Gulliver's World is a theme park located in Warrington, England, loosely based on the world of Lilliput from Gulliver's Travels. It consists of the themed areas Land, Gully Town, and Safari Kingdom. The park's attractions were designed for children between the ages of 2 and 13. Splash Zone and Blast Arena are two indoor attractions located next to the main theme park. A hotel opened on the site in 2012.
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| Location | Gulliver's World Resort, Warrington, Cheshire, England |
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| Coordinates | 53°24′22″N 2°37′05″W / 53.406°N 2.618°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 1989 |
| Operated by | Gulliver's Theme Parks |
| Slogan | Giant Adventures for Families |
| Operating season | Selected dates across the year |
| Website | www |
Gulliver's World has sister parks at Matlock Bath (Gulliver's Kingdom), Milton Keynes (Gulliver's Land) and Rotherham (Gulliver's Valley).
History
editGulliver's World was opened in 1989 and is the second Gulliver's theme park to be built in the UK, with the first being Gulliver's Kingdom located in Matlock Bath. The park has expanded since then with additional attractions, bigger rides and with the opening of The Gulliver's Hotel to provide short breaks. Gulliver's have focused specifically on families with younger children across their four theme parks.
Significant rides at the park include The Antelope, Desperado drop and Apache Falls. Play areas are provided both indoors and outdoors for younger children.
In 2002 the indie rock band The Strokes visited the park and rode on a number of attractions. Footage from their day at the park was included in their 2004 tour film The Strokes: In Transit.[1][2]
Incidents
editOn 13 July 2002, a 15-year-old girl with Down's syndrome fell 30 feet (9 m) from a Ferris wheel. She was taken to hospital, and died two days later from her injuries.[3] The park were fined a total of £80,000 for failing to ensure a person's safety, and not carrying out risk assessments.[4]
On 15 September 2018, The Crazy Train rollercoaster broke down after 2 wheels fell off during the ride, leaving 21 people trapped on the ride 50 feet above the ground for three hours. No one was injured.[5]
Rides and attractions
editGulliver's World has many rides.
Roller Coasters
edit
| Name | Year | Operational Status | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antelope | 1995 | Operating | Allott and Lomax | A Figure Eight Wooden Coaster. |
| Wriggler | 2013 | Operating | Pinfari | Standard Wacky Worm-type coaster. It was relocated from Camelot Theme Park after its closure, where it was known as Caterpillar Capers. |
| Grand Prix Racers | 2023 | Operating | SBF Visa Group | A family roller-coaster in the new "Gears" area. |
Water Rides
edit
| Name | Opened | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adventure Canyon | 2001 | Gulliver's | Lazy River-style boat ride. |
| Alpine Log Flume | 1989 | Big Country Motioneering | A Log Flume. |
| Apache Falls | 2016 | Gulliver's | A River Rapids ride. |
| Togo Tower | 2017 | Gulliver's | A set of Dinghy Waterslides. |
Tracked Rides
edit| Name | Opened | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dino Safari Tours | 2003 | Zamperla | Tracked convoy ride with a Dinosaur theme. |
| Gilly's Princess Ride | 2014 | Gulliver's | A tracked dark ride. |
| Gully Grand Prix | 2013 | Gulliver's | Racing themed dark ride. |
| Gulliver's Railroad | 1989 | Big Country Motioneering | Narrow Gauge Railway. |
| Temple Raider | 2000 | I.E. Park | Temple themed Dark Ride. |
| Tractor Ride | 2007 | SBF Visa Group | Tractor themed track ride. |
| Veteran Cars | 1989 | SBF Visa Group / Supercar Leisure | A Classic Car ride. |
Flat/Other Rides
edit| Name | Opened | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgems | 1989 | Soli | Standard Bumper Cars ride. |
| Flight of the Pteranodon | 2003 | Zamperla | Kite Flyer ride. |
| Galleons | 1989 | Modern Products | Roundabout ride. |
| Hatchery | 2000's | Mozer Rides | A Crazy Daisy ride. |
| Ladybird Ride | 1990s | Modern Products | A ladybird-themed Roundabout ride. |
| Mad Hatter's Tea Party | 1993 | I.E. Park | Standard Teacups attraction. |
| Pirate Ship | 1995 | Zamperla | Standard Pirate Ship attraction. |
| Pirate's Cove | 2011 | Zamperla | Pirate themed Disk'O ride. |
| Safari Swings | 2006 | SBF Visa Group | Standard Chair-O-Plane ride. |
| Toy-town Ride | 1993 | Gulliver's | animals that go in circles |
Former
edit| Name | Opened | Closed | Manufacturer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aladdin's Circus Ride | 2002 | 2011 | Sartori | A Junior Railway. |
| Balloon Ride | 1996 | 2016 | SBF Visa Group | A Balloon-themed Ferris Wheel. |
| Barrel Ride | 1992 | 2017 | Gulliver's | Junior Teacups ride. Was relocated to Gulliver's Valley in preparation for its 2020 opening following removal. |
| Chair-O-Plane | 1995 | N/A | SBF Visa Group | Standard Chair-O-Plane ride. Has gone through various owners in the UK fairground circuit since then. |
