Alton Towers

Early 20th-century public opening Alton Towers first opened to the public on a regular basis following the opening of Alton Towers railway station. Money raised from railway excursions was paid to the Earl to help maintain the grounds. In 1924, a group of local estate agents formed Alton Towers Ltd to take ownership of the estate and kept the gardens open as a visitor attraction. The estate was later closed to the public upon its requisition by the military during the Second World War. In the early 1950s, ownership was returned to Alton Towers Ltd and the grounds reopened to the public. Alton Towers continue to grow as a visitor attraction, with additions including a railway, fairground and, by the 1960s, a boating lake and chairlift. Property developer John Broome later acquired majority control in the park and began planning its development as a theme park. Early theme park developments (1980-1990) Under John Broome's ownership, Alton Towers was opened as a theme park in 1980 with the introduction of a pay-one-price ticket structure and new attractions, including the Corkscrew. The following years saw new rides and areas including The Flume, Around The World in 80 Days, The Black Hole and the Grand Canyon Rapids. Tussauds Group developments (1990–2007) In 1990, Broome sold Alton Towers to The Tussauds Group, then a division of Pearson plc, after his development of the former Battersea Power Station encountered financial difficulties. The Tussauds Group was sold to venture capital firm Charterhouse in 1998. Oblivion opened that same year and Air (now Galactica) opened in 2002, both advertised as 'World First' ride types, followed by Spinball Whizzer in 2004. In 2005, Dubai International Capital (DIC) acquired Tussauds for £800 million. That same year, Rita–Queen of Speed was built in the Ug Land area of the park. Merlin Entertainments developments (2007–present) In May 2007, The Blackstone Group purchased The Tussauds Group for US$1.9 billion and merged it with its then-subsidiary Merlin Entertainments. Dubai International Capital also gained 20% of Merlin Entertainment. Merlin continues to operate the site under a renewable 35-year lease. In 2020, Alton Towers operated on a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, operating on a limited capacity from 4 July to 5 November. The resort resumed normal operations on 12 April 2021. In 2024, Nemesis was revamped as Nemesis Reborn after a year-long refurbishment, along with a revamp of the surrounding Forbidden Valley area. The following year saw the opening of Toxicator in the area, a HUSS suspended topspin, on the former site of Ripsaw. 2025 also saw a cut to entertainment offerings, with the stage on the lawn being removed and a decrease in live actors. In 2025, Alton Towers announced a new junior roller coaster based on the Bluey (TV series) was being developed for Cbeebies Land, which opened in March 2026, replacing Postman Pat Parcel Post. == Rides and attractions ==

Roller coasters } Flat rides }||align=center|Teacups Ride Water/Dark rides } ||Splash Battle Children's rides and attractions } ||align=center|Driving Attraction||2006||style="text-align: center"|The Towers||style="text-align: center"|SB International AB||style="text-align:left"|A children's car driving attraction. Theme park transport and grounds } ||Outdoor trail The woodland path was laid in place of the former Park Railway route, which ran 1953–1996. • Chinese Pagoda Fountain • Choragic Monument- dedicated to the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury • The Conservatories • Gothic Prospect Tower • Swiss Cottage Past rides and attractions Past roller coasters Main Past Attractions ==Alton Towers Theme Park==

