Drayton Manor Resort
Drayton Manor Resort is a family theme park, zoo and accommodation in the grounds of the former Drayton Manor, in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, England, UK. It covers, of which about are in use, and hosts about 1.5 million people each year. It is the fourth-largest amusement park in the UK by land area at. The park is also home to Thomas Land and Drayton Manor Zoo, home to over 100 animals, including red pandas, Eurasian lynx, and a variety of monkeys and gibbons.
On 3 August 2020, Drayton Manor Park was sold to Looping Group, who also owns West Midlands Safari Park.
History
The land on which the theme park was built once belonged to the Peel family. Drayton Manor mansion, built for Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, in 1835, had been reduced to ruins by 1926, with only the clocktower surviving at the park entrance. The British Army requisitioned it as a training post during World War II. After the war, entrepreneurs George and Vera Bryan borrowed £6,000 and bought the land. In 1950, they opened a small amusement park with just a handful of children's rides. In 1954, Mrs. Molly Badham, who later opened the nearby Twycross Zoo, partnered with the Bryans and opened a zoo to complement the amusement park. The amusement park grew slowly in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, but, in the late 1980s, the park began to install bigger and more thrilling rides to attract customers from all over the United Kingdom and to compete with rival theme parks. In 1992, Colin Bryan, George Bryan's son, became managing director of the park.On 9 May 2017, an 11-year-old girl fell out of a raft on the Splash Canyon Rapids ride. before slipping and falling into a deeper pool of water where she drowned. According to Drayton Manor's director, George Bryan, park staff responded immediately and rescued the girl from the water. The girl was airlifted to Birmingham Children's Hospital, but was proclaimed dead from her drowning soon after arrival. The park was temporarily closed after the incident, and the ride remained closed until summer 2021.
In February 2020, the park suffered flood damage from Storm Dennis. Following this, the park was required to remain shut until July 2020.
On 3 August 2020, the park entered administration and was bought by the Looping Group who own various parks, zoos and aquariums around Europe such as Pleasurewood Hills and West Midlands Safari Park. However, the Bryan family still play a key part in running the business, with William Bryan's role being managing director, even though under new ownership.
In December 2020, the park suffered a fire within the Thomas Land area of the park. The blaze started in a toilet block and was deemed accidental by investigators.
At the end of 2021, the park announced that something big was coming with the teaser Invading 2022 in a Nordic Viking style, hinting at the fact there was to be a new area in 2022 called Vikings. After a soft opening on 17 May, the intricately themed area officially opened on 28 May, featuring three new rides and the rethemed Buffalo roller coaster.
In either 2021 or 2022, the park announced a rebrand and a new logo, renaming from 'Drayton Manor Theme Park' to 'Drayton Manor Resort'.
In July 2023, it was announced that the park would be opening an Intamin family thrill Lift and Launch Coaster called Gold Rush which opened on 26 July 2024.
