Sir Hiram Maxims Captive Flying Machine is the oldest amusement park ride in Europe having opened in August 1904.

Designed by Sarner and manufactured by Intamin, Valhalla won "Best Water Ride" at the 2018 Golden Ticket awards, an accolade it has held over a consecutive number of years.

[8] Pleasure Beach was founded in 1896 by Alderman William George Bean after he failed in his attempt to become an advertising man on New York's Madison Avenue.

He returned to the United Kingdom in 1897 and opened two separate amusement parks; one adjacent to Euston Road in Great Yarmouth and another in Blackpool, opposite the tram terminus.

[9] The Great Yarmouth amusement park failed to generate much interest and so Bean moved to Blackpool full-time towards the end of the century.

In 1903, Bean, along with local businessman John Outhwaite, purchased 30 acres of land known as the "Watson Estate" which was used to expand the amusement park in Blackpool.

[10] The original Pleasure Beach was built on the sand dunes along the promenade and consisted of a few roundabouts, a Bicycle Railway and several Gypsy stalls.

Using a small static fairground in London's Earls Court for inspiration, Bean added more rides and sideshows to the Pleasure Beach which began to garner the attention of holidaymakers.

Bean's aim was to establish a fun park of a relative size that would "make adults feel like children again and inspire gaiety of a primarily innocent character.

"[9] The first notable attraction of interest to open at Pleasure Beach was Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine, a rotary swing ride designed by the British inventor of the same name in 1904.

Meanwhile, the Pleasure Beach was developed with frequent large scale investments, including The Velvet Coaster, the House of Nonsense, The Joy Wheel and The Whip.

Opened in 1913, it was designed by local architect, and former Mayor of Blackpool, Alderman Robert Butcher Mather, JP and styled on an Indian palace.

[12] Today the Casino Building features a number of function rooms and offices, and the ground floor space is used as the main ticket centre.

This was Bean's final investment before he died of pneumonia in 1929, having spent 33 years shaping and developing what would become one of the most significant amusement parks in the world.

During this time Thompson hired Joseph Emberton, an award-winning architect who was brought in to redesign the architectural style of the Pleasure Beach rides and buildings.

He spent most of his early working life administering the New Era Laundries in London before returning to the family business as head of catering at the Casino Building.

Geoffrey invested millions of pounds developing the business, carrying forward his father's legacy, which was for the Pleasure Beach to always be at the forefront of global amusement parks.

Under this scheme, the company agreed that, where profits exceeded £1 million, 10 per cent would be distributed among the permanent staff according to their length of service.

[13] In 2000, a recreation of Blackpool Pleasure Beach appeared in the theme park management video game Rollercoaster Tycoon as part of the Loopy Landscapes expansion.

[14][15] Despite his reputation as a leading businessman in the industry, Thompson often found himself in dispute with Blackpool Council over their decision to allow private traders to operate on land opposite the Pleasure Beach.

Geoffrey Thompson died of a heart attack at Blackpool Pleasure Beach on 12 June 2004 while attending a party to celebrate his daughter's wedding.

Amanda had previously risen to prominence as the founder and president of Stageworks Worldwide Productions, which produced numerous stage shows at both the Pleasure Beach and international venues.

This move coincided with the closure of Pleasure Beach's Log Flume, Drench Falls and resulted in the introduction of Infusion, the park's first new roller coaster in 13 years.

[24] On 6 March 2024, The Big One lost its title as the UK's tallest roller coaster, after 30 years, with the completion of Hyperia at Thorpe Park.

The main Ticket Centre can be found on the ground floor of the Casino Building which is situated to the north of the park, along with a large Gift Shop.

Pleasure Beach is the only private company in the United Kingdom not imposed by planning restrictions; however, attractions over 60 meters (200 ft) in height must meet strict regulations set out by the Civil Aviation Authority.

These regulations include the placing of red and white lights at the top of structures and warning signals and beacons to alert airline traffic.

Here are a selection of the awards and nominations received over the last decade: Pleasure Beach is alleged to be haunted by several ghosts and over the years there have been a number of high-profile paranormal investigations held within its grounds.

Other stories involve poltergeist activity in both the gift shop under Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine and The Star pub on Ocean Boulevard.

On 11 August 2009, two trains on The Big Dipper carrying a total of 32 guests collided, resulting in 21 people requiring treatment for injuries ranging from whiplash and broken noses to cut and bruises.