Another set of photographs of people captured on Blackpool Pleasure Beach. This time the photographs date from 1978 through to 1988.
Before Ocean Boulevard got in the way, this is a family enjoying the aftermath of the first dip on the Log Flume. The log carriage has just left the safety rail from the dip and the water is foaming as they start to float again. They look as though they enjoyed it, don't they?
The Derby Racer. Forget the coasters and Wild Mouse, I always thought this was one of the true white knuckle rides of the Pleasure Beach. If you are on a horse on the outside edge then, believe me, your knuckles are going to be white with the strain of hanging on against the centrifugal force!
One of the Grand National coaster trains rounds the initial curve after leaving the station. This photograph won a prize in a competition of a regional magazine and set me off on a few years of freelancing photographs to magazines.
I always thought the Tokaydo Express was a bruiser of a ride without being actually all that exciting, but I know that others remember this ride with much more affection.
The soft toy stall on the southern half of the Pleasure Beach in 1981. This side of the Pleasure Beach was still developing at the time. It had been primarily the part of the Pleasure Beach aimed at younger visitors and to some extent remained so, but at this time the Revolution and Steeplechase rides had been built and there were many temporary rides such as were to be found on travelling fairgrounds. In the 1960s there had been a Crazy Golf course on this part of the park. The young lady is standing in a giant orange with a segment cut out!
Punk had come in the mid to late 70s and still lingered but New Wave was the latest thing and these two were ringers for the Human League and Chrissie Hynde!
Punk, after all, had its limitations - she'll never get that hat on...
A lovely photo - I had no idea who would come down the slope of the Helter Skelter, but whoever it was would not have time to see me and react to anything but the joy of the ride!
A leather-jacketed balloon seller with another new phenomena of the time - metallic-effect balloons! By heck, the world was progressing and fast!
I'll finish with this shot from 1988. It shows people on the southern half of the park starting to climb the ramp that takes them to the bridge over Watson Road. The Space Invader ride on the left had opened in 1984. Opposite are a number of retail outlets in stalls under the arches. The Cableway was opened in 1960 and was the first method of crossing between the north and south halves without having to cross Watson Road which dissected the Pleasure Beach. The road was bridged in 1966 and the Cableway lasted until 2000. It afforded some great views of the park for riders and it seems a shame that it was not refurbished or replaced by something similar.
Did anyone manage to spot themselves? No.3 in this series will be in glorious colour, so if you didn't see yourself this time, maybe it's because you refused to show your face to mere black and white film!
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