Seaside dream
Margate’s fortunes have moved in rollercoaster fashion, with giddy peaks and dramatic plunges, so it’s only ftting that the latest attraction in its post-Noughties upswing is a revitalised fairground. Dreamland was a fxture of this Kentish seaside town from 1921 until the early 21st century, and after an 11-year campaign to rescue the park, it is opening its gates again. Centre stage goes to the Scenic Railway – the oldest rollercoaster in the UK and the frst to win listed status. It’s joined by 16 other rides, from the Hurricane Jets of the Dan Dare era, to a 1970s Chair-o-Plane, along with arcades, fsh and chips, roller disco, ice cream cones, and anything else that might break the seaside holiday nostalgia-metre like a strongman landing a winning hammer swing on a high striker.
4 Dreamland Margate in its halcyon days – now set to be revived