Festival Pleasure Gardens 3D Cinema

Located in the 200 acres Battersea Park on the south bank of the River Thames. The Festival of Britain Pleasure Gardens and Funfair was built and opened on 3rd May 1951. It was a popular destination for Londoners wanting a day out in the centre of the city. An indoor attraction was the Riverside Theatre. In the mid-1950’s it became the 3D Cinema, a new attraction which had come from the USA.

The Funfair was operated by showman John Collins. One of the many rides was a wooden roller coaster named The Big Dipper. It suffered damage from a fire in 1970. On 30th March 1972 tragedy struck when the cars on The Big Dipper were climbing to the top of the first dip when the lift cable broke and the cars sped backwards, despite efforts by the brakeman to halt it, it crashed into barriers below, killing 5 children and injuring 14 other persons. The Funfair operated without The Big Dipper in use and closed in 1974. Later the entire site was returned to use as a park.

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