Remembering Southend Peter Pan’s as City Wheel opens

The City Wheel, visible across the city's skyline, cost in the region of £1million and is set to be a hit with tourists and residents alike.

The new attraction took shape quickly, being built in just a matter of days in November, and will now open to visitors.

As the new attraction is launched, we've decided to take a trip down memory lane and look back at when Southend's popular Adventure Island was known as Peter Pan’s Playground.

With dozens of thrilling rides on Southend seafront, Adventure Island’s forerunner will evoke warm childhood memories for many residents.

The theme park has developed and enhanced over the decades, with it now boasting more than 30 attractions.

The theme park was built alongside the world-famous Southend Pier (Image: Newsquest)

Adventure Island started out in 1918 as the Sunken Gardens, a seaside garden that in the 1920s installed a handful of children’s rides.

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Flanking Southend Pier, it has been an amusement park since 1976, when the land now forming the west side of the park was purchased by the Miller family.

Thrillseekers queue for Barracuda in March 1996 (Image: Newsquest)

Peter Pan’s Playground boasted a fun log flume ride in March 1996 but the Raging River Log Flume has since been demolished.

In 1999, the hugely popular rollercoaster Green Scream was launched and it was once described as the park’s signature ride.

This title now belongs to Rage, which welcomed its first thrillseekers in February 2007.

The theme park in the 1970s (Image: Newsquest)

Rage - named following an Echo competition - is one of the biggest investments the park has made, with the ride costing in the region of £3million and is located on the former Raging River Log Flume site.

Revellers enjoy the rollercoaster in June 1986 (Image: Newsquest)

Adventure Island demolished the Pirate Boat in 2014 – which was one of the oldest attractions – to make way for a new soft play and indoor ride area, named Adventure Inside, which opened in spring 2015.

While the iconic Barracuda ride from the days of Peter Pan’s Playground has long since disappeared, the Crooked House remains a leading attraction and has provided joy for decades.

Youngsters enjoy a water ride at Peter Pan's in 1986 (Image: Newsquest)