Thursday, May 01, 2014

When Dreamland Was The Turner

Moving on from all the Manston mullarkey, I'm indebted to one of my lovely readers for flagging up this newsreel from the 1960s. It shows the then recently installed 'Spectrum Psychedelic Fun Palace' at Dreamland, complete with porn-style wah-wah 'with it' music, and bewildered posh bloke voicing the commentary.

Nowadays, of course, it's the kind of thing you're more likely to find in the Turner Contemporary. Indeed, the fun palace was the brainchild of an artist, Keith Albarn, none other than the pater of Blur Brit-Popper Damon Albarn.

The newsreel's part of British Pathé's current efforts to put all their footage online, and there are more than enough old films of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate on their website to while away a wet Thursday in Thanet.

Of course, if you want to go one step further and recreate the full 60s experience, you could always roll yourself a massive doobie and go for a wander around the Turner Contemporary!

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

In some ways a fore-runner to the sensory rooms that are widely used nowadays to help children with profound diabilities or limited communication skills. An effective therapy tool.

On a lighter note, I bet there were some interesting intimate encounters in there!

Anonymous said...

Who is in charge of reopening dreamland

Michael Child said...

Far out

Anonymous said...

Another bank Holiday with it closed - how many more?

Anonymous said...

See the Surin special this week is sea bass with lime juice. It has been recommended by the Guardian but that was over a decade ago. The sea bass may have got a bit whiffy by now.

Anonymous said...

ECR, clearly you have your own issues with Tim Garbutt, but is it really right to allow these persistent, rather silly but nonetheless disparaging comments about his business?

No need to publish this comment if you would prefer not to do so.

Anonymous said...

7.47, how is one entry supposed to be persistent. I also read that the Surin special this week is sea bass with lime juice and that it was recommended by The Guardian. In view of ECR's earlier post under 'Dim Tim Sin,' I too wondered how historic the Guardian recommendation might be.

Anonymous said...

Tim obsessives again desperate to do him down in any way possible. What has the rather excellent Surin got to do with Dreamland?

Anonymous said...

ooh Miaow 7:21.

Check out Trip Advisor to your heart's content for the very latest reviews of Surin and their website for copies of all the reviews by food critics and food guides.

Or there's the Guest Book if you eat there.

Surin is the best Thai in Kent for a reason...

Anonymous said...

Pray tell us 8.21, but what has your comment got to do with Dreamland. On second thoughts don't bother for you are obviously confusing the subject with the world you invariably frequent.

Anonymous said...

Offtopic but Manston is more interesting than Dreamland: a strange speech by the Nicholas Reed chap of Why Not Manston group which confirms...only 400 supporters after 2 years.

No wonder Manston is bust if that's the best they can do!

http://savemanstonairport.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/speech-by-nicholas-reed/

Anonymous said...

I prefer Surin! The Green curry or the Pad Thai is my fave!

Anonymous said...

Has Gale announced anything else on manston or the investors. It must be nearing the end now: end of month and bank Holiday and redundancy notices...

Anonymous said...

They had more but some of them died after visiting a Thai restaurant in Ramsgate.

Anonymous said...

8:35 what kind of sicko rejoices in other peoples redundancy notices. I for one will not be voting for you as mayor or MP.

Anonymous said...

I am delighted Manston is closing and the staff are made redundant after the noise and pollution they have unnecessarily inflicted on us all. And even banned aircraft - did they not know? And the waste of tax and why does that make me Tim Garbutt who will be Mayor not you.

Go cry over Woolwoirths or Pfizer closing.

Anonymous said...

The day Tim Garbutt is mayor, no make that the day Tim Garbutt actually enters an election for anything, I will realise I am also in cloud cuckoo land.

Anonymous said...

The promanstoners are strictly greasy spoon diners! Usually fat Cockneys in white trainers...

Anonymous said...

To be fair 8:54 most of Tim's policies have already been done haven't they? And TDC is notoriously corrupt isn't it?

Anonymous said...

What exactly has that got to do with Tim putting himself up for election. He just never does and which of his policies have been done. Votes for 16 year olds perhaps, but only in the Scottish referendum, or was that down to Tim.

Anonymous said...

Funny that 8:55 for I have seen a fat bloke hanging around the Surin. Is he a cockney?

Anonymous said...

8:54 Tim stood for mayor of RTc last year but the secret ballot for Mayor Gibson had been taken before the public meeting...

Same again this year?

Anonymous said...

9:02 you're confusing Tim's 1st and 2nd manifesto.

The 1st manifesto was The Gang of Four, Richboro, Manston etc. These have been done haven't they?

Tim's 2nd manifesto includes votes for 16 year olds - in all of UK not just Scotland. Why are the Scots voting at 16 but not the English or Welsh?

Anonymous said...

Very interesting film - I've not heard of this attraction before. I'm going to be cheeky and take this chance of letting everyone know a fantastic new book about the park will be out for he Whitsun weekend. Entitled Dreamland Revived, it offers a full history of Margate's number one attraction in its heydays with nearly 250 photos and costs a princely £15.99. On sale in several places, Ramsgate favourite bibliophile has a offered to take some as well - thanks Michael, look forward to seeing you soon! Cheers, Nick Evans

Anonymous said...

