Chessington World of Adventures

The mansion at Chessington World of Adventures Resort known today as the Burnt Stub was originally built in 1348, in Chessington, Surrey. After Goddard died in 1946, the Pearson Publishing Company took over the zoo and managed it until 1978, when The Tussauds Group, a new subsidiary of the Pearson Group, took over its management. Founding of the theme park In 1984, due to the zoo's declining attendance, Tussauds commissioned a team including John Wardley to redevelop the park as a theme park. On 7 July 1987 Chessington World of Adventures opened to the public in a ceremony including Prince Edward. In its first year, the park opened with the roller coaster Runaway Mine Train, the log flume Dragon River, the monorail Safari Skyway, the dark ride The 5th Dimension, and the Chessington Railroad as the main attractions (all supplied by the German ride manufacturer Heinrich Mack GmbH & Co). Smuggler's Galleon (a swinging ride) reached heights of 20 meters; it was later renamed Black Buccaneer. The new park development adopted a pay-once price structure as opposed to the fairground's former pay-per-ride format. Other support rides were also opened and the park opened five themed areas: Calamity Canyon, Mystic East, Market Square, Toy Town and Circus World. The park was built on a relatively small budget of around £12 million. Development history In 1988, ''Smugglers' Galleon'' was opened in a small new area named Smugglers' Cove. The 1990 season saw the park expand with the new Transylvania area, featuring The Vampire (opening and still operating as the only suspended rollercoaster outside of America) and ''Prof. Burp's Bubble Works''. In 1998, the Rattlesnake wild mouse coaster opened in Calamity Canyon. In 1999, Chessington opened the thrill ride Samurai in the Mystic East. In 2000, Beanoland opened on the former site of Circus World, with the new rides ''Billy's Whizzer and Roger the Dodger's Dodgems''. In 2011 the Ocean Tunnel and surrounding rooms in the Sea Life Centre were re-themed to Azteca. In 2012 a small new land named Africa replaced the ToyTown area. 2022 saw a new carnival event 'Mardi Grrra!' running from 27 May to 26 June. 2023 saw the opening of a new land on 15 May, 'World of Jumanji'. The new area features a B&M Shuttle Launched Wing coaster, and two SBF Visa Group attractions. The Scorpion Express section of Mexicana and the adjacent Children's Zoo were closed for redevelopment during the 2024 season to make way for a new Paw Patrol-themed area. The revamped section is scheduled to open in the spring of 2026, and will feature a new Zierer Force roller coaster designed specifically for younger riders. This new attraction will replace the now-defunct Scorpion Express, which was removed as part of the ongoing redevelopment project. The Wild Asia-themed area was closed during the 2025 season in preparation for its transformation into a Minecraft-themed area, slated to open in the 2027 season. As part of this redevelopment, the KOBRA attraction will be relocated and rethemed, while a new indoor roller coaster by Intamin will be introduced. Resort development In June 2007, the park opened the Safari Hotel, initially operated by Holiday Inn. In 2014, "nearly £15 million" was invested in the resort as the whole, with an extension built to the existing hotel, advertised as the "Azteca Hotel". The Safari Hotel also received a second pool. Explorer Glamping was launched in May 2016, on the field behind Wild Asia. In 2025, the area was closed as part of the future redevelopment of Wild Asia. == Awards ==

In 2023, at the fourth annual UK Theme Park Awards, Chessington World of Adventures won a number of gold, silver and bronze awards. It managed to win the gold Awards in the following categories: Theme Park of the Year, Best New Attraction, Best Theme Park with Animals and Best Marketing Campaign. ==Rides and attractions==

Roller coasters } || align=center |Steel spinning coaster || align=center |2004 || align=center |Land Of The Dragons|| align=center |Maurer Söhne || Family spinning coaster. Flat rides } || align=center| Disk'O Coaster || align=center| 2010 ||align=center| Wild Asia || align=center| Zamperla || A Disk-O Coaster ride. • Chessington Railroad ( narrow gauge) left at the end of 1996. • Scorpion Express was a Mack Rides Blauer Enzian coaster. The ride opened in 1987, as Runaway Train and was rethemed to Scorpion Express in 2014. • Monkey Swinger was a wave swinger ride with a water element, opened in 2000 and closed at the end of 2024. Originally opened as ''Billy's Whizzer'' in Beanoland and rethemed in 2010 as part of Wild Asia. • Tuk Tuk Turmoil was a bumper car attraction themed to tuk-tuks, opened in 2000 and closed at the end of 2024. Originally opened as Roger the Dodger's Dodgems in Beanoland and rethemed as part of Wild Asia in 2010. ==Future developments==

