Making Thorpe Park: The Complete Unofficial Story of the Theme Park

by Chris Atkinson

Making Thorpe Park chronicles from the very beginning through to 2021. Get the complete story behind classics such as Loggers Leap and Thunder River, to modern beasts such as Stealth, Saw and The Swarm. It's an engrossing tale of fierce rivalries, massive gambles, and constant evolution.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well researched and revealing - John Wardley

Genres: Nonfiction

335 pages, Paperback

Published October 17, 2020

Reviews

[James Block · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, so many stories I didn’t know from the early years.
Depressing ending but that’s not the authors fault!

[Nigel Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a big fan of theme parks & behind-the-scenes books I’ve read many fascinating books about the Disney Parks, several relating to the Universal parks & a wonderful one on Alton Towers.
Whilst a book about the story of Thorpe Park may not immediately scream “read me”, when I saw this available I decided to pick up a copy as whilst I’ve not visited the park for over a decade, I still keep my eye on developments & have fond memories of many visits.
As I expected, it’s a “fan” penned account of the parks history & development but Chris Atkinson leaves no stone unturned & with support from the park, this book could easily have been an official product. Like many other books of this type, the photographs scattered throughout are pretty woeful & I did think the book would benefit from additional layout diagrams but that aside, I really enjoyed it. It’s pretty much a year by year account of the parks history & I found it to be both nostalgic but interesting. The writers personal feelings naturally creep into the book however this is relatively infrequent & didn’t deter from my enjoyment.
It will only appeal to theme park fans but the author has done a fantastic job of capturing the parks story & truly believe he’s added value to Thorpe Parks legacy with this book.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn’t expect this to be quite as good as Tales from the Towers, but this book blew me away. Like Nick Sim’s Alton Towers book, you can tell it’s been written with love for the park, despite a tiny number of writing/grammatical errors throughout.

There are some great photos from Thorpe Park’s past, incredibly detailed histories of the rides and attractions, and a whole host of fun facts. Some of my favourites:
- The old Thorpe Ranger statues are at the bottom of a lake that used to be a diving centre, rotting away.
- Saw the Ride uses real props from the films!!
- The Swarm crashed plane is a real plane that was retired.
- Hyperia’s brake run is in the same place as the Loggers Leap drop was.
- Zodiac used to be way prettier!!
- Flying Fish was left in storage for YEARS!
- Emmerdale’s Tony Audenshaw used to work at the park!

Honestly I learned so much. I was riveted. I’d read anything else Atkinson writes about theme parks, whether in the UK or abroad. In fact, I need more :(

[Ben Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good read for anyone interested in the history of Thorpe Park. It covers alot of the parks key history & events in a friendly and informative way. However, it's predomintantly written from an enthusiasts/spectators perspective (although there are many insider sources). As someone who has studied and works in the wider industry, I know that there is alot more work that takes place in the background behind some of their decisions that doesn't get enough recognition in the book (but that might just be because it'd make it boring).

[Stacey Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most impressively detailed and well researched theme park books in my collection. Unlike some of those, it's maybe not the most entertaining read if you aren't already an enthusiast but as the intended audience this was a 5 star read. It took me down memory lane and I felt the author did a great job of providing balanced perspectives - especially regarding certain choices and chapters that many of us have strong opinions on.