Tucktonia was a late 1970s
theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
located on Stour Road,
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
, Dorset, England. It was officially opened on 23 May 1976 by
Arthur Askey
Arthur Bowden Askey, (6 June 1900 – 16 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature (5' 2", 1.58 m) and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation ...
. It originally occupied of the Tuckton Park Leisure Complex. The park was closed down in 1986. The site has since been redeveloped for residential use.
General information
The park was best known for its large
model village
A model village is a type of mostly self-contained community, built from the late 18th century onwards by landowners and business magnates to house their workers. Although the villages are located close to the workplace, they are generally phys ...
layout, which included a representation of London.
The
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
ride-on
steam train
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
and some additional fixtures and fittings, were moved to the
Moors Valley Railway
The Moors Valley Railway is a narrow gauge passenger railway, in the Moors Valley Country Park at Ashley Heath, Dorset, England near Ringwood in Hampshire. There are 20 steam engines and 2 diesel engines. The railway is fully signalled, with ...
in the
Moors Valley Country Park
Moors Valley Country Park, officially Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, is a Country Park jointly managed by Dorset Council and Forestry England situated in Ashley Heath, Dorset on the border with Hampshire, in the south of England.
The park ...
near
Ringwood, Hampshire.
It is rumoured that just prior to the closure of the park, the owners wanted to build a
roller coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...
at the rear of the site, but were refused permission by the local
council
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
. Following the refusal, the park closed shortly afterwards.
Bekonscot
Bekonscot in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, is the oldest original model village in the world. It portrays aspects of England mostly dating from the 1930s.
Bekonscot was first created in the 1920s by a Beaconsfield resident, Roland Callingha ...
Model Village in
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
provided much inspiration for the designers, one of whom had his office near Bekonscot and was a frequent visitor. The bulk of the models were built by KLF Ltd, who later went on to design similar models at Britannia Park in Derbyshire (known as "The American Adventure" theme park by the time of its demise in 2006). Tucktonia was the brainchild of former double British Formula 3 champion
Harry Stiller
Harry Stiller (28 May 1938 – 13 May 2018) was a British racing driver and British Formula Three Champion. His racing career covered the years between 1958 and 1969 and he drove a variety of different classes of cars. After stopping driving ...
who was still living in the area in 2006, before his death in 2018.
Some sources claim that the miniature London landmarks were destroyed during the making of the 1985 alien invasion movie ''
Lifeforce'', and that the entire model village was destroyed when the park closed. However, other sources claim that, while the model village was used as the miniature set for the filming of ''Lifeforce'', the visual effects crew actually used their own destructible miniatures in the Tucktonia streets. The model of
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
survives; this was acquired, restored and put on display at the
Wimborne Model Town
Wimborne Model Town, situated on the edge of the town of Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England, is one of the largest and most established model towns in England. It depicts the town of Wimborne as it was at the time the model was originally mad ...
,
Wimborne Minster
Wimborne Minster (often referred to as Wimborne, ) is a market town in Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. It lies at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, north of Poole ...
in 2002, and moved to
Merrivale Model Village,
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
in 2006.
There are numerous unsubstantiated rumours that the models were not destroyed after the closure of the park – the main one being that they were instead placed into storage within a
barn
A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G. ...
where they remained until 2001, when the building burnt down.
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
's ''
Multi-Coloured Swap Shop
''Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'', more commonly known simply as ''Swap Shop'', is a British children's television series that aired on BBC1 from 2 October 1976 to 27 March 1982. It was ground-breaking in many ways: by broadcasting on Saturday mornin ...
'' show broadcast live from the park on one occasion.
The park's model London was used extensively in the obscure 1976
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
spoof
Queen Kong
''Queen Kong'' is a 1976 British-German adventure comedy film parodying ''King Kong''. The film was never released theatrically in the United Kingdom, due to legal action by Dino De Laurentiis, producer of the 1976 ''King Kong'' remake and RKO ...
.
Places and buildings featured in the model village
*
Christchurch Priory
Christchurch Priory is an ecclesiastical parish and former priory church in Christchurch in the English county of Dorset (formerly in Hampshire).
It is one of the longest parish churches in the country and is as large as many of the Church of E ...
*
Prospect of Whitby (London pub)
The Prospect of Whitby is a historic public house on the banks of the Thames at Wapping in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lays claim to being the site of the oldest riverside tavern, dating from around 1520.
History
The tavern was fo ...
*
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
, Great Britain – a re-creation of a "typical" British High Street
* London's
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule and Suspended-deck suspension bridge, suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones (architect), Horace Jones and e ...
, The
Victoria Embankment
Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and river-walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London. It runs from the Palace of Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge in the City of London, and acts as a major thoroughfare ...
, The
Houses of Parliament
The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...
,
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side.
The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the H ...
,
Cleopatra's Needle
Cleopatra's Needles are a separated pair of ancient Egyptian obelisks now in London and New York City. The obelisks were originally made in Heliopolis (modern Cairo) during the New Kingdom period, inscribed by the 18th dynasty pharaoh Thutmose I ...
,
HMS "Discovery", The
National Westminster Tower,
Piccadilly Circus
Rides and attractions present whilst the park was operating
After closure
After the park closed in 1986, the buildings and fixtures were cleared and the land used at first for a
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
called "The Olde Colonial", then, at a later date, "Bar Max". These were housed in the original buildings built by Harry Stiller and operated by him and known as the Golfer's Arms. This was a highly popular venue for both locals and tourists alike and featured the Raceway bar, where one of Harry Stiller's original race cars was a centrepiece on one of the walls in the main bar.
At a later date in the 1990s these buildings were cleared, and a number of retirement
flats
Flat or flats may refer to:
Architecture
* Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries
Arts and entertainment
* Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch
* Flat (soldier), ...
were built. These currently occupy the former site.
References
External links
Moors Valley RailwayOriginal Tucktonia Brochures and other memorabiliaBBC Radio Solent's Jon Cuthill goes in search of Tucktonia
{{Christchurch, Dorset
History of Christchurch, Dorset
Defunct amusement parks in the United Kingdom
Defunct amusement parks in England
Amusement parks in England
Buildings and structures in Christchurch, Dorset
Miniature parks
Tourist attractions in Christchurch, Dorset
1976 establishments in England
1986 disestablishments in England
Amusement parks opened in 1976
Amusement parks closed in 1986