The Alton Towers Theme Park is divided into 11 areas: Towers Street, Mutiny Bay, Katanga Canyon, Gloomy Wood, Forbidden Valley, Dark Forest, The Towers & Gardens, The World of David Walliams, X-Sector, Adventure Land and CBeebies Land. The SkyRide cable car system travels between Towers Street, Forbidden Valley, and the Towers and takes in views of the gardens. The park's maximum capacity at any one time is set at 28,000 guests. According to the TEA attendance report, the park was estimated to have attracted 2,130,000 people in 2019, a 1.4% increase on 2018's figure of 2,100,000. This made Alton Towers Britain's 2nd most visited theme park, after Legoland Windsor, and the 13th most visited theme park in Europe. Annual admissions surpassed 3 million in both 1994 and 2010, when the Nemesis and Thirteen rollercoasters were opened respectively. Timeline of park areas   Previous themed area   Current themed area File:MutinyBay2015.JPG|Mutiny Bay File:Katanga Canyon at Alton Towers.jpg|Katanga Canyon File:Alton Towers Dark Forest entrance.jpg|Dark Forest File:Cloud Cuckoo Land, Alton Towers - geograph.org.uk - 1464494.jpg|The World of David WalliamsRoyal Carousel File:Sonic Spinball.JPG|Adventure LandSpinball Whizzer roller-coaster File:Curse at alton manor.jpg|Gloomy Wood File:XSector.JPG|X-Sector Smiler and Oblivion Towers Street Opened in 1986, Towers Street is the first area that visitors enter and is loosely themed as a town street, with views of the Towers across the lake at its end. Along the street are the jumping frog fountains and a lawn where seasonal events take place. The first SkyRide station is located nearby, which is a long cable car transport that opened in 1987, and was refurbished 2009. The monorail moves guests between the park, and the accommodation, water park and car parks. Katanga Canyon Katanga Canyon is themed as an African village and opened in 1992. Rides include the roller coaster Runaway Mine Train, a steel powered coaster that reaches a speed of 22 mph (36 km/h) on a 1000 ft long track (305 m) and height of ; height limit 90 cm, and the Congo River Rapids water ride. Gloomy Wood Gloomy Wood serves as the area around the dark ride The Curse at Alton Manor. In 2007, a themed footpath through the woods was added to the area, named Haunted Hollow. The pathway follows the route formerly used by the park's old scenic railway, linking from Mutiny Bay. Haunted Hollow includes tombstones, statues and other features, some of which interact with guests using sound effects. Forbidden Valley Forbidden Valley is set in a 'research facility' run by the Phalanx organisation. Prior to a redesign for 2024, the area had a 'post-apocalyptic' theme with scrapyard structures populating the area. A SkyRide station also serves this area of the park. The area is the location of Nemesis Reborn, previously Nemesis, which opened in 1994. Nemesis Reborn is a steel inverted coaster that reaches a speed of 50 mph (81 km) with four inversions, set in a rocky quarry over waterfalls. The attraction is themed as an alien creature inhabiting the quarry where the coaster is situated. Galactica is a B&M flying coaster, originally opening as Air in 2002. Air was loosely themed as a peaceful landscape, distanced from the 'apocalyptic' look of Nemesis. Air was redesigned as Galactica in 2016, adopting virtual reality headsets and a space travel theme. The VR headsets have since been removed. The area also contains two smaller attractions. Nemesis Sub-Terra is an indoor attraction featuring a drop tower ride. The experience is themed around Nemesis, and how some eggs have been found underground in a facility run by the 'Phalanx'. The ride originally operated from 2012 to 2015, however on 27 May 2023, it reopened. In 2025, the HUSS suspended topspin Toxicator was added on the former site of Ripsaw, sitting over the pathway on a 16 ft elevated concrete platform. The Smiler is a Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster, which opened in May 2013, that holds the world record for most inversions on a roller coaster at 14. Attractions in Mutiny Bay include: Battle Galleons, an interactive "Splash Battle" boat ride, where guests sit in tracked boats while soaking other riders with water cannons. Also in the area is the rocking boat ride, Heave Ho. The park's original teacups ride was re-themed to become Marauders Mayhem, with the tea cup cars being redesigned as gunpowder barrels. The Wicker Man wooden roller coaster opened adjacent to the area in 2018 and is listed under the area's name. The "Welcome Inn" bar within the Mutiny Bay courtyard also shares the coaster's theme. In 2009, a Sea Life Centre named Sharkbait Reef opened in the location previously home to the 3D Cinema. This includes "touch pools" for interacting with underwater species and a underwater tunnel. The World of David Walliams The World of David Walliams opened in May 2021 and is aimed at younger children aged 7–11. It is based on the children's books by David Walliams. Attractions include Gangsta Granny: The Ride, Raj's Bouncy Bottom Burp (the former Frog Hopper) and Royal Carousel (previously Galloper's Carousel). The area has had various names over the years including "Cloud Cuckoo Land", "Cred Street" and "The Land of Make Believe", each had a similar a cartoon-inspired look, mainly featuring Toyland Tours. The area was first built as "Talbot Street" in 1981, becoming the park's first themed area, home to the Around The World in 80 Days and Doom & Sons dark rides. The World of David Walliams also includes many of the author's hidden secrets such as one of the streets being called "Wallibums Way". Another attraction, Flavio's Fabulous Fandango, was temporarily added to the land for opening, operated by an external company (Mellors), but was removed in advance of the 2025 Operational Season. The land also features Raj's Shop and various outdoor entertainment. Dark Forest The Dark Forest is themed as a supernatural woodland area; to coincide with the opening of TH13TEEN, a steel family coaster themed as a haunted crypt, that opened on 20 March 2010. Th13teen, features the "world's first freefall drop on a roller coaster" – an indoor, vertically dropping track element. The ride replaced the Corkscrew; the park's first roller coaster, which opened in 1980. Rita is a hydraulically launched steel sit-down coaster that reaches a top speed of 61 mph (100 km) and is themed as an abandoned drag racer. CBeebies Land CBeebies Land is based on the BBC children's TV channel: CBeebies and opened on 24 May 2014. The area includes rides, shows and interactive experiences based on programmes from CBeebies, including In the Night Garden..., Justin's House, Octonauts, Go Jetters, The Furchester Hotel and Bluey (TV series), among others. Attractions in the area are: In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride, Bluey The Ride: Here Come The Grannies!, Get Set Go Treetop Adventure, Something Special Sensory Garden, Bugbie Go Round, ''Justin's House: Pie-O-Matic Factory, Hey Duggee Big Adventure Badge, Andys Adventures Dinosaur Dig, Jojo & Gran Gran at Home, Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop, Octonauts Roller Coaster Adventure, The Furchester Hotel Live and Cbeebies Land Sensory Space''. Shows at the Big Fun Show Time stage include: Bluey Live, Teletubbies Big Band Show, Bing Live, and Hey Duggee Live. In 2015, Octonauts Roller Coaster Adventure opened, it is an underwater themed children's roller coaster; built on the former site of The Beastie rollercoaster. CBeebies Land was further expanded in 2017 with the opening of the Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom Ride and The Furchester Hotel Live, and again in 2019 with the addition of Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop and Teletubbies Big Band Live Show. 2022 saw 3 new attractions arrive, being Hey Duggee Big Adventure Badge, Andys Adventures Dinosaur Dig, and JoJo and Gran Gran at Home. 2024 saw the redevelopment of former attraction, Ninas Sensory Lab, to become Cbeebies Land Sensory Space. 2025 saw the closure of Postman Pat Parcel Post and the shortening of Get Set Go: Treetop Adventure to make way for a new Bluey themed junior coaster, which opened on 28th March 2026, on the land previously occupied by Postman Pat Parcel Post. The Towers The Towers are the ruins of Alton Towers stately home and are the source of the park's name. They belonged to the Talbot family as a stately home until 1924 and largely designed by Augustus Pugin, also noted for his work on the Palace of Westminster. The ruins are open to the public for guided tours. Key areas of The Towers include the banqueting hall, the chapel, conservatories, and Her Ladyship's Gardens. Hex – The Legend of the Towers, a walk-through dark ride based within the ruins themselves, opened in 2000. The finale to the ride is a Vekoma Madhouse located away from the real Towers but themed as a secret vault. The storyline is based on a local legend about the chained oak tree, located in a nearby forest, and makes use of the history of the Towers. It draws its theme from the legend of the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury who was said to be cursed by a beggar woman to suffer death every time a branch falls from an old oak tree. Cuckoo Cars Driving School allows children to drive miniature electric cars around a themed road layout, featuring visual jokes along the way. A SkyRide station is located nearby Fountain Square, giving access to other areas of the park. Spinball Whizzer is also listed under the area's name. The Gardens set in gardens he created Near the garden entrance is a cenotaph to the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury, who built Alton Towers and developed its gardens in the early 19th century. The monument features a marble bust with an inscription reading "He made the desert smile". Other landmarks include a Chinese Pagoda Fountain, The Swiss Cottage, Miniature 'Stonehenge', and orangeries. ==Alton Towers Waterpark==

