Chessington History 1989

1989 was fairly big year for the park, first with the introduction of a new thrill ride The Juggler, a Huss Break-dance located in Circus World. At first it was thought this was added in 1990 but in fact arrived at the park in 1989. On the map it was a replacement for the Clown Town play area however the graphics were never changed. The ride itself does appear on the listings for the park.

In addition the Bird Gardens were moved across the park close to the South entrance where they stayed until removal completely. This was due to some information released on the new project and it was going to be the biggest seen at the park to date, with the “World’s most impressive hanging roller coaster” opening in 1990. “Dare you ride the Vampire?” gave people a small hint as to what the area was going to be, although this was not to be confirmed during the 1989 season. The new area would be not in a part of the park already in use, so nothing would be lost in 1989 or 1990 when it opened.

The park was on a high in 1989, a real noticeable change being the painting of the Dragon River dragon which was just unpainted concrete during the 1987 and 1988 seasons. Smugglers Cove was also born with just Smugglers Galleon.

Adverts started to appear in the 1989 season for the new hanging (suspended) roller coaster coming in 1990. To be honest, the advert below was the only information given on the ride and with the “?!!” after Vampire many were unsure about what the ride would be like, giving the impression maybe it would be more for families than thrill seekers. However it’s classed now back then it was one of the most intense coasters in the UK with a theme unseen anywhere!