In recent years, several investments have taken place in the resort in an attempt to recover from the visitor numbers lost from the COVID-19 pandemic and to remain competitive with other theme parks, including Universal's planned park in Bedford. Minecraft World In November 2024, the park submitted plans for an immersive new land to replace the Wild Asia themed area. The area will feature 3 rides including an indoor rollercoaster, restaurant and shop. The land is to be themed to Minecraft, which was officially announced during a Minecraft Live livestream on 21 March 2026. Safari Lodges In line with Merlin Entertainments' ambition to invest in short break offerings, there are plans to develop 34 Safari Lodges in the Wanyama Village. It will open in 2027 alongside Minecraft World. Waterpark On 16 November 2022, Chessington held a public consultation regarding plans to create an indoor water park as an extension to the Safari Hotel. A public consultation closed on 30 November and plans were submitted on 30 June 2023. ==Events==

Over the years, Chessington held a variety of events to enhance the guest experience. Themed park-wide takeovers through means of new shows, soundtracks, custom food and retail items, and additional theming were seen largely between 2022 and 2024 with Eggsplorers, Mardi Grrra, Wilderfest, and Summer Festival. Howl'o'ween On select days in October and November, Chessington hosts its biggest event – Howl'o'ween, previously known as Halloween Hocus Pocus. During the event the park is decorated for Halloween with various large theming elements. During the event, several shows run on different stages, and walkthrough scare attractions are available. On some event days, rides operate in the dark due to extended opening hours. – Previous Howl'o'ween attraction. – Current Howl'o'ween attraction. • The Scooby-Doo event was what the original Halloween Hocus Pocus event was based on, featuring attractions such as The Mystery Machine and a Scooby-Doo meeting point. It was replaced in 2006 by a Star Wars based event. • The Star Wars event was held during the 2006 Halloween Hocus Pocus event to replace the previous Scooby-Doo based attractions. Due to a poor reception, the event never returned. Instead new attractions were conceived for following events. • Creepy Caves Unearthed won the SCARECON 2017 Award for Best Original Concept and Design and was nominated for Best Set/Costume and Make Up. Winter's Tail Winter's Tail is Chessington's Christmas event which runs from late November through to the new year. The resort opens with Christmas decorations and the 'Christmas Village' next to Sea Lion Bay, where children can meet Santa Claus in his Grotto and explore the 'Enchanted Hollow: Toy Workshop'. Some rides are open, including, but not limited to, the entire World of Jumanji, and The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure. The majority of the zoo is also available. A pantomime show on the 'Mane Stage' runs daily as well as singing from Christmas carollers in Adventure Point. One-off events • Ice Age – In August 2009, Chessington held an event to celebrate the release of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. The park opened a temporary maze outside Beanoland for the event. • Vampire XXI – In April 2011 Chessington opened a temporary maze in the area outside the Vampire roller coaster to celebrate its 21st birthday. The event was free and ran for two weeks. • Mystic East Carnival – The Mystic East Carnival was a display of arts from the orient shown in Market Square and Mystic East. The event was held in May for a number of weeks. • 25th Birthday Celebration – During July 2012, the resort had 25 days of events to celebrate the theme park's 25th anniversary. • African Adventures – The February half term event for many years up until 2015, this event saw African tribal dancers and street explorers can be found roaming and interacting with guests, as well as African artwork and creative activities dotted around the park. • Animal Adventures – A weeklong celebration held during the February half term of 2016 to celebrate 85 years of the Zoo being at Chessington. Many animal talks and events went on to celebrate all Animal life at Chessington. This was a one-off event, however, it was adapted for a more general event under the same name from 2017. • Moshi Monsters – From 25 July to 18 August 2012, the Moshi Monsters visited Chessington. The characters could be met, and there were challenges around the park which if completed could win Moshi Monster lanyards, in-game 1,000 rox codes and seeds. Each Moshling was looking after a secret symbol, collect all eight to unlock the code word and reveal a new Moshling online. Guests also had the chance to win Moshi prizes and giveaways. • ''Elmer's Big Art Parade'' – From 19 April to 31 May 2021, where guests could join a patchwork elephant for a sculpture trail around the Resort and rides on Elmer's Flying Jumbos. • Roar & Explore - An evening in 2023 and 2024 involving speeches and information about the charity work the Chessington Conservation Fund is involved in, as well as presentations of some of the Zoo's endangered species. All revenue goes towards the fund. ==Theme Park==