The Alton Towers Waterpark, formerly known as Cariba Creek, opened alongside the Splash Landings Hotel in 2003. It is a large (with 7 pools and 10 water slides), part-indoor and part outdoor waterpark themed as a tropical Caribbean lagoon. The waterpark features several fast slides, a lazy river, a giant tipping bucket and many other water features. Also located there are two food and drink venues: Adventures Cave and Ice Cream Shack. A separate ticket is needed for waterpark access as it is not included with the theme park entrance price. Attractions include Lagoona Bay, which is the main tropical pool, with water cannons, geysers and waterfalls. The Little Leak is a paddling pool for young children with two small slides and interactive pipes to play with, while Wacky Waterworks Treehouse is a wooden 'treehouse' with water cannons, and other interactive features to squirt passing people with. The largest ride in the Waterpark is the water coaster The Master Blaster, with uphill sections similar to the Master Blaster at Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool and Nucleus at Water World, Stoke-on-Trent. The Master Blaster is a high speed water flume that contains sharp turns, drops and dark sections, and has views of the entire indoor area of the waterpark. Other rides include Rush & Rampage, twin racing slides where riders experience wide turns. This attraction requires rubber rings. Lazy River (Calypso Creek) is a slow-moving water circuit, taking riders underneath spraying water jets and tipping buckets of water. Rubber rings are available. The Tipping Bucket is a container filled with 1000 litres of water which regularly tips its contents over people standing below. Flash Floods are tiered outdoor pools with two slides leading to the middle pool and three leading to the bottom. Other swimming pools include Volcanic Springs, and indoor heated hot pool, and Bubbly Wubbly Pool, an outdoor heated pool and whirlpool. ==Resort accommodation==

