Dreamland

MARGATE, KENT
REOPENED JUNE 2015

Considered to be the oldest-surviving amusement park in Britain, Dreamland is based on a traditional English seaside funfair and is located in Margate, Kent. In 2015, after a year of regenerative development, Dreamland Margate was reopened to the public.

OUR ROLE

Greenway Associates were commissioned by The Dreamland Trust in 2014, to work alongside designers Hemmingway Design and Ray Hole Architects to deliver a new visitor attraction from cost planning, through procurement to completion in June 2015. James Denby was our project lead.

THE PROJECT

Dreamland has been one of the UK’s best-loved amusement parks for a century. The seaside park hosted a zoo, miniature railway, WWII troops, and big bands like the The Who and the Rolling Stones.  The town and park's popularity waned in the 1970s and 1980s as more Brits chose to holiday abroad, and Dreamland feel into disrepair and then suffered a fire. However, when a plan to close the park triggered a 'Save Dreamland' campaign by locals and amusement park enthusiasts, they successfully secured £18m in public funding to restore Dreamland.

Dreamland was reopened in 2015 featuring its restored Grade II listed Scenic Railway, its Grade II listed cinema complex and its Grade II-listed menagerie cages, along with 25 rides, the Roller Disco Room, the original 1930s Cinque Ports seafront pub, Ziggy’s Rooftop Bar and a large outdoor event space and food court.

PROJECT CHALLENGES & ACHIEVEMENTS

Many of the rides had already been procured and restored prior to our involvement in February 2015 but the infrastructure was missing. Working closely with the client and design team we set to appoint a D&B contractor under a two stage form of procurement to develop the design and install to a very tight deadline and opening in June of the same year.

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THE LINE UP

Client: The Dreamland Trust
Designer: Hemmingway Design
Architect: Ray Hole Architects
QS: Greenway Associates
Value: £18m
Completed: June 2015