Chessington World of Adventures opened on 6 July 1987. Its original theme was cultural locations from around the world. Major attractions include: Vampire, ''Dragon's Fury, Zufari: Ride into Africa, Mandrill Mayhem and Croc Drop''. Land of the Tiger Until the end of the 2017 season named "Mystic East", this is an oriental-themed area built around the Tiger Rock log flume (previously Dragon River). Forbidden Kingdom An Ancient Egyptian area, Forbidden Kingdom was created in 1994 originally opening with the Terror Tomb dark ride. Currently, it only contains two rides; Tomb Blaster and Croc Drop. Opening in 2002 Tomb Blaster is a dark ride shoot out game where riders shoot laser guns at targets and is a retheme of the 'Terror Tomb' dark ride. One side of Forbidden Kingdom is architecturally designed as an Arabic market town, while Tomb Blaster is set in an Ancient Egyptian courtyard tomb area, though much detail has been removed throughout the area over the years. The second attraction located in Forbidden Kingdom is a brand new family drop tower Croc Drop. The ride opened as a replacement to Rameses Revenge in March 2021, and is themed around the Egyptian crocodile god Sobek. The ride's slogan is, "Brave the drop, release the curse!". Rattlesnake is a steel sit-down Wild Mouse roller coaster that opened in 1998 in the former Mexicana area. In 2026, due to the redevelopment of most of Mexicana as World of Paw Patrol, the ride was reclassified under the adjacent Forbidden Kingdom area. Land of the Dragons Land of the Dragons is the park's main children's area. Opening in 2004, it is a self-contained, dragon-themed land containing rides and attractions designed to appeal to very young children apart from one. It is one of the two areas of the park not themed to a time or place from world culture. There are two play areas in the land: ''Dragon's Playhouse, a large soft play area, and adjacent to this is Canopy Capers, an outdoor treehouse rope bridge attraction. Griffin's Galleon'' is a Kontiki rock'n'tug ride and Sea Dragons is a spinning boat ride. Aside from the children's attractions, ''Dragon's Fury'' is an intense spinning roller coaster encompassing the area with its layout. Rainforest Rainforest is a small area aimed at families. Its architecture is recycled from the previous "Toytown" theme, with the original caricatured buildings redressed as African huts. Its previous name "Africa" has been home of the Madagascar franchise since opening in 2012. In 2020 it was refurbished as The Rainforest with a new mini log flume, River Rafts, relocated from Weymouth Sea Life Centre. Wanyama Village & Reserve Wanyama Village & Reserve is Chessington's African area in the form of a large animal reserve. It has ZUFARI – Ride into Africa! as the key attraction, a safari truck adventure through an undiscovered area of Africa. Making up part of the ZUFARI landscape is the Wanayama Village and Reserve, an African themed area of the zoo. The ZUFARI field and Wanyama Reserve are used as a backdrop to the Safari Hotel. ZUFARI's total size is 22 acres and has flamingos, giraffe, ostrich, Nile lechwe, white rhino, Grevy's zebra, scimitar horned oryx and sitatungas. Along the pathways of Zufari are various African-style paintings on fences. In the centre of the Wanyama section of ZUFARI is a large faux-stone carving of a lion. A winding waterfall runs along its side. The area's name was changed in 2020 from ZUFARI to Wanyama Village & Reserve. World of Jumanji World of Jumanji is an area themed to the franchise of the same name, that opened on 15 May 2023, becoming Chessington's 11th themed area. The area features a B&M Shuttle Launched Wing coaster, Mandrill Mayhem and two SBF Visa Group attractions, Mamba Strike and Ostrich Stampede. As well as three rides, the area features extensive theming, immersive 'carnival style' games, themed food and retail experiences, and finally play equipment and a treasure hunt around the area. World of Paw Patrol World of Paw Patrol is a area themed to the series of the same name, that opened on 3 May 2026, as Chessington's 12th themed area. It replaced Scorpion Express that closed in 2022. The area features two Zierer rides and two Zamperla rides. Being Zuma's Hovercraft Adventure is a drifter ride which is the first of its kind in the UK, Marshall's Firetruck Rescue is a bus ride that was originally located at Beanoland and Wild Asia from 2001 to 2024 where it operated as Bash Street Bus and Jungle Bus. Skye's Helicopter Heroes is a helicopter ride, and Chase's Mountain Mission is a kiddie roller coaster which is the main attraction of the area. Operating season The operating season usually starts around mid March and runs until the start of November. Chessington also opens around Christmas holidays and the February half terms for certain events, which include opening up some selective rides for those events. ==Zoo==

