Mr P Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) Hello, My name is Marcus, and I'm fascinated with local history. One of the most interesting locations around here is Pointon Manor, a grand Manor house situated in acres of what was once grand gardens. The house in it present form was completed in 1879, but the gardens and lake pre-date this greatly. Lord Thomas Pointon, the resident of the house at the time, was obsessed with modern technology and railways, and when the Volks Electric Railway was opened in Brighton in 1883, he fell in love. So much so that he had his own private electric railway built around the lake in 1885. Originally operating just a single tram for him and his family, he was soon inundated with requests from many people wishing to ride on his train. So, in 1887, now with 6 trams and a brick tram shed, the line opened to the public. For a small fee, every weekend in august, people could enter the estate to ride the tram and enjoy the gardens. Lord Pointon also offered private tours of his wonderful house. Sadly, in 1907, Thomas Pointon died in a tragic accident on the line. Whilst showing off by riding on the roof of his tram, he learnt how conductive a top hat was. His eldest son took on his father's title, and Lord Kenneth Pointon kept the trams open for anybody who wished to ride them during summer. With the outbreal of war, the trams closed to the public, and remained so until 1992, when the (current) Lord Pointon, Joseph, decided to begin operating the Electric Railway for anybody who wished to ride. Having seen the success Alton Towers had been having with their Theme Park venture, Joseph decided that a Theme Park was the way to go. A new entrance plaza was created near to the Electric Railway's tram sheds, car parks were built, rides were purchased, construction on a rollercoaster was begun, and a Monorail was built to link the entrance with the carparks. But, alas, before the park was even close to opening, the money ran out. Poor Joseph was forced to close the doors on the park for good. Or was he? Recently, there has been talk of Lord Pointon's Cousin, another Thomas, wanting to invest in the Theme Park. Whether this is true, nobody has confirmed. But one thing for certain is that if nothing does come of it, then most of what's left inside the grounds of the house will have to be sold off. Seeing as this was possibly my only chance to see what's left of this beautiful dream, I took it on myself to do a bit of Urban Exploring. Bearing in mind that the Manor is still the Lord's home, it was a bit risky... The Entrance to the park. Under the left canopy you can see a small gate, this is how Lord Pointon get's home. View from the Top of the entrance street, you can see that the construction stopped very suddenly as scaffolding is still up on some of the buildings here. The Manor is across the other side of the lake. At the bottom of the street, to the left, there is a building that was never finished. This is just opposite the Electric Railway's Station. The Tram Sheds. The trams were once a glorious Umber and Cream, much like those on the Volks Railway. Now, they sit faded. One of the six cars went missing some years ago, it's presumed to have been scrapped. Quite why two trams sit outside the shed we do not know. Where the trams join the main circuit. From the Tram Sheds, we can see the Rollercoaster. The transfer, station, and lift areas. See the foundations for the rest of the lift. Ah, the glorious Manor. Still looking quite well kept, although as far as I'm aware only the wing in the left of this photo is still lived in. Still looking very imposing from the lower ground. Making my way out of the entrance, I thought it only right to get a look at the Monorail. This is the park station. To get to the other station and car parks, you have to head down this road. It was built purely to get to the car parks, and was sadly never used. The, rather grand, entrance and exit to the car parks. As you head down towards the car parks, you seen the Monorail sheds and transfer track on the left of the roads. All the trains are still here, only ever used for testing, and have never carried a single passenger. In the main Car Park, we see the second monorail station, and pieces of roller coaster track. Couldn't get any nearer to the other monorail station, as I was chased by a Security Guard. I headed in the woodland for cover, and found myself at the top of a hill overlooking most of the parkland. In the foreground you can see the horses and stables, this is where Thomas Pointon keeps and breeds his race . And that's all I could get. I hope something does come of this interest from Thomas, and that we do see a Theme Park here. For now though, all we have is a very interesting history, and a sad and deserted park. Edited January 10, 2012 by mcjaco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molemaster43 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I cannot wait to see where this goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottom_feeder_13 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Holy large picture size Batman. Picture size aside in looks like a great beginning to the park, can't wait for some more oversized pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr P Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Hi, Marcus here. Now, lots of rumours have been floating around that the park is on for reopening, but nothing has been confirmed by the estate. So, I headed down there to see what I could see. The images I got are quite interesting... A crane, and what looks like new support structures. Seeing as the only way to gain access to the property itself is down through the car park access road, I headed there next. New fencing and barriers at the start of the road, and a large lorry parked behind. Interesting. One of the Monorail trains, repainted, and on the main circuit. It appears that the trains are getting refurbished. The Monorail Station, clad is scaffold and undergoing a repaint. What I saw suggested truth in the rumours about reopening, so I sent a letter to Lord Pointon asking about this. He wrote a lengthy reply back, thanking me for my interest e.t.c, but the part that really got me going was this: As for your question, at the moment I am unable to answer, but all will be revealed quite soon... Clearly, something is going on, looks like we've just got to wait now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molemaster43 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 This storyline is great. Loving the park and that scaffolding looks cool around it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr P Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Big news from the Park! Pointon Manor Park has released a promotional video! It's noted that not all the rides are shown as not all are complete yet. The rides shown are also not in a fully completed state, by the sounds of things, more theming is set to be put in place around most attractions. That said, things are looking great so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molemaster43 Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Awesome park man! Really good promo video, I like the commentating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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