A once thriving attraction on a popular stretch of UK coastline stands frozen in time after its owners were unable to keep it profitable, as these eerie images show
Back in its heyday, Ocean Beach was filled with revellers enjoying rides including a merry-go-round, bumper cars and spinning tea cups. By contrast today, the seaside amusement haven sits eerily silent.
The theme park in Rhyl, Wales, was a pioneer back in its prime in the ’70s and ’80s, boasting Britain’s first ever tubular steel roller coaster with the famous Pepsi-Cola loop. First established at Marine Lake in the 1890s, the park had proved so popular it was moved to a bigger location on the west end of the promenade in 1954.
Thousands of visitors flocked to Ocean Beach for thrills and spills including a 1950s ghost train, a 1930s vintage toy set and the famous Jet Stream steel coaster. The park boasted the world’s last surviving circular water chute too and offered panoramic views of neighbouring coastal cities.
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It wasn’t all fun and games however – in July 2005, five people were injured when a rollercoaster left its tracks at the park. A car on the coaster was at ground level when it was hit by the car behind it and knocked off the rails.
This was the “first accident in 40 years” reported at Ocean Beach, which prided itself on having a good safety record. But just two years later, with numbers visiting the park having significantly decreased in modern times, it closed for good after failing to secure an investment for new rides.
The people behind Ocean Beach had found it too expensive to maintain and run its existing attractions and with that, the treasure trove of memories for people who grew up in the area had gone.
At the time, Rhyl Amusements chief executive Harold Robinson, who first worked at the fair aged 12, told North Wales Live: “I have spent all my working life here and it is a very sad thing, not just for me, but for everyone really.
“The funfair was very busy in the 1960s. There were coaches and people coming in from all over the country on trains.
“But business has dropped off in recent years because people;s holiday habits are changing. Funfairs at resorts are becoming non-viable. The cost of keeping rides maintained is too high and footfall is dropping off. I think closing it is the right thing to do for the town.”
Today, Ocean Beach sits abandoned, with most rides left derelict. Pictures show formerly much-loved rollercoasters still standing proudly against the coastal backdrop, despite not having been ridden for decades.
Various redevelopment plans have been announced for the site since its closure in 2007 but as yet, nothing has come to fruition.
