The abandoned UK theme park left to rot for 27 years that used to be ‘brilliant’

For 27 years, the site of a much-loved theme park has been left to rot in a popular British seaside town, but that could soon change.

Frontierland in Morecambe, Lancashire, (not to be confused with Disney’s Frontierland) attracted families for more than 90 years, with the fairground originally opening in 1906 as West End Amusement Park.

The park’s name changed several times over the years before finally transforming into the western-themed amusements many came to know and love in 1987. 

It was famously owned by the Thompson family, who purchased it in 1936, and also owned the Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Pleasureland in Southport.

When did Frontierland close?

Geoffrey and Doris Thompson are said to have added a new ride to the park each year until the place was forced to close in 1999, due to dwindling visitor numbers.

Rides included the log flume, The Wild Mouse, The Rattler, Polo Tower, and Chair-o-Planes.

The park also previously had a wooden rollercoaster known as the Cyclone (later renamed the Texas Tornado), which was designed by American engineer Harry Traver and built in 1937 for the Paris World Exposition. It moved over to Morecambe in 1939.

Interestingly, one of the Thompson’s additions included a 150-foot Big Wheel, which was opened in 1980; however, this had to be taken down rather promptly in 1982 due to neighbour complaints.

It was Geoffrey’s idea to overhaul the park, which was also previously called Fun City and Morecambe Pleasure Park.

Geoffrey, who is said to have caught the fairground bug at age six, worked to transform the ten-acre site into Frontierland, and for several years, his efforts paid off, with thousands visiting the park.

Pleased with this, he added another new ride in 1989, known as the Sky Ride. This was a cable car system that allowed visitors to ‘fly’ over the theme park and out over the town’s promenade before looping back.

However, following Frontierland’s closure 10 years later, the iconic rides were demolished, with some being rehomed at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which became the Thompsons’ focus until Geoffrey and Doris died in 2004. 

The iconic Polo Tower, originally known as the Space Tower, became a landmark in Morecambe, and it remained in the town until 2017, when it was demolished to make way for a new development.

Will Frontierland ever reopen?

Frontierland is now long gone, and the 7.6-acre plot has remained a mostly derelict site for decades.

Morrisons snapped up the land and owned it between 2001 and 2009. The retailer has a store adjacent to the former park and built three outlets to the rear of the site in 2007.

But the rest of the land remains empty and has been branded an ‘eyesore’.

It’s currently owned by Lancaster City Council, which purchased it in 2021, and there’s hope it could be transformed and reopened once more as a must-visit tourist destination.

And the best part? The council hasn’t ruled out using the site as a fairground once more.

Joanne Ainscough, a Lancashire city councillor, previously claimed that the site could be used as a fairground once more, but only if the idea for it was strong enough.

‘We’ve just done the public consultation and the majority of people want a site that is a leisure site,’ she told the BBC in 2024.

‘We have done an expression of interest, and the majority of developers came forward with hotels and housing, and that’s not really the inspiration we want. We want something more exciting.

‘If somebody came along with a really brilliant idea for a fairground, why not? But it has to be something that gives the council some money back on its investment, but also gives something for both visitors and locals.’

She added that the council doesn’t want the site to remain empty for another 10 years, as it’s not fair on the people of Morecambe who have to ‘put up with it’.

However, it’s been a while since this was said, and still no official plans have been shared for the redevelopment.

The last update came in October 2025, when the Lancaster Guardian revealed that a board was considering more than 30 regeneration ideas that had been received, and recommendations would be made to top councillors ‘very soon’.

Metro has contacted Lancaster City Council for further comment.

A version of this article was first published on February 25, 2024.

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