9:03 Dunno. Bored with you.

Anonymous said...

Sweetie, please tell Tim, if you are in touch, that there is no election for mayor of Ramsgate. It is an appointment made by the council and you cannot stand for it.

Anonymous said...

Duckie 9:13 that's the point of his campaign - for it to be an elected role.

Rather than a secret appointment by the councillors. It's called democracy- or you prefer having a mayor imposed on you?

Anonymous said...

Did he have white trainers 9:03?

Anonymous said...

9:13 strictly speaking no decision was ever taken by the newly-formed RTC on how Mayors were chosen.

The councillors simply decided to make it non-elected. It's not in any RTC constitution and the first instance of it was last year with mayor Gibson as Dave Green was the only Mayor before that.

An elected mayor sounds ideal: different candidates with different policies and so on which of course the double-hatters would hate as they rely on secrecy.

Who is the RTC candidate this year: Gibson again? Uncontested again? Secret vote again?

Anonymous said...

Precisely 9:23 so you cannot stand for election. Whether an elected mayor would be better is another issue, but Tim claims he is a mayor candidate. He isn't because in Ramsgate there is no such thing. End of...

Anonymous said...

9:28 you're missing the point again either deliberately or because you're thick.

But tell us - if one wanted to have the role elected how would you go about that?

Anonymous said...

Gibson could be the candidate again. Who knows? The role is for one year then some sort of an election/appointment has to take place.

Never heard of her before or since last year. What's she done apart form closing the Port and Mansotn?

Anonymous said...

An interesting point 9:28 and you're wrong as by default there is now an election - or contested appointment if you prefer.

You - or the councillors - can choose Gibson or Garbutt or indeed someone else.

Anonymous said...

Gibsion hasn't announced she's the candidate so maybe the role has become vacant?

Anonymous said...

I never voted for Gibson for Mayor so I'm not voting for her again even if she is standing or not!

Anonymous said...

Gibson is actually the only local politician to speak out against trying to save Manston! So she'll get my vote over Garbutt.

Anonymous said...

ECR,

It is clear that you have lost control of this blog. It has been hijacked by another.

Perhaps this does not trouble you and that you are interested solely in racking up the number of visits, with quality of no concern.

Anonymous said...

Gibson was in favour of manston closing 11:27?

Anonymous said...

No, but she was (and is) in favour of not wasting public money trying to save it. ECR published the story on here a couple of weeks back.

Anonymous said...

Labour are in favour of saving it according to clive?

Anonymous said...

Did Gibson ever say anything abou the Port or did Clive not bother to tell her about the secret deal?

Anonymous said...

Why don't you ask her yourself?

http://www.ramsgatetown.org/town-council/town-councillors/kimgibson.aspx

Anonymous said...

Your voting for her you tell me about her Port policy

Anonymous said...

Nobody is voting for her it is not an election. The councillors will tell you who is selected. She may not even be standing anyway.

Richard Eastcliff said...

These comments have mushroomed since I last looked at the blog, 8.44am, at which point there was just the one. As I don't have time in my busy schedule to police the comments minute-by-minute my only other choice is to initiate comment moderation, as I did the other day, which delays the publication of comments until I've found the time to approve them.

I would much rather have 20 decent, on-topic comments than 200 pointless ones, but unfortunately the way this blogging platform is constructed means it's either feast or famine.

Clearly Tim Garbage has hijacked these comments yet again with his feeble witterings, but there are others, Cheggers for example, who get their virtual rocks off by bating commentators, often anonymously. Some no doubt have an agenda along the lines of discrediting the local blogs, and may well be in the pay of Thanet Council, who regard the blogs as 'confrontational' according to the recent LGA investigation.

If so, it's very effective as tbh I'm on the cusp of giving the whole thing the heave-ho!

Anonymous said...

Chief constable of his Parish Epps ?

The poor performance of Thanet Police seems to have roused the Bored Stairs parish to consider an application to swear in their own volunteer Parish constables.

The first task is to select a suitable uniform and budding local designers may care to submit suggestions.

Cllr Epps is dusting off his old copy of Moriartys Police Law.

It is, of course, traditional that the Parish Constables have a Morris Dancing team which should be much in evidence at Folk Festival. Pewter pots dangling from stout belts.

William for Parish Chief constable say Aye !

Anonymous said...

The blogs are critical of TDC rather than confrontational. But then even the LGA is critical of toxic TDC.

Anonymous said...

OH WELL DREAMLAND OR LA LA LAND AS IT IS CALLED THESE DAYS WILL BE A WASTE OF TIME WITH ITS OLD 3 RATE RIDES STUCK IN THE 60,S IT 21ST CENTURY NOW THINGS HAVE MOVED ON THANET HAS NOT KIDS WANT WHITE KNUCKLE RIDES AT MODERN THEME PARKS

ALTON TOWERS OR DREAMLAND HMMMM

Anonymous said...

Dreamland is yet another botched TDC project. 6 months of owning it to only now starting to discuss tenders etc. Mcgonigal must go and the Duffers they are simply incapable. And the Port after a year?