The resort contains 3 hotels, and 2 sets of glamping-style accommodation: Alton Towers Hotel The Alton Towers Hotel is a four star explorer-themed hotel that opened on 10 April 1996 with 180 rooms, the Secret Garden table service restaurant, the Chinese-themed Dragon's Bar, the traveller-themed Captain's Bar, a small arcade and the Emporium gift shop. A conference venue called the Emperor's Suite is also located next the Dragon's Bar on the ground floor. There are thirteen themed room categories. The Explorer rooms are the hotel's standard category, while the Arctic Explorer and Moon Voyage rooms on the second and third floors represent the mid-range offering. The themed rooms on the top two floors of the hotel include Gangsta Granny, Chocolate, Sleepover, Coca-Cola, Splish Splash, Big Pyjama, The Smiler, Arabian Nights, Princess, and Dreamy Den. Until the Rollercoaster Restaurant opened in 2016, the rock gardens behind the hotel were home to a route to Forbidden Valley called the Woodland Walk. The entrance near Galactica has been used since, as the CBeebies Land Hotel is now situated on the edge of the garden. Splash Landings Hotel The Splash Landings Hotel opened in June 2003. The hotel has a relaxed Caribbean theme and is attached to the Alton Towers Waterpark, with its entrance located on the ground floor. It also has a four star rating and houses 216 rooms, along with the Flambo's Jambo buffet restaurant, the Coffee Shack kiosk, Ma Garrita's Bar, the Shack gift shop, and a much larger arcade. There are three room themes: Beachcomber, Ice Cave, and the Mutiny Bay-themed Pirate rooms. The hotel is also connected to the Alton Towers Hotel by an elevated walkway, allowing easy access to the Waterpark from both hotels. Enchanted Village The Enchanted Village open in April 2015, and contains 120 lodges and 5 secluded treehouses set in the fictional Enchanted Forest woodland. Situated next to the Alton Towers hotel, it features a variety of miniature playgrounds for children. CBeebies Land Hotel The CBeebies Land Hotel is situated at the back of the rock gardens behind the Alton Towers Hotel, and opened on 8 July 2017 with a total of 76 themed rooms. There are nine different themes: Bugbies, Bing, Octonauts, Postman Pat, Swashbuckle, In the Night Garden, Something Special, Bluey and Hey Duggee. Stargazing Pods Although Alton Towers had previously gained the necessary permits to expand the Enchanted Village, these plans were eventually scrapped and reduced into a "pod"-style accommodation option. 102 individual pods were constructed, each sleeping up to four people. The proposals have faced some critical views from the public, with many criticisms being raised over the capacity of bathroom facilities as well as how the resort will cope with the increased demand in food and beverages, as the Stargazing Pods will not have its own restaurant, bar or shopping facilities. The council even initially rejected the application citing lack of imagination and "magic", although the plans were granted permission the second time without making any notable improvements. The Stargazing Pods opened on 12 April 2019. ==Recreation==

