This UK theme park was packed with visitors during its heyday (Image: Matthew Holmes / SWNS)
There was once a time when a beloved UK theme park, with a colossal 1,000ft roller coaster, welcomed in 2.5 million visitors every year.
But after operating for 29 years, it closed its doors forever and was left abandoned, as cherished memories of its heyday slipped away.
The Camelot Theme Park in Lancashire became immensely popular after it opened in 1983 and spanned 140 acres. Inspired by King Arthur’s Camelot, thousands of guests were welcomed through its iconic white castle gateway to immerse themselves in the pseudo-medieval theme park owned by Park Hall Leisure.
There were jousting shows for a journey into the past, alongside thrilling rides and attractions. Some of its more memorable attractions included Whirlwind, Excalibur, Gauntlet, Dragon Heights, Pendragon’s Plunge, The Galleon and Formula-K Go-Karts.
Camelot Theme Park in Lancashire opened in 1983 (Image: UNKNOWN)
But Camelot’s most legendary ride was the colossal 1,000ft roller coaster, The Knightmare, which launched in 2006. It reportedly cost a whopping £3 million to build and quickly became a favourite among fans who wanted to experience the hair-raising twists and turns, including a near-vertical bend that was dubbed ‘the psycho drop’.
The theme park was also home to The Twister log flume and three substantial water slides. There was also a large caterpillar roller coaster train, which many might remember, stretched across the entire length and breadth of the park.
By the late 1980s, Camelot had been bought out by Granada and was in its prime, welcoming a staggering 2.5 million visitors a year. But the glory days started to dwindle as visitor numbers fell to around 500,000 a year in 1995.
The theme park buildings have been covered with graffiti as it lies derelict (Image: Matthew Holmes / SWNS)
The theme park was later sold to Prime Resorts Limited, which introduced new rides, including Excalibur 2, Whirlwind, and Knightmare. However, visitor numbers continued to decrease. By 2000, they were welcoming 400,000 people a year, but by 2009, that number had dropped below 300,000.
Sadly, the once-thriving park closed permanently in 2012, with numerous attractions sold to venues across Europe. Yet large parts of the medieval theme park lie derelict there to this day, including its celebrated Knightmare ride, with buildings covered in graffiti, rusting roller coasters, and eerie remnants of once fun-packed days out.
Urban explorer Matthew Holmes visited the abandoned site back in 2017 and revealed: “I went to the theme park when I was 13 years old, and most adults have been. I thought, let’s go have a look and see what’s there.
There are rusting roller coasters at the park today (Image: Matthew Holmes / SWNS)
“I went inside, and instantly all these memories came back from when I was a child. It was quite sad to walk around, it is very dilapidated. All that excitement and fun to be replaced by empty space. It’s frozen in time. All these rides are still there.”
There have been previous plans to demolish the theme park, but it remained untouched. More recently, plans were outlined to destroy the theme park and build a 350-home village, but this is yet to be approved.
For now, it remains derelict and has occasionally held the odd event, such as a live-action zombie horror experience. Nevertheless, the fond memories of Camelot will live on, in one way or another.
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