Tucktonia
| Location | Christchurch,Dorset,England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°43′55″N1°47′24″W/ 50.732°N 1.790°W |
| Opened | 23 May 1976 |
| Closed | 1986 |
| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
Tucktoniawas a late 1970stheme parklocated on Stour Road,Christchurch,Dorset, England. It was officially opened on 23 May 1976 byArthur Askey.[1]It originally occupied 4 acres (1.6 ha) of the 21-acre (8.5 ha) Tuckton Park Leisure Complex. The park was closed down in 1986. The site has since been redeveloped for residential use.
General information
[edit]The park was best known for its largemodel villagelayout, which included a representation of London.
The 7.25-inch (184 mm)narrow gaugeride-onsteam trainand some additional fixtures and fittings, were moved to theMoors Valley Railwayin theMoors Valley Country ParknearRingwood,Hampshire.[2]
It is rumoured that just prior to the closure of the park, the owners wanted to build aroller coasterat the rear of the site, but were refused permission by the localcouncil.Following the refusal, the park closed shortly afterwards.[citation needed]
BekonscotModel Village inBuckinghamshireprovided much inspiration for the designers, one of whom had his office near Bekonscot and was a frequent visitor. The bulk of the models were built by KLF Ltd, who later went on to design similar models at Britannia Park in Derbyshire (known as "The American Adventure" theme park by the time of its demise in 2006). Tucktonia was the brainchild of former double British Formula 3 championHarry Stillerwho was still living in the area in 2006, before his death in 2018.
Some sources claim that the miniature London landmarks were destroyed during the making of the 1985 alien invasion movieLifeforce,and that the entire model village was destroyed when the park closed.[3]However, other sources claim that, while the model village was used as the miniature set for the filming ofLifeforce,the visual effects crew actually used their own destructible miniatures in the Tucktonia streets.[4]The model ofBuckingham Palacesurvives; this was acquired, restored and put on display at theWimborne Model Town,Wimborne Minsterin 2002,[5]and moved toMerrivale Model Village,Great Yarmouthin 2006.[6]
There are numerous unsubstantiated rumours that the models were not destroyed after the closure of the park – the main one being that they were instead placed into storage within abarnwhere they remained until 2001, when the building burnt down.[7]
BBC Television'sMulti-Coloured Swap Shopshow broadcast live from the park on one occasion.
The park's model London was used extensively in the obscure 1976King KongspoofQueen Kong.
Places and buildings featured in the model village
[edit]- Christchurch Priory
- Prospect of Whitby (London pub)
- High Street,Great Britain – a re-creation of a "typical" British High Street
- London'sTower Bridge,TheVictoria Embankment,TheHouses of Parliament,Westminster Bridge,Cleopatra's Needle,HMS "Discovery",TheNational Westminster Tower,Piccadilly Circus
Rides and attractions present whilst the park was operating
[edit]- Various small-scalefairground rides
- A range of standardkiddie rides,including 20p-a-gomini bumper three-wheeled motorcycles
- Magic castle-themed giant six-laneFun Slide(May 1986)[8]
- Boating lake with motorised bumper boats
- Amusement Arcade
- Ride on small-scaleLand Rovercars
- Crazy Golf/nine-hole golf course
- 7+1⁄4-inchminiature narrow gaugescale ride onSteam Train– Later moved/sold toMoors Valley Railway(1980–1985)
- Model village
- 2+1⁄2-inch gauge electric model railway, featuring half a mile of track, and 75 items ofrolling stock
- Cafeteria
- Golfers Arms restaurant
- Roy of the Roversbar for children
- Go-kart track
- Mini-Cinema,showing cartoons
- Souvenirshops
After closure
[edit]After the park closed in 1986, the buildings and fixtures were cleared and the land used at first for apublic housecalled "The Old Colonial", then, at a later date, "Bar Max". These were housed in the original buildings built by Harry Stiller and operated by him and known as the Golfer's Arms. This was a highly popular venue for both locals and tourists alike and featured the Raceway bar, where one of Harry Stiller's original race cars was a centrepiece on one of the walls in the main bar.
Bar Max eventually closed and the buildings demolished in 2003 to make way for a number of retirementflatsand private dwellings.
References
[edit]- ^Model Railway Constructor – July 1976 – p247
- ^"Moors Valley Railway – How it began".Archived fromthe originalon 1 May 2006.Retrieved12 May2006.
- ^Bratby, Richard (25 July 2020)."Model villages aren't just for kids".The Spectator.No. July 2020. Press Holdings.Retrieved31 July2020.
- ^The Real Rufus T Firefly (12 March 2012)."Tucktonia in Lifeforce 1985".Flickr.SmugMug Inc.Retrieved31 July2020.
- ^Dunn, Tim.""TUCKTONIA again!" forum post on saxonsquare ".(Historian for Bekonscot Model Village).Retrieved12 May2006.[dead link]
- ^Model palace is being moved from the Wimborne Model TownEastern Daily Press, 8 November 2005
- ^Emma Cooke (8 January 2020)."The fascinating stories behind Britain's forgotten theme parks".Daily Telegraph.Retrieved11 January2020.
- ^"Slide at Tucktonia photograph, taken in May 1986 and publicly shared by Paul Curtis".Retrieved1 July2006.[dead link]