Remembering Mr Marvels - Scarborough's Lost Amusement Park!
I always remember Mr Marvels being a magical place as a child.
The now defunct seaside amusement park sat proudly atop the hill side overlooking North Sands in Scarborough and first opened to the public back in 1969.
Guests would access Mr Marvels by boarding a chairlift in North Bay and would be transported upwards towards the park’s entrance.
Once at the top a magical view would emerge in front of you as the park opened up before your eyes revealing all the fun rides and attractions that awaited you!
Mr Marvels sadly closed it’s gates to the public in 2001 so the site could be purposed for redevelopment.
Scarborough Zoo & Marineland.
Although the park is predominantly known as Mr Marvels, the park didn’t actually take the Marvels name until 1987.
Prior to that the park was officially known as Scarborough Zoo & Marineland and as such first opened under this name in 1969.
The park featured a number of different attractions ranging from a Dolphin Show & Sea lions to a model village and even an adventure playground.
The park later re-branded and became Mr Marvels Adventure Park which is how it stayed up until it’s closure.
Rides and Attractions
Mr Marvels featured a full range of different rides and attractions ranging from a Pinfari Steel Coaster named Viper (which relocated to Knowsley Safari Park upon the park’s closure) to a now scrapped tracked dark ride named Lost Underworld and even life sized model dinosaurs.
The park also featured a varied array of different travelling fairground rides including a range of waltzers, a Twist, a Giant Slide & a ride very similar to Funk ‘N’ Fly at Alton Towers and so much more!
The one ride that always sticks out the most in mind is a very sinister looking (and sounding) Ghost Train which I sadly never plucked up the courage to ride (unsure of the ride’s name though).
Marvel-ous Memories!
Throughout my childhood we visited many different seaside amusement parks (Blackpool Pleasure Beach predominantly being the main one), however Mr Marvels always sticks out in my mind as one of my favourites.
For me, it was the heightened anticipation riding up on the chairlift knowing what lay ahead. All of the different rides and attractions we would enjoy whilst running amok away from my mum and dad.
It’s also not somewhere we visited that often either (once a year if we were lucky).
I remember walking through the park’s entrance and taking in the atmosphere whilst listening to the joyful shrieks of laughter emanating around me.
I also remember the chills running down my spine and backing into the nook of my mother’s arm as we passed by the Ghost Train (I hadn’t been brave enough to experience one at that point.)
Overall though, I remember exploring the dinosaurs most (as those were my favourite back then) and enjoying the park’s more classic attractions.
An Amusement Park Lost to Time.
With the park now closed the site has lay abandoned since it’s closure and clearance for redevelopment.
Remnants of Mr Marvels can still be seen however and this is most evident by the rusting chairlift pylons still standing on the hillside in North Bay.
Even the main mechanism of the chairlift at the bottom of the hill still stands, the large wheel still visible to this day.
Above, the park’s layout can still be seen on the ground of the site where the rides and attractions once stood.
To our knowledge, nothing has yet replaced the park since it’s closure back over 2 decades ago (however if this is incorrect we’d love to know in the comments below).
It really is sad that we never got to revisit this fantastic park as an adult and we’re even more gutted that our son will never get to experience it.
Regardless, we’re just grateful we got to experience it!
Do you have any fond memories of either Mr Marvels or Scarborough Zoo and Marineland? If so, we’d love to know all about them in the comments below.
Thank you very much for reading!
*P.S. Did you know that Leeds almost boasted an amusement park that was set to rival Blackpool Pleasure Beach?! No? Click here and find out more!