| |
| The entrance to Legoland Windsor | |
| Location |  |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 29 March 1996 |
| Owner | Merlin Entertainments |
| Area | 150 acres |
| Website | http://www.legoland.co.uk/ |
Legoland Windsor is a theme park located in Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK. It is themed around the plastic construction toys Lego, manufactured by The Lego Group. As of the 2022 season, Legoland Windsor was the most popular theme park in the UK, attracting around 2.4 million guests.[1]
History
St. Leonard's Mansion
In the early 18th century, a large country house was built on St. Leonard's hill to the west of Windsor named "The Hermitage". It later fell into disrepair and was rebuilt multiple times over the proceeding centuries, with the final rebuild occurring in 1932 by Horace Dodge Jr., heir to the Dodge Motor Company in Detroit.
In 1850, the property was purchased by Sir Theodore Brinckman, who renamed it to "St. Leonard's", which remains the name of the house to this day. One of the coachmen under Brinckman's employ lived on the estate with his wife Annie Chapman, who after divorcing later in life, made headlines after being the second victim of notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper.
During World War II, St. Leonard's was occupied by the US Ambassador to the UK, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., father of future US president John F. Kennedy.[2][3]
Windsor Safari Park
In 1966 British showman, fairground proprietor, and circus proprietor Billy Smart Sr. purchased St. Leonard's from Dodge Jr.'s mother (the sole executor of his estate) for £250,000. After Smart's death later that year, his sons transformed the grounds into Windsor Safari Park which opened in 1969. The safari park saw rapid expansion until its closure in October 1992 due to financial difficulties.[4][5]
Legoland
Following the success of Legoland Billund, in 1989 The Lego Group were looking to open a new second park after the closure of their earlier attempt; Legoland Sierksdorf. Following the closure of Windsor Safari Park, Lego announced that they had acquired the site in December 1992.[6] In 1994 construction started after Lego took over the site in January.[7]
Legoland Windsor was officially opened on 29th March 1996.[8][9] In the first year of opening, Legoland Windsor attracted 1.4 million visitors.[10] In 2005, LEGO sold the park to Merlin Entertainments after suffering financial losses.[11] In 2017 a new themed area called NINJAGO World was opened.[12] In 2019 Merlin Entertainments was brought by Kirkbi Invest, the private investment firm of Kirk Kristianson, whose family owns the LEGO group.[13]
On 29 May 2021, a new themed area called Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures was opened.[14][15]
Roller coasters
Present
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon | W.G.H. Transportation Engineering | Sit-Down | 1998 | Operating |
| Dragon's Apprentice | W.G.H. Transportation Engineering | Kiddie | 1999 | Operating |
| Duplo Dino Coaster | ART Engineering | Kiddie | March 14, 2020 | Operating |
| Minifigure Speedway | Zierer | Twin | 6 April 2024 | Operating |
Past
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jungle Coaster | Mack Rides | Wild Mouse | 2004 | 2009 | Relocated to Legoland Florida |
Attractions
Operating
Closed
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Queen Riverboat Ride | Unknown | Scenic Boat Ride | Unknown | 1992 | Scrapped |
| Black Mamba Snake Slide | Zapfun | Tube Slide | Unknown | 1992 | Unknown |
| Dino Safari | Metallbau Emmeln | Track Ride | March 2005 | 2015 | Unknown |
| Hi Slide | Modern Products | Giant Slide | 1970s | 1980s | Unknown |
| Jungle Jeeps | Modern Products | Track Ride | Unknown | 1992 | Unknown |
| Mumbo Jumbo Elephant Ride | Unknown | Jets | Unknown | 1992 | Unknown |
| Raft Racers | WhiteWater West | Dinghy Waterslides | 1999 | 2022 | Scrapped |
| Space Tower | Sunkid Heege | Tower | 1999 | 2017 | Scrapped |
| Swamp Devil Octopus Ride | Soriani & Moser | Polyp | Unknown | 1992 | Unknown |
| Viking River Splash | ABC Rides | River Rapids | 2007 | September 25, 2023 | Scrapped |
References
- ↑ "Global Attractions Attendance Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and AECOM.
- ↑ Meredith, Mark (20 April 2021). "St. Leonard's". House Histree.
- ↑ Kirkwood, Jean. "William de Braose and St Leonard's Hermitage". Thamesweb.
- ↑ Schoon, Nicholas (26 October 1992). "Windsor Safari Park closes but seeks a saviour". The Independent.
- ↑ Elliott, James (4 February 1993). "Home found for wildlife". Evening Post. p. 15.
- ↑ Whitehead, Mark (2 December 1992). "Legoland's jobs boost". Evening Post. p. 1.
- ↑ Angella Johnson (7 April 1994). "Green, clean theme park to offer the 'Lego experience'". The Guardian. p. 7.
- ↑ "A world of make-believe". Bracknell and Ascot Times. 4 April 1996. p. 8.
- ↑ "Article clipped from Lincolnshire Echo". Lincolnshire Echo. 29 March 1996. p. 2.
- ↑ "Please dad, can we go to Legoland instead?". The Independent (in English). 3 October 1997.
- ↑ Lego to sell parks as losses rise - BBC News
- ↑ "NINJAGO World at LEGOLAND in 2017". ThemeParks-UK.com (in British English). 22 December 2016.
- ↑ "Legoland owner Merlin Entertainments agrees £4.8bn offer". BBC News. 28 June 2019.
- ↑ Haskins, James (2021-05-28). "Mythica- Legoland Windsor: A first look". Coaster Kings. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ↑ "LEGO MYTHICA: World of Mythical Creatures at LEGOLAND Windsor in 2021" (in British English). ThemeParks-UK. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
| Amusement parks owned/operated by Merlin Entertainments | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dungeon | |||||||||
| Legoland | |||||||||
| Peppa Pig Theme Park | |||||||||