| Flambards Theme Park | |
| Location: | Culdrose Manor, Helston, Cornwall, England |
| Season: | Easter–October with winter opening of undercover exhibitions |
| Area: | 27 |
| Opening Date: | 1976 |
| Rides: | 15 |
| Coasters: | 0 |
| Water Rides: | 1 |
| Owner: | Hale family (1976-2013) Livingston Leisure Ltd (2013 - Present) |
| Slogan: | "Best Day of the Week" |
| Coordinates: | 50.092°N -5.258°W |
Flambards Theme Park is an amusement park on the southern outskirts of the town of Helston in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1976 as the Cornwall Aero Park by Douglas Kingsford Hale MBE.
Flambards first opened in 1976 under the name of 'Cornwall Aero Park'. Owned by Douglas Kingsford Hale MBE, the park slowly built up an array of aircraft, models and exhibitions.
In 1984, "Britain in the Blitz," a mock-up of a bomb-hit street during World War II, was opened.[1]
By 1990, the park had grown and was renamed "The Flambards Experience." Early rides featured at the theme park included the Dragon Coaster, the Canyon River Log Flume, Paddle Boats, and the hype glide.
For the 2007 season, three rides were added: The Rocking Tug, The Carousel, and The Space Shuttle.
For the 2008 season, the Cornish Mine Train ride was added and the War of the Worlds paintball game was introduced. 2009 saw no major additions to the park, however the field housing the helipad was sold late in the season. The museum exhibitions are open year-round, but the rides and play areas are open seasonally.
In 2010, the Skyraker 001 opened and claimed the title of the UK's first twisting drop tower. As well as this addition, the Park was renamed to Flambards Theme Park.
On 6 December 2013, the park was bought by Livingston Leisure Ltd, an investor in the Park.[2]
In 2015, Livingston Leisure opened a new ride called the 'Sky Swinger', added screens fronted to like a picture frame to the Victorian Village, and is continuing to make improvements to the Park which will have been open for 40 years in 2016.
In March 2016, Jurassic Journey, a permanent exhibition where visitors can follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs, opened at the Park.
March 2017 brought the announcement of further investment in the form of a new HUSS Frisbee Ride, transported from the defunct Pleasure Island park in Lincolnshire, and renamed as Sky-Force to fit in with the current Sky High thrill rides promotion. The ride took the former place of the Ladybird Coin Operated Boats, Coin Operated Trucks and Kids pirate-themed play area and climbing frame.
The winter of 2017-2018 saw an improvement in current facilities and a major redecoration, which has led to a much cleaner and brighter feel for the 2018 season.
The 2018-2019 Winter closure, saw minor renovations around the park, including the redecoration of some of the indoor exhibits. It also saw the addition of a coin-operated, ‘Faulty Repair Shop’ shooting gallery, manufactured by Pan Amusements. The unit is located next to the entrance of the indoor attractions. Access to the Avro Shackleton cockpit was also removed, over radiation fears.
The winter of 2019-2020 saw minor improvements around the park. These included the removal of trees around the Hornet Coaster, a new canopy on the Carousel, and improvements to park and ride lighting.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Flambards Theme Park was closed for a brief period of time in early 2020. The site was reopened in July of the same year after government guidance was changed.
The park was forced to close for a brief period, at the beginning of the 2021 season, fully reopening in May. A new ride was announced prior to opening, ‘The Western Mine Train,’ and officially opened on 26 May 2021. Other work that took place over the 2020-2021 Winter season included the demolition of the Indoor Stage and ‘Kingsford Hale’ Bar. This has now been replaced with an outdoor seating area. The Victorian village had a partial replacement of lighting, with the introduction of LED bulbs in certain areas. Minor repairs have been made in ‘Britain in the Blitz,’ further improving the exhibition. The outdoor play area has also had a completely new set of play equipment.
The 2021-2022 Winter closure saw lots of redecoration around the park, including areas that had not been touched for several years. The Village cafe was completely revamped, with new seating, and a repaint. The Science Exploratorium was demolished, and replaced with an outdoor seating area. Additionally, the former Remote Controlled Pirate Ship area has been demolished and reverted to a pond. Trees around ‘Ferdi’s Funland’ have been removed, and the Miniature Pirate Ship in this area has been replaced with a Miniature Carousel.