Alton Towers Spa Alton Towers Spa was part of the Alton Towers Hotel and opened in 2004. It included relaxation and treatment rooms and an adults-only swimming pool. Despite being inside the Alton Towers Hotel, non-hotel guests were able to use the spa. It was closed on 31 December 2023 with the resort citing future development for the area. Extraordinary Golf Opened in 2007, the Extraordinary Golf mini-golf attraction is themed to different rides and attractions at the park, some of which, are from the park's history. Extraordinary Golf is located to the west of the Splash Landings Hotel. Extraordinary Golf was refreshed for 2016 including the addition of a Galactica themed hole. ==Future developments==

Alton Towers is located in a Conservation Area, which puts restrictions on its permissible development, notably that no structures in the park should be built above tree line and if so should be disguised from external views of the park; this can be seen on the ride Rita, where the highest sections of track are camouflaged green. Noise pollution is also a problem for the park due to the close proximity to the villages of Alton and Farley and the town of Cheadle. There have been several cases where Alton Towers have been taken to court over the noise levels emitted from the park and have been served noise abatement orders between 2004 and 2006. Alton Towers has a tradition of codenaming its future roller coaster developments as "Secret Weapon", for example "SW6". The naming tradition began after "Secret Weapon" was the working title of a cancelled Arrow pipeline roller coaster, planned to open in around 1993, on what later became the Nemesis site. In September 2022, Alton Towers held a public consultation to propose plans for an indoor attraction on the former site of the Alton Mouse, codenamed "Project Horizon". A planning application was submitted and later approved with conditions in June 2023. Construction has not yet started and no set opening has been announced. ==Events==

Scarefest Scarefest is the annual Halloween event held at Alton Towers. The event features a programme of seasonal scare attractions, live entertainment, themed décor, costumed performers, and extended evening opening hours. Scarefest was formally introduced in 2007, although the resort had marked the Halloween season in earlier years. Its first dedicated scare maze, Terror of the Towers, debuted in 2002 and is widely regarded as the precursor to the modern event. No full-scale Halloween event took place at the park in 2006. However, an unadvertised scare maze titled Room 13 operated exclusively for hotel guests that year, and returned in 2007 prior to the establishment of Scarefest as a named annual event.  – Previous Scarefest attraction.  – Current Scarefest attraction. Other events Fireworks For the final few days of the season, Alton Towers host firework shows, which have been running annually since the 1990s on the Great Lawns. The shows were reduced to 3 a year following a court order in 2005. In 2006, the display was rebranded as Electric Towers, but then discontinued. However, the fireworks and laser show was reinstated in 2010 to celebrate the park's 30th anniversary and has returned to being an annual event. Services Day Since 2015, Alton Towers have opened the park for a Services Day; a day where a limited quantity of discounted tickets (fewer than on a usual season day) are sold to those who work in public services. Concerts Alton Towers has a history of hosting concerts since the 1960s. Alternative rock band James played to a crowd of 30,000 on 4 July 1992. Concerts in recent years have included the Alton Towers Live event in 2011 and 2013. In 2010, there was a 1980s concert for the 30th Anniversary featuring Rick Astley and Bananarama and also that year hosted a P!nk concert. In the past, these concerts were often held in the car park at an additional fee, however, more recently concerts have been held within the theme park. Artists that have performed there include Tina Turner and The Black Eyed Peas. ==Records held by the park==