In 1931, Reginald Goddard opened the Chessington Zoo. In 1946 when Goddard died, the Pearson Publishing Company took over the zoo and managed it until 1978, when The Tussauds Group took control of the park. Near the entrance to the Zoo, there are enclosures for otters and reindeer. Chessington Zoo also has an area called Sealion Bay, which features sea lion presentations several times a day. The Trails of the Kings; a walkthrough attraction home to enclosures for western lowland gorillas, Asiatic lions, fossa, Carpathian lynx, and binturong. In 2007 the Trail of the Kings section of the zoo underwent an inspection with the outcome that the gorilla enclosure was too small. A bigger building for the gorillas was completed in 2010. As of 2013, there are 10 gorillas at Chessington, as well as two infants born in 2012. The Wanyama Village & Reserve opened in late May 2010, in an area behind the Safari Hotel and houses animals such as Grévy's zebra, sitatunga antelope, ostrich, dorcas gazelle, Nile lechwe, fennec fox, dwarf mongoose, southern ground hornbill, Kirk's dik-dik, Aloatran gentle lemur, black-cheeked lovebird, crested porcupine, meerkats, scimitar horned oryx, common eland and Ankole cattle. It is part of the ZUFARI animal reserve. The area is open to guests staying in the Safari Hotel during the evening. The Children's Zoo animals moved here after its closure in 2024. The AMAZU Treetop Adventure opened in April 2014 on the former site of the Monkey & Bird Garden. The area features adventure trail walkways, play areas and Aztec theming. The area has spider monkeys, saki monkeys, red-handed tamarins, golden-headed lion tamarins, Bolivian squirrel monkeys, Geoffroy marmosets, capybara, military macaws, Ecuadorian red-lored amazons, giant wood rail, agouti and three-banded armadillo. The animals in the area can either be viewed on ground or through the Amazu raised walkways, some of which, go through the enclosures. Penguin Bay is a new area that opened in March 2015 as part of the Year of the Penguins. It features the long time residents of Chessington Zoo Humboldt penguins in a beach themed area. Seating for the demonstrations is aboard a shipwreck with a canopy. The new enclosure features glass walls to allow for better public viewing. Chessington Sea Life Centre In 2008, Chessington Zoo opened Chessington Sea Life Centre on the site of the old children's Zoo, as an attempt to both determine if the park had a positive future and also to attract more multi-day visits. The Sea Life Centre, which is part of a franchise operated by Merlin Entertainments, has a number of exhibits including a Ray Pool and a touch pool. The Sea Life Centre is split into four areas: Our Shoreline, The Reef, Amazonia and Azteca which features the signature Ocean Tunnel. in Azteca "Our Shoreline" is the oldest area and has sea creatures found on the coast of Britain, featuring rays, seahorses and starfish. The area also has smaller exhibits including clownfish and crabs. The Touch Pool is also found here, in the centre of the area. The following area is named "The Reef", which features clownfish, cleaner shrimp, regal tang, slipper lobster and upside-down jellyfish Next to this area is Amazonia, which opened in 2009. It is a slightly smaller version of the same exhibit that has appeared at other Sea Life Centres. It includes red-bellied piranhas, common octopus, tetras and other, smaller exhibits. Azteca opened in 2011, it features a 10-meter Ocean Tunnel, which has sea creatures including: bonnethead sharks, lion fish, starry pufferfish, surgeon fish, angle fish, catshark and epaulette shark. The tunnel existed before the 2011 addition but was redeveloped for the arrival of new fish. Aside from the Ocean Tunnel, Azteca also has jellyfish, seahorse and northern wolffish. The placement of the area has resulted in the division of the Our Shoreline area, which is now separated into two areas. ==Accommodation==