Between the 2022, and 2023 seasons, the ‘Balloon Race’ ride was replaced with the newer ‘Samba Balloons’ ride, which is aimed at a slightly younger audience. ‘Ferdi’s Indoor Play’ (previously known as One2Eleven - a separate attraction) was combined with the park admission, to allow younger visitors to stay and play inside, while the older visitors ride. The ‘Space Race’ ride was removed, along with the smaller indoor play area, ‘Cool Zone’. Various landscaping tasks also took place over the winter closure, including filling in the former ‘Remote Control Pirate Ships’ pond, to create a welcoming garden space, and the trees surrounding the ‘Cyclecopters’ and ‘Ferdi’s Indoor Play’ were removed.
Early in 2024, Flambards announced the arrival of a new ride, ‘ThunderDome’, a waltzer ride. This was opened at the start of the parks 2024 season. On the 3rd June 2024, Flambards announced that several of its thrill rides, were out of operation. Wednesday 5th June 2024, saw the official announcement from Flambards,[3] that 4 of its thrill rides had permanently closed, and would be leaving the park during an additional closure period during June 2024. This meant that ‘The Thunderbolt’, ‘Sky Swinger’, ‘SkyForce’, and ‘Hornet Coaster’ would be removed from the park ahead of reopening in July. [4]
The Main Rides and Attractions[5] located at Flambards are as follows.
| Attraction | Age range | Year Opened | Opening time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family | 1990’s | 10:00 | Made by Zamperla. | ||
| Family | 2023 | 10:00 | Balloons spin around a centerpiece. Made by Zamperla. | ||
| Cyclocopters | Children/Family | 1990’s | 10:00 | Pedal powered monorail with cars themed as helicopters. | |
| Thunderdome | Thrill | 2024 | 10:00 | A waltzer ride on loan from John Armitage. | |
| Family | 2007 | 10:00 | Made by Zamperla; formerly owned by The American Adventure Theme Park | ||
| Carousel | Family | 2007 | 10:00 | Formerly owned by The American Adventure Theme Park | |
| Family/Thrill | 2010 | 10:00 | It is the tallest ride in the park, with views of the surrounding area. Manufactured by SBF Visa | ||
| Family | 2024 | 10:00 | Traditional dodgem on loan from Ryan Lowe. | ||
| The Western Mine Train | Family | 2022 | 10:00 | A short train ride, through a Western Mining Town. | |
| Flying Planes | Family | 2024 | 10:00 | Suspended flying plane kiddie whip style attraction similar to a Race-O-Rama. | |
| Flambards Formula Circuit | Family | (New Fleet in 2017) | 10:00 | 20 go karts (10 single and 10 double seaters) on a figure of 8 track. A pay for attraction. | |
| Demon Drop | Family | 1990s | 10:00 | Cornwall’s Tallest Drop Slide | |
| Mini Golf | Family | 2018 | 10:00 | Free to play Crazy Golf. Pre-Historic Landscape Themed. |
An area at Flambards is devoted to younger guests.[6]
| Attraction | Year Opened | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Cannonball | 2000s | As you spin, control your height as you fly in 4-person capsules. | |
| Mini Carousel | 2022 | A miniature version of the traditional carousel. | |
| Teacups | 2000s | A miniature version of a tea cups ride. | |
| Dino Express | 2000s | Travel through a Dinosaur Haven in Dinosaur-themed cars. | |
| The Cornwall Eye | 2000s | A miniature version of a classic Ferris wheel. |
Life-size dinosaurs include a 5-metre tall brachiosaurus, a T-Rex and a triceratops. There is also a "Dino-Nursery" including baby velociraptors and a "Dino-dig" – where children can unearth fossilised remains of a prehistoric boneyard.[7]
The Victorian Village was created of just three rooms in 1979 by Mrs. Audrey Kingsford – Hale who wanted to portray a life-size recreation of the fascinating Victorian period. Through the years the village has grown to some 50 shops, cottages and attendant trades including a butcher’s shop, bakery, blacksmiths and sweet shop.
A time capsule is also available to view showing the history of William Whites Chemist Shop. William White’s shop was discovered after being locked away and forgotten since 1909 in South Petherton, Somerset. The shop was sold at auction as 1 lot, and purchased over the phone, by Flambards’ Founder, Douglas Kingsford Hale. Every item in the shop was numbered and charted so that when it was re-assembled at Flambards everything was exactly the same as the original.
The Britain in the Blitz exhibition was opened in 1984 by Dame Vera Lynn. The exhibition is a life size replica of a London street, blitzed during World War II.
Opened, and Closed dates are unknown for the following attractions.
Flambards has three main eateries within the park.
There are also many takeaway kiosks located around the park. These serve a range of hot and cold drinks, snacks, and ice creams.
Flambards has two gift shops within the park.
Ride Photography is available on the Colorado River Falls Log Flume, with a range of gifts for sale featuring your ride photo.