Loudoun Castle
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Loudoun Castle is a popular theme park set around the ruins of a 19th century castle near Galston, in the Loudoun area of Southwest Scotland.
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[edit] Park information
The park was opened in 1995 by a company based in London and has since been through the hands of showman Raymond Codona to its current owner, Henk Bembom's Parkware Ltd.
Bembom took over the park in 2002 and invested £5m during his first year there, followed by an additional £2m in the second.[1] He has continued to bring new rides and attractions to the park every year since, including another £2m worth of investment in 2007.[2]
In winter 2006, Parkware moved all their operations and ride stock to Loudoun from their previous storage buildings in Margate.
[edit] Mascot
From the beginning, the parks mascot has been Rory the Lion, though he has been redesigned since then to become more cuddly. Rory can often be seen walking around the park greeting guests and also features in Loudoun's logo.
[edit] Rides
Loudoun Castle has three roller coasters;
- Twist N' Shout - a classic looping Schwarzkopf Silverarrow
- The Rat - a Maurer Söhne Wild Mouse
- Wacky Worm - a junior coaster by I.E. Park
Also in the park are various thrill rides including;
- Barnstormer - A 140 foot tall shot-and-drop tower built by S&S Power
- Loggers Leap - Loudoun's original log flume
- Black Pearl - an inverting Pirate ship
- The Captains Wheel - an Enterprise ride
- The Plough - the largest Chair-O-Planes ride in the world
- The Crow's Nest - a HUSS Troika
- The Milk Churn - a HUSS Round-Up ride
- HMS Flora McDougal - a HUSS Swinging Ship ride
The park also has many gentler rides, more suited to younger children.
[edit] Live shows
Several shows take place during the day at Loudoun. These include;
- Rory and Friends - where children can sing, dance and play with the park mascot.
- Birds of Prey - featuring educational talks and displays of falconry. (since about 2002)
- Big Top Theatre - which features clowns, acrobats and magic shows. (since 2006)
[edit] Barnstormer
On 25 October 2006, the fansite Loudoun Castle Vaults confirmed[3] that Loudoun Castle would be installing an S&S Power Double Shot tower. The ride was re-located from the defunct Pleasureland Southport to the Dougal McDougal's Farm area of Loudoun, where it was refurbished, given a barn theme and named "Barnstormer".[4]
The ride was officially opened on the 23rd of May by The MacDonald Brothers.
[edit] Trivia
- Chris Sawyer, the creator of the hugely popular RollerCoaster Tycoon series, visited Loudoun for inspiration when designing the games rides. Several rides similar to those at Loudoun can be seen within the game.[5]
- A few of the rides at Loudoun Castle can be seen in the Only Fools and Horses episode Jolly Boys Outing on the Trotters visit to Bembom Brother's theme park in Margate. The rides were transferred from Margate to Loudoun when Henk Bembom moved on.
- Twist N' Shout's trains were given a "mine train" theme for the 2007 season. The new style train is reminiscent of that of Loudoun's former looping coaster, the Thunderloop Express.
[edit] Incidents
- On the 15th July 2007 18 year old ride operator Mark Blackwood died after falling 60' from a rollercoaster he was pushing in the park. He was taken to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock for treatment but subsequently died there on Monday the 16th of July 2007. Henk Bembom, director of Loudoun Castle Theme Park, said: "We are all devastated and extremely distressed and our thoughts are with our colleague and his family at this time. An investigation has started by Health and Safety. The ride concerned was in a good operating condition."[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Fairground attraction; Darran Gardner takes a white-knuckle ride with Henk Bembom. Sunday Herald.
- ^ Loudoun Castle Vaults Forum (scanned image attached from local paper). Kilmarnock Standard.
- ^ Major new ride in 2007!. Loudoun Castle Vaults.
- ^ Photo update on new ride!. Loudoun Castle Vaults.
- ^ Achtergrond: interview met Chris Sawyer. ThemePark Vision.
- ^ Man dies after rollercoaster fall. BBC News.
[edit] External links
- Loudoun Castle (official site)
- Loudoun Castle Vaults (unofficial site)
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