15 Alton Towers Rides We All Wish Were Still Standing

Those based in the UK will have undoubtedly have heard of Alton Towers and many of the awesome Alton Towers rides. It is the largest theme park in the UK and second most visited, trailing only Legoland Windsor. Created on a country estate, Alton Towers was transformed into an amusement park in 1980 and has been incredibly popular ever since.

Over the years it has been home to many innovative rides, such as the Corkscrew and Black Hole. The two being two of the most popular rides in the country during the late 80’s and early 90’s. However, every ride has a shelf-life and so many great rides are torn down or sold-off.

We take a look at some of the greatest rides Alton Towers had to offer that are no longer operating. From the tame Mississippi Showboat to the white-knuckle Corkscrew.

Most people probably won’t remember Dinosaur Land. It was one of the first attractions at the park and was removed to make way for the Black Hole.

Eagle-eyed readers may recognise the dinosaurs though, they were moved to a wooded area by the log flume. People riding the log flume could easily see them as they rode the flume. As you can imagine, not many photos of Dinosaur Land exist and those that do are rather grainy.

Located where Oblivion now stands, the Alpine Bobsleigh was simply two channels which riders could go down in a plastic sled.

Unfortunately long queues, safety concerns and not being able to operate in the rain because people would slide down to fast meant the ride was closed after six seasons.

The most famous of all Alton Towers rides and Europe’s first double corkscrew! This classic ride remained almost unchanged through its entire life-span apart from a minor re-theme in 1999 when Ug Land was created.

The ride is remembered for its classic yellow look which it kept until it was finally retired and removed in 2008. However, the top of the ride had to be painted green to hide it in the tree tops.

The double corkscrew part of the track was kept by Alton Towers and has since been refurbished and turned into a piece of art at the front gates of the park.

Around the World In Eighty Days followed the adventures of Phileas Fogg around the world. The boat ride took you through many different countries and was fairly popular during its time.

Starting in London you would visit places like New York, Egypt, Rio and more. In 1994 they changed the ride to ‘Toyland Tours’ which was basically a fun toy factory, then later to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The ride system itself still exists today as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The Spaceboat is one ride nobody will ever likely remember. The ride was located where the Katanga Canyon now sits and only lasted for one season. The ride wasn’t even on the park map that year because of its late opening.

It was then removed at the end of the 1983 season and replaced by the Octopus. It is widely believed that the Spaceboat was the first victim of the ”tree high rule” that exists at Alton Towers. For those who don’t know, no rides can be above the tree-line, which is why so many of the roller coasters are built into the ground.

While the Spaceboat may not be remembered for its time at Alton Towers, people may have seen it at other UK theme parks. Over the years it has been located at Dreamland in Margate, Pleasure Island, Loudoun Castle and Lightwater Valley.

The Magic Carpet ride was very similar to the type of ride you see at fairgrounds. It lasted just two seasons, possibly because it was very similar to the far more popular ‘1001 Nights’ which opened in 1985.

The Turbo Star stood roughly where Oblivion stands today. It had three arms connected at a single point of rotation and a total of 21 carriages. The cars would spin around each arm and also around the central arm in a classic fairground style.

At the end of the 1989 season Turbo Star was taken down and replaced by Gavitron.

The Black Hole lasted over 20 years at Alton Towers and was by far one of the most popular Alton Towers rides of all time. It was very similar to ‘Beast’ but in the dark and loosely related to space.

Because the ride was hidden from view, new riders had no idea what to expect from the ride. Keeping the experience under wraps created both fear and excitement.

The Black Hole tent had originally been green and yellow, it was later changed to a darker colour that fitted the Black Hole theme.

Above you can see what the Black Hole looked like before being covered.

And here is what it looks like today after a make-over, located in a Swedish theme park called Furuvik and renamed Fuvurik’s Rocket.

From the outside you would think it was an old American paddle steamer. Step inside however and it was moving floors, spinning tunnels and very strange mirrors.

To make your way through the attraction you would have to travel around the decks and inside corridors. A jazz band would often play at certain times during the day by the attraction. The Showboat closed down in 1991 but remained at the park for a few years after.

One of the tallest rides to ever operate at Alton Towers, the magic carpet took passengers 85 feet up into the air and whisked them down in large vertical circles.

Riding 1001 Nights gave you a great view of the surrounding park. How it managed to survive so long given the ”tree line” rule that is in place we’ll never know.

In 1994 its time at Alton Towers came to an end after almost a decade in the park. 1001 Nights would find a new home at Pleasure Island in Cleethorpes where it would operate until the early 2000’s, later being replaced by a Pirate Ship.

The Alton Mouse was opened part of the way through the 1988 season by Kylie Minogue. The Alton Mouse arrived at Alton Towers in 1988, having previously operated as Speedy Gonzales at Wiener Prater in Vienna.

Unfortunately it was dogged with issues, the ride was uncomfortable and the noise created meant complaints from the residents of nearby Alton Village. It still holds the title today of shortest-lived roller coaster at Alton Towers, operating only three seasons.

The Alton Mouse would later find a home in Pennsylvania, USA at Idlewild Park, where it still operates today.

The Gravitron was a fairly popular ride, even though it only lasted three seasons. It was a gravity wheel like those you often see at fairgrounds, however this one didn’t tilt on its side.

After the Gravitron closed it was moved to Pleasure Island Theme Park in Cleethorpes.

When the legendary Thunder Looper closed in 1996 it came a as a complete shock to most. The reason for its closure came down to the “tree line” rule once again. The Thunder Looper went above the tree line and was also very noisy.

It is also believed that the noise caused by the Thunder Looper caused the local cows to calve at the wrong time of year. Their were also fairly significant maintenance issues which meant the Thunder Loopers days were always numbered.

The ride now operates under the name Katapul at Hopi Hari theme park in Brazil.

Opening in 1992, the Haunted House wasn’t your classic haunted house ride. From the front it looked like a normal size house but hidden behind the facade of the house was an area the size of a football pitch.

The ride would see you walk through part of the house in traditional haunted house fashion before getting in a coffin-style cart. The cart would take you the rest of the way, meeting occupants of the house along the way.

In 2002 the Haunted House closed down and was replaced by Duel.

First opened in 1995 as ‘Bone Shaker’, it was moved to X-Sector when that area first opened in 1998 and re-themed as ‘The Energizer’.

When it first opened it was a real thrill ride but over the years it was tamed and lost popularity. The ride was also  unreliable and so after less than a decade at the park, the ride was closed and replaced by Rita.