Rides and attractions
Drayton Manor is split into various themed areas, consisting of rides and attractions.| Attraction key | Thrill rides | Family rides | Other |
Adventure Cove
Vikings
Frontier Falls
Main Park
Thomas Land
| Name | Opened | Manufacturer | Description | |
| 24 | Bertie the Bus | 15 March 2008 | Zamperla | A crazy bus ride. In partnership with Arriva. |
| 25 | Blue Mountain Engines | May 2011 | Zamperla | A junior regetta ride including Skarloey, Rheneas, Sir Handel and Peter Sam. Relocated in 2015 in the new Thomas Land expansion. |
| 26 | Captain's Sea Adventure | 8 April 2015 | Zamperla | A watermania ride. |
| 27 | Cranky the Crane's Drop Tower | 15 March 2008 | Zamperla | An 8 metre high sky drop ride. |
| 28 | Diesel's Locomotive Mayhem | 15 March 2008 | Zamperla | A demolition derby ride featuring themed cars resembling Diesel, Mavis, Iron Bert, Salty, Dennis and Rusty. |
| 29 | Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition | July 2009 | HiT Entertainment | An indoor miniature model railway exhibition with the original models from the first to twelve series of the TV series. Relocated in 2023 in the exit to Winston's Whistle-Stop Tour. |
| 30 | Emily's Adventure Play | 15 March 2008 | Unknown | An indoor soft play area. |
| 31 | Flynn's Fire Rescue | 8 April 2015 | Zamperla | A fire brigade ride. In partnership with West Midlands Fire Service. |
| 32 | Harold the Helicopter’s Tours | 15 March 2008 | Zamperla | A samba tower ride. Features Tidmouth Sheds outside with Edward, Henry, Gordon, Toby, and Rosie. |
| 33 | James and the Red Balloon | 1 April 2017 | Zamperla | A samba balloon ride located at the back of the Thomas Land expansion area that opened in 2015. |
| 34 | Jeremy the Jet’s Flying Academy | 15 March 2008 | Zamperla | An aero top jet ride. Relocated in 2015 in a new Thomas Land expansion. |
| 35 | Lady's Carousel | 15 March 2008 | Zamperla | A junior carousel ride. |
| 36 | Rocking Bulstrode | 15 March 2008 | Zamperla | A rocking tug ride. |
| 37 | Sodor Classic Cars | 1972 | Supercar | A car ride. Originally known as simply the Classic Cars, and is the only attraction in Robinsons Land that was kept for Thomas Land. |
| 39 | Terence the Tractor’s Driving School | 15 March 2008 | SB International | A driving school ride. Relocated in 2011 to the Farmer McColl's Farm area. Relocated in 2024 to the Main Thomas Land Area. |
| 40 | Thomas and Percy's Submarine Splash | 29 April 2023 | Soquet | A 455-metre-long mini flume ride. |
| 41 | Thomas, Rosie and Percy Engine Tours | 15 March 2008 | Metallbau Emmeln | A themed narrow-gauge train ride that takes you from the Thomas Land area to the zoo. Thomas and Percy were the original engines, with Rosie being added in 2009. The Rosie locomotive was repainted from pink to red in 2019, in line with the TV series. |
| 42 | Toby's Tram Express | 8 April 2015 | Zamperla | A barnyard ride. |
| 43 | Troublesome Trucks Runaway Rollercoaster | 15 March 2008 | Gerstlauer | A junior roller coaster located in Thomas Land. The minimum height requirement is 1 metre with an adult and 1.2 metres if unaccompanied. |
| 44 | Winston's Whistle-Stop Tour | 19 July 2013 | Zamperla | An aerial monorail-style attraction with commentary taking you around Thomas Land. |
Other attractions
Past rides and attractions
Zoo
Drayton Manor is also home to a zoo. It contains over 100 animals from all over the world.Events
Drayton Manor offer a range of family-friendly events throughout the season.Halloween at Drayton
Pumpkin Smash Bash
Open 10:30 am – 5 pm daily, this event is tailored towards the park's younger visitors. The signature attraction is 'The Castle of Spooks' which offers a 15-minute experience where guests get to meet Halloween characters and take part in spooky activities including scary stories, interactive games, and trick or treating. The park's signature area Thomas Land is dressed with creepy decorations, pumpkins and spooky entertainment.The Haunted Manor
Advertised as the 'Ultimate Halloween Event', this event runs on selected dates throughout October, from 5–9:00 pm. Aimed at the park's older visitors, on top of the scare attractions, guests get to experience night rides, live DJ, characters and fireworks. The event was named 'Night at the Manor' in its first year.– Previous Haunted Manor attraction. – Current Haunted Manor attraction.
Accommodation
Drayton Manor Hotel
In 2009, plans for a hotel at Drayton Manor were submitted to Lichfield District Council. Planning permission for the hotel was granted in 2007, though the applicants felt that the scheme could benefit from further improvements without increasing the site area required.The 4-star hotel with 150 guest rooms including 15 Thomas & Friends themed bedrooms is designed to primarily meet the demand from park visitors as the park is attracting families from all over the UK, especially since the arrival of Thomas Land.