• World's largest polar fleece blanket. • Corkscrew was the first double inverting coaster in Europe. • The Flume was the world's longest log flume at roughly 730 metres at the time of opening. (1981) • Nemesis was the first inverted coaster in Europe. • Oblivion was the world's first B&M dive coaster, advertised as "the world's first vertical drop rollercoaster". It also holds the record for most couples renewing their wedding vows on a rollercoaster. • Galactica was the world's first B&M flying coaster. • TH13TEEN had the first "freefall drop" track element on a rollercoaster. • The Smiler is the coaster with the most inversions in the world at 14. • Wicker man (roller coaster) (Secret Wepon 9) is the first Coaster to mix Fire and Wood. ==Incidents==

The Smiler In June 2015, a serious collision occurred on The Smiler roller coaster, resulting in injuries to sixteen people. Two of the injured riders later required leg amputations as a consequence of their injuries. Merlin Entertainments, initially issued a press statement attributing the incident to “human error.” The accident prompted a temporary closure of the park, a Health and Safety Executive investigation, and subsequent legal proceedings. However, the Health and Safety Executive concluded the crash occurred due to Merlin failing to put proper processes into place for operating the ride. During the subsequent court case, Merlin retracted their statement and pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety law. The company was fined £5 million, with the court citing a "catalogue of errors" with Merlin's operating procedure and training. In June 2017, Alton Towers estate owner Nick Leslau repeated the discredited claim that the crash was due to "a human error", but added that "Merlin has paid a massive price, but the performance of the business has been exemplary and the share price is now at an all-time high." Sky Ride On 30 June 2004, due to a strong gust of wind, the Sky Ride cables became caught, jamming the ride. About 80 people were on the ride, and nine people had to be rescued by being abseiled down cables. On 28 October 2007, a fire broke out in the Forbidden Valley Skyride station, leading to a partial evacuation of the park. On 21 July 2009, a fire broke out in the Fountain Square station, leading to the entire station being destroyed. During the latter half of the 2009 season and over the following winter, a new station was designed and built, ready for the 2010 season. Runaway Mine Train On 20 July 2006, when the train was entering the tunnel section of its course, two carriages uncoupled, with the front half of the train continuing up the slope while the rear half remained in the tunnel. The front half failed to make it over the hill, rolled back and crashed into the stationary rear half. Six people were taken to hospital and 23 others were treated for cuts and bruises. Following the incident the Runaway Mine Train was closed for the rest of the season. The train was only returned to full length operation in June the following year. Toxicator On 15 March 2025, the newly opened ride Toxicator was temporarily closed for approximately two hours and 45 minutes on its opening day. The closure followed an incident involving a drainage and sewer overspill in the area directly beneath the attraction. The ride resumed operation later the same day. ==Court cases==

In 2004, a private prosecution was brought against the park by a couple from the local village of Farley over its noise level. Alton Towers was found guilty, with the judge singling out Oblivion in his judgement. The park were fined £5000, and was later issued a Noise Abatement Order limiting emissions to 32 dB. The fine was reduced to £3500 and the limit increased to 40 dB on appeal. The couple were later granted permission to bring an injunction hearing against the park to enforce the order in November 2011; however, there is no record of the case going ahead. ==Controversy==

In early 2026, Merlin Entertainments, operator of Alton Towers Resort, introduced revised eligibility criteria for its Ride Access Pass (RAP), a scheme intended to provide queuing adjustments for disabled guests and those with medical needs. The changes removed automatic eligibility for visitors whose primary difficulty was described as "difficulty with crowds", prompting criticism from disability campaigners and organisations who argued the policy disproportionately affected people with non-visible disabilities, including autistic visitors and those with ADHD. Following public backlash and national media coverage, Merlin stated the changes would operate as a temporary trial rather than a permanent policy and said the scheme would be reviewed following feedback from guests and disability groups. ==See also==