Currently, Chessington World of Adventures operate two on-site hotels and a Glamping experience. Safari Hotel The Safari Hotel is a four star hotel themed to appear like a Safari Lodge. It was originally named the Safari Lodge Hotel in 2007, before changing to the Chessington Resort Hotel in 2010. The hotel was then refurbished and relaunched for 2014 and has since been known simply as the Safari Hotel. The hotel opened in June 2007 and was originally operated by Holiday Inn until it was fully taken over by Merlin Entertainments in May 2014. The hotel features various African elements with giraffe sculptures in the foyer and Zafari Bar & Grill. The hotel's check in area features a reptile enclose, which has a variety of animals housed in it depending on the time of year. When the hotel was integrated as a resort in 2010, the Wanyama Village & Reserve opened with access from the hotel. Azteca Hotel The Azteca Hotel is the newer of the two and opened in 2014. The hotel is four star and themed around an ancient aztec temple. The hotel has three floors, with each floor themed to a different level of the temple. The top floor (named "Temple Summit") is decorated to give the impression that guests are on top of the structure looking out at the wildlife around. The hotel's Temple Restaurant has a heavy emphasis on special effects, with a large tower sitting in the centre of the room. Every thirty minutes, it makes a display of water fountains, it also features rapid lighting sequences and ultraviolet markings. Around the perimeter of the restaurant is a trail of leaf cutter ants which pass the tables. At the entrance to the restaurant is a tank of red bellied piranha. Due to the hotel being built partly into the side of a hill, the Temple Restaurant has no windows, and instead has a series of screens built into the walls, showing animated videos of the South American wildlife. The hotel is linked to the Amazu area of Chessington Zoo, which is also aztec themed. Due to the location of the hotel in relation to the car parks, check in is located in the Safari Hotel. Explorer Glamping (2016 - 2024) Launched on 27 May 2016, Chessington's Explorer Glamping site comprises a total of 31 standard, and four deluxe tents. The Glamping site is located in the south west of the park, behind Lorikeet Lagoon in the Theme Park. The 'Explorer's Outpost' restaurant is available to residents. In line with the redevelopment of Wild Asia, which closed in 2024, Explorer Glamping was removed to make space for new developments. ==2014 court case==

In June 2012, a four-year-old girl fell 4.2 metres (nearly 14 feet) while in line waiting for a ride. The park was summoned by Health and Safety Executive which claimed a health and safety breach. In the same month, park owner Merlin Entertainments initiated a court case to seek an injunction against Peter Cave, owner of survey consultancy Peer Egerton Limited. The consultancy firm had been hired by Merlin to prepare a report on the safety of the park, after the 2012 accident. Cave's firm found 2,000 defects and potential safety hazards. This led to a dispute between Cave and Merlin, culminating in court proceedings to prevent the park from reopening after its 2012 winter break. Merlin won this case and the park reopened. Cave then set up a campaign to warn the public and staff of the findings, including sending out 80,000 emails. Merlin claimed to have spent the £4.6 million on repairs and improvements that Cave had recommended and named the allegations "baseless". But High Court Judge Elisabeth Laing ruled that the campaign was a "matter of public interest" and refused the injunction to silence Cave. ==Green belt restrictions==

Due to the majority of the theme park being located on green belt lands the park is subject to several restrictions. Most significant are restrictions in height (no building higher than the tree line), noise (with time restrictions) and traffic management. Various rides have had to have been built in pits due to these restrictions. It is most noticeable on Blue Barnacle, Croc Drop and Rattlesnake. The resort cannot operate Vampire past 11pm. The resort was not allowed to build anything higher than the Peeking Heights Ferris Wheel, which has since been removed from the park. ==Gallery==

:Main gallery: Chessington World of Adventures Resort at WikiCommons ;Theme park and features File:Chessington World of Adventures 070.jpg|Lorikeet Lagoon in Wild Asia File:Chessington World of Adventures Land of the Dragons.jpg|Frazzle the Dragon File:Chessington World of Adventures 034.jpg|Entrance to ''Dragon's Fury'' in Land of the Dragons File:Burnt Stub at Chessington, 2012.JPG|The Burnt Stub Mansion ;Chessington Zoo Two ostriches, Chessington World of Adventure and Zoo.jpg|Ostriches in their Wanyama Village enclosure Chessington gorilla eating.jpg|Chessington gorilla eating Chessington Zoo Sumatran tiger 2010.jpg|Sumatran tiger 2010 Sea lion enclosure, Chessington World of Adventures - geograph.org.uk - 254717.jpg|Sea lion enclosure Chessington World of Adventures otters.jpg|River otter enclosure Kune kune pig Chessington Zoo.jpg|Kunekune at petting zoo ==See also==