Described as the heartbeat of Margate, Dreamland was one of the UK’s best-loved amusement parks and at one time listed within the UK’s top ten visitor attractions. Comprising 16-acres, the park included a zoo, miniature railway, 2200- seat purpose built Cinema, cafés, restaurants, bars, retail and a 2000-capacity ballroom playing host to The Who, The Yardbirds, the Rolling Stones, T. Rex and Hawkwind to name but a few... Considered to be the oldest-surviving amusement park in Great Britain, the site of Dreamland (as it was re-named in 1920) dates back to the British railway boom of the early 1870s when, in its original form, the ‘Hall by the Sea’ was operated by the famous circus impresario, ‘Lord’ George Sanger. Fast forward to 2003, when a plan to close the park and build housing on the site triggered a 'Save Dreamland' campaign by locals and amusement park enthusiasts, whose successful campaigning led to securing £18m public funding to restore Dreamland and its jewels: the Grade II*-listed Scenic Railway, Grade II*-listed cinema complex and Grade II-listed menagerie cages. In a bold move, Thanet District Council compulsorily-purchased the site in September 2013 and work began in 2014 to restore the iconic Scenic Railway, as well as breathing new life into the lower ground floor of the cinema building, with sympathetic landscaping, exciting design and contemporary branding. In saving Dreamland, the local community and Thanet District Council managed something truly remarkable. Their hard work and determination has enabled generations to come, the ablility to enjoy this vital aspect of British seaside heritage, that without them would have been lost forever.
