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Now eerie and abandoned much-loved theme park forced to close after 23 years

Once a popular seaside destination for families, this theme park of fun has now been deserted, with its famous rides slowly but surely being demolished - and their stories dying along with it

[Inside Pleasure Island, Cleethorpes before demolition begins]

It was open for over two decades(Image: GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford)

Back in the glory days of Cleethorpes, a thriving seaside town in Lincolnshire, the theme park attracted thousands of sunseekers year on year, hoping for a day or weekend of family fun until it abruptly closed its doors.

Pleasure Island Family Theme Park, more commonly referred to as just Pleasure Island, opened to the public in May 1993. And with that, they offered a whole new world to holidaymakers and in turn helped to put Cleethorpes on the map. It was large and in charge, boasting close to 50 rides, many of which achieved an iconic status amongst thrill-seekers, including the Hyperblaster, Obliterator, Pendulus, and Terror Rack.

Although, as we left the 90s and entered the mid-2000s, warmer destinations across Europe gained popularity, with cheaper flights and packages available, meaning people began to ditch the seaside for a holiday abroad.

[ Pleasure Island, the creepy theme park has been left abandoned for years ]

The park had rides, rollercoasters and a carousel(Image: Pleasure Island Archive/Facebook)

In the wake, Pleasure Island's number of visitors began to plummet, and in 2016, the park closed on a permanent basis at the end of the season.

Some of its contents, including the historic 1904 carousel, were put up for auction, with most other rides being sold off in 2018.

Nostalgia

However, the site remains completely abandoned with buildings still intact. If you were to wander the ground, it would appear quite creepy, with the dodgems building still standing, the kid's show area, and other stands that once made up the fun-filled destination.

[Inside Pleasure Island, Cleethorpes before demolition begins]

Most of its rides were auctioned while the infrastructure still remains(Image: GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford)

One of the theme park's most notorious rides was the Pendulus, with a reputation for making people physically sick due to its intensity.

Many locals and old travellers share their stories of the ride and the rest of the resort in a Facebook page, created by Alfie Lugsden, dedicated to remembering the place; it's titled Pleasure Island Archive.

One avid theme park goer wrote on the page: "Remember standing watching my mate on it and someone throwing up, and it covered half the people on the ride. Some very unhappy riders coming off that day."

[Pleasure Island, Cleethorpes]

The Pendulus ride(Image: liverpoolecho WS)

The park has been significantly neglected since its closure 10 years ago and continues to be an eyesore in the seaside town.

While the entrance continues to look as it did, with a huge sign saying 'welcome', it is now surrounded by harsh metal fencing to block people from entering the now derelict site.

New development

So what happens to Pleasure Island now? Will it still be a place for holidaymakers to enjoy? Well, current proposed plans include building two hotels, alongside hundreds of log cabins, a casino and other leisure developments.

[The Carousel at Pleasure Island Theme Park]

The 114 year old Carousel at the park

These plans circulated back in 2022 and are reported to cost roughly 65 million. The huge, transformative proposal is said to include restaurants, cafes and retail units, whilst also making use of the lake for fishing.

However, these plans have received much scrutiny from a number of bodies, and whether they will come to fruition or not is still uncertain. The Environment Agency was the first to object to the plans, due to flooding concerns.

[proposed redevelopment of pleasure island cleethorpes]

Proposed redevelopment of the new site at Cleethorpes (Image: BBC)

The body made a statement, claiming: "We will require continuous access along both banks of the watercourse, and as a minimum, the bridge should not reduce the cross-sectional area of the channel. Further details are required to determine whether these requirements have been met."

The development would also pose risks to the health of the nearby Humber Estuary, according to Natural England.

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