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  Closed, but still standing.

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Unfortunately (or not, depending on what your view of such matters is) The WHEEL OF FORTUNE suffered a fire, and its upper floor got badly damaged. When the damage was repaired, we suddenly saw something new, a huge Triceratops (moving would you believe!) out of the corner of the building, with huge lettering JURASSIC 3001 - a brand new Dark Ride!

Now who decided to place the Dark Ride here, is somewhat a mystery. But here it was. Originally, the ride opened and the doors to each side of the Triceratops head was a "portal to the future", a time machine whereby walking up some steps magically transferred you into the year 3001, with all sorts of topical computer machinery and flashing siren-lights.

However, the ride never really attracted many people, not only because of its extortionate price, but the fact that no one really knew what it was or why it was there. I remember the days when, as a youngun, I first laid eyes on the place, and after some muinutes of whining, I got my mum to take me on board.

Up the stairs we went, and we were in a futuristic station. (Some aluminuim walls). I remember loads of intricate queue lines, with several air gates to let people onto the cars. I seem to remember there was desgined to be dual loading, when two cars would stop in the station and two seperate lines would board. In essence, this was built to handle huge queues of an almost Disney propotion. Of course, this all looked rather odd since we were the only people there, and the ops looked rather surprised to see us - and this was on a busy summer day.

In the car we got though, and round a corner. I have to stress - I don't remember a lot about the ride, this was pre-enthusiast days. However, bits I do remember is a few dinosaur heads suddenly looming towards us, as we went through some makeshift forests, and then suddenly out into the open, on the roof of the Wheel of Furtune, looking out at the public. To our right, a wall with VERY BADLY painted Jurassic scenes. We were not out for long though, we suddenly swoop back in, a few more dinosaur heads jump out at us, and that is the end of the ride.

It was a nightmare. The theming and Animatrocincs didn't seem to be too bad, and there were some genuinly hair-raising moments, but whoevers idea it was to suddenly take you out onto the roof, looking at a world which was certainly not 3001, should be shot at dawn. However, I suppose it was put there so that the outside world realised that Jurassic 3001 was in fact a ride, and not just a funny sign for the Amusements centre.

Now - you may be wondering why a dinosaur ride would be set 1000 years in the future... Well, so am I - and I have ridden it! I presume the story must have been something like Dinosaurs being recreated but I am not entirely sure.

For whatever reason, it would seem the ride flopped. Either because people didn't know about it, the price of £4.50 per person when it opened or simply because people didn't like the ride, it doesn't matter. What does matter, is that it was not attracting anyone inside. After a few years, the elaborate entrance (the time machine) was removed, and the doors simply became extra entrances for the WHEEL OF FORTUNE. The entrance was now up some grotty stairs near the back of the building with a sign saying "This way for the Dinosaur Ride"

Then, even this entrance closed and trying to get in resulted in a locked glass door, behind which the stairway was cluttered up with parts of old fruite machines.

But there are still some signs around saying "Ride the Dinosaur ride - round this corner". Perhaps because the removal of the old entrance removed the Time Travel theming, thus the 3001 bit didn't make sense. For years, the ride seemed to be technically open (i.e. still advertised) but never in practice. These days, it is not referred to in any way, so we assume that it's now completely gone. The Triceratops has not moved though, althought you can still see the JURASSIC 3001 title there today, very clearly and boldly.

Presumably everything still remains in situ, but anyone arriving at Clarence Pier these days who expresses an interest in this most obvious of closed rides will never be able to ride. Strange.