-acre site. It is reported to have a potential value, in terms of development, of around £790 million.

Future

In August 2014, an application to build 420 houses on the site by owners Story Group was unanimously rejected by Chorley Council, with 261 public objections, as the development was not permissible within the

Green Belt A green belt or greenbelt is a policy, and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wilderness, wild, or agricultural landscape, land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts ...

. In August 2016, a second application to build two hundred houses on the site was announced. In March 2018, plans for 195 homes at the site were scrapped. All planning applications to date (as of January 2022) have been rejected by Chorley Council. Housing on the site has been heavily criticised by the local communities leading to doubt over what the future is for the former theme park. In December 2020, bulldozers were on site, demolishing a number of the structures that were considered unstable, including the iconic white castle entrance. By July 2021, the park had been dismantled and demolished, albeit having been crumbling away and damaged several times by

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

and

vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The t ...

since the park’s closure in 2012. Parts of some of the rides and pieces of the park still stand on the site, though in February 2020, Knightmare, the signature ride at the park, was dismantled after being standing and left in the elements for eight years.

''Camelot Rises''

Between February and April of 2022, the former theme park site was used for a drive-thru zombie-themed horror experience operated by Park N' Party, named ''Camelot Rises.'' Guests would take part in an immersive drive-thru horror experience subsequently watch a horror film at the main entrance while in their cars.

Rides and shows

Rides and attractions

The following rides were operating at the time of the park's closure in 2012.

Roller coasters

Thrill rides

Family rides

Children's rides

Shows

*''Jousting Tournament'' – a live joust performed by Camelot's own Knights, led by an actor playing King Arthur and performed in the Avalon Arena. The park hosted the only full-time jousting arena in the United Kingdom. *''Merlin's Magic Show'' – performed in Merlin's castle, this show demonstrated 'Merlin's magical skills'. *''Merlin's School of Wizardry'' – performed in Merlin's castle, Merlin's School of Wizardry taught some of Merlin's magic to the audience. *''Birds of Prey Show'' – performed daily in the Avalon Arena, featuring an

African fish eagle The African fish eagle (''Icthyophaga vocifer'') or the African sea eagle is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply occur. It is the national bird of Malawi, ...

Other defunct attractions

Past rides

Past shows

*''Cats of the Round Table'' – an animatronic show that was near the front of the park. *''

and the Dragon'' – a puppet show to do with a popular puppet.

Accidents

*On 22 October 2001, Harry Mathews, a park employee, was struck by ''The Gauntlet'' roller coaster and was killed whilst repairing the tracks. The park was fined £40,000, and charged £20,000 in costs in September 2003, as it had no written safety procedures for its staff. *On 23 August 2011, a twelve-year-old boy fell 30 ft from the ''Excalibur 2'' ride. He survived but suffered serious injuries.

References

External links

www.camelotthemepark.co.uk
- Camelot Theme Park Official Website via the Web Archive, captured on 20 September 2012. The site had gone blank by the next capture on 6 December, and by 23 March 2013 had expired. It has now been taken by a coaster blogger. {{Borough of Chorley buildings Defunct amusement parks in England 1983 establishments in England Buildings and structures in the Borough of Chorley 2012 disestablishments in England Amusement parks opened in 1983 Amusement parks closed in 2012 Cultural depictions of Arthurian legend Modern ruins