Thorpe Park

Thorpe Park
LocationChertsey and Staines, Surrey, England
Coordinates51°24′17″N 0°30′47″W / 51.40472°N 0.51306°W / 51.40472; -0.51306
StatusOperating
Opened24 May 1979 (1979-05-24)
OwnerLXi REIT[1]
Operated byMerlin Entertainments
General managerNeil Poulter (Divisional Director)
SloganThe Home Of Feel-Good Thrills
Operating seasonTheme Park
March – November
Thorpe Shark Cabins
March – November / December (private events)
Thorpe Park Marquee
March – November / December (private events)
Attendance2023: 1,500,000 (Increase23%)
Area410 acres (1.7 km2; 170 ha) *Total combined area including Lakes and all back of house areas
Attractions
Total27
Roller coasters8
Water rides4
Websitewww.thorpepark.com

Thorpe Park, formerly also known as Thorpe Park Resort, is a theme park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertainments and includes rides, themed cabins, live events and Hyperia, the United Kingdom's tallest and fastest rollercoaster at over 236ft and 129kmph, it also includes Europe's tallest element and the worlds first outer banked airtime hill. In 2019, Thorpe Park was the UK's third most visited theme park (1.9 million visitors), behind Alton Towers and Legoland Windsor.[2] However, in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the park only had a 125-day operation season, along with limited capacity, leading to massively reduced visitor numbers.

After demolition of the Thorpe Park Estate in the 1930s, the site became a gravel pit, but in the early 1970s part of that gravel pit was flooded, creating a unique water-based environment for the park, with the intention of building a leisure attraction on it. Thorpe Park resort was built on that site in 1979, and being partially flooded it allowed visitors to view Thorpe Park as an island. It has since grown into a major theme park in the UK and one of the top 10 theme parks in Europe Major attractions include Tidal Wave, a large water ride; Ghost Train, a dark ride; as well as a number of rollercoasters including Colossus, Nemesis Inferno, Stealth, Saw – The Ride, The Swarm, The Walking Dead: The Ride, and Hyperia.

  1. ^ "Theme Parks Portfolio". LXi REIT Plc. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Amusement and theme park attendance in UK 2020". Statista. Retrieved 30 March 2022.

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