Camelot Theme Park was a resort and theme park located in Charnock Richard, Lancashire, England. The park's theme was the legend of Camelot, and the park decor incorporated pseudo-medieval elements. It was located on a site owned by The Story Group and was operated by Knights Leisure. The park featured many rides, taking a target audience of families and younger children; however, the park also boasted numerous thrill rides and roller coasters, including Whirlwind (a Maurer Söhne spinning coaster), Knightmare and Excalibur. On 4 November 2012, Knight’s Leisure announced that they would not be reopening for the season of 2013.

The site was used for a zombie horror experience attraction Camelot Rises between February and April 2022.

History The local area was once covered by Martin Mere, sometimes described as the largest body of fresh water in England, which was first drained in 1692 by Thomas Fleetwood of Bank Hall in Bretherton.

The park opened in 1983 and was operating seasonally until the end of 2012.https://parkhallhotel.com/ Park Hall Hotel & Spa The park was based on the story of 'Camelot, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table'. The story was that Sir Lancelot's parents King Ban of Benwick and his queen Elaine escaped to Lancashire from their enemies in France. Elaine went to help King Ban who had fallen and put Lancelot down on the shore of the lake, where he was abducted by nymph Vivian who vanished into the waters of the lake with him. Vivian brought up Lancelot, and when he went to King Arthur's court, he was knighted as 'Sir Lancelot of the Lake'. Martin Mere has been locally known as the 'Lost Lake of Sir Lancelot' following the myth.Ashworth. E, (2007) "Tales of Old Lancashire - The Lost Lake of Sir Lancelot", Pages 39-41.

In 1986, the park was taken over by the Granada Group and operated by them alongside its now-defunct sister parks American Adventure and Granada Studios Tour. In June 1998, the park was subject to a management buyout, in which the park went to Prime Resorts Ltd. Camelot had seen a downturn in attendance in later years, in 1995, Camelot's attendance was 500,000 visitors throughout the season.

The park was featured in a 1994 episode of Sooty & Co., in which presenter Matthew Corbett takes Sooty, Sweep, Soo and Little Cousin Scampi there. The park was also featured in a lengthy sequence in Michael Winterbottom's 1995 crime drama Butterfly Kiss.

One of the roller coasters could be seen from the M6 near the Charnock Richard Services. However, as of February 2020 said rollercoaster "The Knightmare" has been demolished after SBNO (Standing But Not Operating) for eight years.

In 2005, Camelot's attendance was only 336,204 visitors.

In August 2006, in a survey of healthy food available at leading tourist attractions in the United Kingdom, Camelot came joint bottom, scoring only one point.

In February 2009, Prime Resorts announced that the park was in receivership, and would not reopen for the 2009 season. The hotel was bought by Lavender Hotels in March 2009, and in April 2009, it was announced that a buyer had been found for the park and that it would reopen in May 2009. The theme park was purchased by Story Group, a construction company based in Carlisle, and leased to Knight's Leisure who ran the park.

Closure The closure of the park was announced by its operator, Knights Leisure, on 4 November 2012, the managing director blaming poor summer weather and events such as London 2012 and the Diamond Jubilee for declining visitor numbers. Some roller coasters were sold, for example, the Whirlwind was relocated to Skyline Park in Germany, but others remained in the abandoned park.

The site's future was uncertain, as the new owner was planning to redevelop the site. The then indications were that it would be a housing development.

Future

In August 2014, an application to build 420 houses on the site by owners Story Group was unanimously rejected by Chorley Council, with 261 public objections, as the development was not permissible within the Green Belt.

In August 2016, a second application to build two hundred houses on the site was announced.

In March 2018, plans for 195 homes at the site were scrapped.

All planning applications to date (as of January 2022) have been rejected by Chorley Council.

In December 2020, bulldozers were on site, demolishing a number of the structures that were considered unstable, including the iconic white castle entrance.

By July 2021, the park had been dismantled and demolished, albeit having been in derelict condition and damaged several times by arson and vandalism since the park’s closure in 2012. Parts of some of the rides and pieces of the park still stand on the site, though in February 2020, Knightmare, the signature ride at the park, was dismantled after being standing and left in the elements for eight years.

Camelot Rises Between February and April of 2022, the former theme park site was used for a drive-thru zombie-themed horror experience operated by Park N' Party, named Camelot Rises. Guests would take part in an immersive drive-thru horror experience subsequently watch a horror film at the main entrance while in their cars.

Rides and shows

Rides and attractions

The following rides were operating at the time of the park's closure in 2012. ColourTarget AudienceThrill rideFamily rideChildren's ride

Roller coasters

# Name Opened Description 1Caterpillar CapersA 'wacky worm' style big apple children's coaster, the ride was relocated to Gulliver's World in Warrington in 2013. 2Dragon FlyerOne of only two diesel-powered roller coasters in the World. Manufactured by S.C. Italy, this attraction looped the lower section of the park. In 2013, the ride's train was relocated to Pleasureland Southport, however, it was only ever used as a piece of scenery. (The second is located at Jannat Al-Ahlam in Oran, Algeria.) 3Junior Dragon CoasterA powered children's coaster, in 2013, the ride was relocated to Oakwood Theme Park. 4KnightmareA custom Schwarzkopf / Zierer roller coaster that pulled 5Gs. It was demolished in February 2020. There is a replica of this called Jetline at Gröna Lund. 5WhirlwindA Maurer Söhne Xtended SC 2000 spinning coaster, in 2014, the ride was relocated to Skyline Park in Germany.

