After over 100 years, Britain’s oldest rollercoaster is closing for good

In heartbreaking news for Britain’s adrenaline junkies, one of the nation’s most storied rollercoasters has shut. The legendary Scenic Railway, of Margate’s Dreamland, appears to have pleased its last thrill-seekers.

The ride’s operator waved goodbye to the Scenic Railway in an announcement on Tuesday (January 27), saying the nation’s oldest ride would ‘take well-earned retirement’. The Kentish attraction had been in operation for more than a century, having opened in 1920.

The ’coaster lived through a World War and survived accidental fires in 1949 and 1957, plus an arson attack (yes, really) in 2008. A restoration of the Grade II* listed rollercoaster was completed as recently as 2015 during a wider £18 million revamp of Dreamland, which had been closed for a decade prior.

However, a fault discovered in 2024 has left the big dipper out of action for over a year, apparently leading to a decision to shut it down permanently.

A statement from the seaside amusement park said that ‘after 100+ years, the ride has come to the end of its current life’, despite an ‘extensive process of consultations and inspections’.

Not everyone has taken the news well. Local councilor Helen Whitehead has written an urgent appeal to the culture secretary to save the ride, stressing the Scenic Railway’s ‘international importance’.

So is there still hope for the old girl yet? Well, Dreamland is planning a pop-up exhibition on the ride’s history later this year and wants to reinvent the attraction ‘for people to enjoy in a different way’. Planning permission and listed building consent, including consultation from Historic England, are required for any alterations or change of use to a listed structure in the UK.

You could even become part of the vintage rollercoaster’s future. The park posted surveys on its social media asking for suggestions on how it can repurpose the ride. A fancy light display perhaps? Or an open air museum? 

Did you see that Agatha Christie’s old British seaside cinema is getting a second life?

Plus: one of Northern Ireland’s greatest museums is getting a £50 million revamp.

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