Visited with @The Stig
After a long weekend in Wales thought we would have a rest stop and explore on the way home,
Camelot opened in 1983 and operated seasonally up until 2012. The park based itself on the story of 'Camelot, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table'. The Granada group purchased the park in 1986, operating it alongside its now defunct sister parks American Adventure and Granda Studios Tour. In June 1998 the park was subject to a management buyout in which the park went to Prime Resorts Ltd. Camelot saw a downturn in attendance in the years that followed. In 1995, Camelot's attendance was 500,000 visitors throughout the season. A decade later its attendance was down to 336,204 visitors.
In a 2006 survey of healthy food available at leading tourist attractions in the UK, Camelot came joint bottom scoring only one point. In February 2009, Prime Resorts announced that Camelot was in receivership and would not be reopening for the 2009 season. The park’s hotel was bought by Lavender Hotels in March 2009, and in April 2009, it was announced that a buyer had been found for the park and that it would reopen in May 2009. Camelot was purchased by Story Group, a construction company based in Carlisle and leased to Knight's Leisure who ran the park.
The closure of the park was announced by its operator, Knights Leisure, in November 2012, the managing director blaming poor summer weather and events such as London 2012 and the Queen's Jubilee for declining visitor numbers. Shortly afterwards, some rollercoasters were sold (for example Whirlwind bought by the German "Skyline Park"), while others rust in the abandoned park. An application to build 420 houses on the site by owners Story Group was unanimously rejected by Chorley Council in August 2014 as the development was not permissible within the Green Belt.
After a long weekend in Wales thought we would have a rest stop and explore on the way home,
Camelot opened in 1983 and operated seasonally up until 2012. The park based itself on the story of 'Camelot, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table'. The Granada group purchased the park in 1986, operating it alongside its now defunct sister parks American Adventure and Granda Studios Tour. In June 1998 the park was subject to a management buyout in which the park went to Prime Resorts Ltd. Camelot saw a downturn in attendance in the years that followed. In 1995, Camelot's attendance was 500,000 visitors throughout the season. A decade later its attendance was down to 336,204 visitors.
In a 2006 survey of healthy food available at leading tourist attractions in the UK, Camelot came joint bottom scoring only one point. In February 2009, Prime Resorts announced that Camelot was in receivership and would not be reopening for the 2009 season. The park’s hotel was bought by Lavender Hotels in March 2009, and in April 2009, it was announced that a buyer had been found for the park and that it would reopen in May 2009. Camelot was purchased by Story Group, a construction company based in Carlisle and leased to Knight's Leisure who ran the park.
The closure of the park was announced by its operator, Knights Leisure, in November 2012, the managing director blaming poor summer weather and events such as London 2012 and the Queen's Jubilee for declining visitor numbers. Shortly afterwards, some rollercoasters were sold (for example Whirlwind bought by the German "Skyline Park"), while others rust in the abandoned park. An application to build 420 houses on the site by owners Story Group was unanimously rejected by Chorley Council in August 2014 as the development was not permissible within the Green Belt.