Thrill rides

# Name Opened Description 6Excalibur 2A Fabbri Evolution. Named after the park's original Excalibur ride. A boy fell from it on 23 August 2011, and in 2013, the ride was relocated to Pleasureland Southport. 7The GalleonA non-inverting pirate ship, in 2013, the ride was relocated to Pleasureland Southport.

Family rides

# Name Opened Description 8Dungeons of DoomSmall ghost train style dark ride 9Falcon's FlightZamperla rotating balloon race. In 2013, the ride was relocated to Gulliver's Land in Milton Keynes. 10Formula-K Go-KartsRequired an extra charge. 11Jousting Knights DodgemsBumper cars located in the park's family entertainment centre. It was intended to be relocated to Oakwood Theme Park but was not due to cost. 12Kingdom in the CloudsA Ferris Wheel overlooking the Knight's Valley area of the park. In 2013, the ride was relocated to Pleasureland Southport. 13Pendragon's PlungeSet of three blue waterslides, taking riders from the entrance down to Knight's Valley. In 2013, two of the slides relocated to Gulliver's Kingdom in Matlock. The remaining slide (rightmost) historically failed to carry riders to the bottom and was decommissioned. 14Sir Lancelot's ChargersAn ornate two-tier carousel. In 2013, the ride was relocated to Pleasureland Southport. 15Camelot Cascade1986The log flume ride, in 2013, the ride was relocated to Oakwood Theme Park in Wales.

Children's rides # Name Opened Description 16Bertie Bassett's Driving SchoolExtra charge was required 17Clown Around1980sRoundabout 18Cup 'n' SorcererIn 2014, the ride was relocated to Oakwood Theme Park in Wales. 19Human Cannonball 20Junior GalleonA junior swinging pirate ship, in 2013, the ride was relocated to Oakwood Theme Park in Wales. 21Junior Jousting Horses 22Kiddies' Indoor PlaylandSoft indoor play area 23Playland ExpressSmall circuit electric train, in 2013 the ride was relocated to Oakwood Theme Park. 24Sky Divers 25Towers of FunSoft indoor play area

Shows

Jousting Tournament – a live joust performed by Camelot's own Knights, led by an actor playing King Arthur and performed in the Avalon Arena. The park hosted the only full-time jousting arena in the United Kingdom. Merlin's Magic Show – performed in Merlin's castle, this show demonstrated 'Merlin's magical skills'. Merlin's School of Wizardry – performed in Merlin's castle, Merlin's School of Wizardry taught some of Merlin's magic to the audience. Birds of Prey Show – performed daily in the Avalon Arena, featuring an African fish eagle.

Other defunct attractions

Past rides # Name Opened Closed DescriptionTower of TerrorA steel sit down roller coaster manufactured by Schwarzkopf. It had the same layout as Scorpion at Busch Gardens Tampa. It was removed in 2000, to make way for a Vekoma Invertigo, and also due to cost issues as the ride was leased along with the original Excalibur from the Bembom Brothers.

However, planning permission was denied for this ride, so the park was forced to replace the ride with a Pinfari ZL42, "The Gauntlet" (since closed). While the ride was being taken down, an expanding foam castle which was part of the rides theming was burned down, when some sparks from a saw hit it. The ride itself was unscathed, and after a brief period at Dreamland Margate, it became the Twist N' Shout located at Henk Bembom's now closed Loudoun Castle. It is now at Fun Park Biograd, called "Big Blue".The RackVekoma Canyon Trip, the only split level ride in Europe. It was generally unreliable, and in 2009, it suffered a severe mechanical failure, which was not economical to repair. It was removed for the following season.ExcaliburWas a Weber Dreamboat (Traumboot) and was removed with the Tower of Terror. It stood originally on the site of the Whirlwind; however, the space the Tower of Terror originally took up was more than enough for the replacement Gauntlet Pinfari roller coaster and the Excalibur 2 (Fabbri Evolution). This left a site vacant, which was later used for the WhirlwindThe Beast/VenomA steel powered dark-roller coaster. It was removed in 2005, due to increasing safety regulations with indoor roller coasters. While operated, the ride was enclosed inside a building and kept in the dark. When first opened, the ride was originally called "The Knightmare" and was an outdoor coaster. In 1985, a mountain theme was placed over "The Knightmare", and its name was changed to "Space Mountain". In 1988, the indoor coaster was renamed and re-themed "The Beast" and featured the best audio for the ride, before the train moved from the station.

In the mid-1990s, "The Beast" was renamed "Venom". This building was removed in 2001, to make way for an extension to the Castle Camelot entertainment centre, which would have created an extended indoor entertainment centre including replacement ride.