| Crazy Train | 2015 | 2018 | Pinfari | Sit Down Coaster. It was purchased from Codona's Amusement Park in 2015 and was completely dismantled for the 2019 season following an incident. The park later sold the coaster to Pleasureland Southport for the 2021 season. |
| Cycle Monorail | 1994 | 2009 | Sharand Engineering | Standard Cycle Monorail ride. Was scrapped following its removal. |
| Fire Brigade | 2007 | 2014 | Zamperla | Standard Fire Brigade ride. Placed in Storage following its removal and was later relocated to Gulliver's Valley in preparation for its 2020 opening. |
| Flying Elephants | 2002 | 2013 | I.E. Park | Standard Flying Elephants ride. Placed in Storage following its removal and was later relocated to Gulliver's Valley in preparation for its 2020 opening. |
| Giant Slide | 1990 | 2006 | Harry Steer Engineering | Standard Slide ride. Was scrapped following removal. |
| Leonard's Flying Raft | 2003 | 2019 | Zamperla | A Junior Miami ride. Was relocated to Gulliver's Valley in preparation for its 2020 opening. |
| Joker | 2007 | 2021 | Moser Rides | A Junior Drop Tower. Sold to Blackgang Chine and relocated to the park for the 2022 season. |
| Music Express | N/A | 2013 | SBF Visa Group | Roundabout ride. Placed in Storage following its removal and was later relocated to Gulliver's Valley in preparation for its 2020 opening. |
| Runaway Mine Carts | 2006 | 2019 | Zamperla | Mini Wild Mouse ride, similar to its bigger alternative Wild Mine Ride. Was relocated to Gulliver's Valley in preparation for its 2020 opening. |
| Runaway Train | 1989 | 2003 | Big Country Motioneering | Small Family Coaster. It was soon sold to private owners who sat the coaster at Tir Prince Fun Park for the 2004 season, and later travelled through the Asian fairground circuit before returning to the UK at Billing Aquadrome since 2013. |
| Runaway Mine Train | 2004 | 2005 | Zamperla | Steel Family Coaster with theming. It was sold to The American Adventure Theme Park for the 2006 season and following the park's closure it was sold to Flamingo Land in 2007. |
| Wild Mine Ride | 1999 | 2015 | L&T Systems | Wild Mouse Coaster with minecart cars. Sold to Funland Hayling Island for the 2016 season. |
The Gulliver's Hotel Warrington
editOpened in 2012, the Gulliver's Hotel forms part of Gulliver's World Resort. Accommodation is primarily designed for families, with relevant facilities and attractions nearby. Accommodation types include:
- Themed Family Suites
- Executive Suites
- Accessible Accommodation
- Interconnecting rooms
Themed rooms include the Swizzels Sweetie Suite and NERF Zone Suite.
Designed around a woodland theme, selected suites have a balcony area and all have en-suite facilities.
Splash Zone
editGulliver's World has expanded to include additional indoor attractions that are available throughout the year. Splash Zone is their first major indoor venue on the site, consisting of multiple water based features such as slides and sprays. There are sessions on selected term time dates that are just for pre-school children. These 'Splash Tots' sessions have been introduced in recent years due to the high demand from parents with toddlers.
In summer 2017 Splash Zone was relaunched with 6 additional waterslides.
In 2020 the Splash Zone was closed due to the pandemic. The Splash Zone has remained closed throughout the 2020 season and has not re-opened since 2020.
The Splash Zone building remains on the site as of 2024. The waterslides and splash areas are still housed inside the building. There is still logos and branding placed around the Splash Zone building.
Blast Arena
editDesigned for children aged 6 and over, this indoor attraction has been a popular choice for birthday parties and group visits in Warrington. The Blast Arena provides participants with a chance to gain experience in the target range and then enter the main NERF Arena. NERF Blasters, goggles and target vest are provided for each session. There are two more NERF Zone venues operated by Gulliver's Theme Parks, they are located at Gulliver's Land Resort and Gulliver's Kingdom Resort.
RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre
editThe Gulliver's World site was once part of the RAF Burtonwood air base. The official RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre was established and built on the theme park so that visitors could explore the history of the site in further detail. The centre features various collections including RAF memorabilia alongside numerous displays.
References
edit- ^ The Strokes: In Transit (Video 2004) ⭐ 8.2 | Documentary, Short. Retrieved 10 July 2024 – via m.imdb.com.
- ^ Alex Turner (30 December 2016). The Strokes - In Transit. Retrieved 10 July 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Girl Dies after Fairground Fall". BBC. 15 July 2002. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
- ^ "Fine For Safety Breach Theme Park". BBC. 22 November 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ "Gulliver's World: 21 trapped on rollercoaster". BBC News. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
