24 C O N T E X T 1 2 8 : M A R C H 2 0 1 3 eritage of isure The heritage he heritage of leisure ge of leisure The heritage e heritage of leisure The he of leisure The heritage of heritage of leisure ANYA CHAPMAN Twilight of the seaside amusement arcade The contribution of the amusement arcade to the character and experience of British seaside resorts has been neglected: the distinctive appearance of some coastal towns is under threat. Amusement arcades have been largely overlooked within the broader literature on tourism and leisure pursuits and attractions. Nor has the contribution of the amusement arcade to the character and experience of British seaside resorts been considered. The amusement arcade industry is currently divided into a number of distinctive sectors, of which the family-oriented arcades found at Britain’s coastal resorts are one. Amusement arcades are generally considered to be a traditional and quintessential part of British seaside resorts. However, the seaside arcades are facing challenging times, putting the amusements, and the buildings in which they are housed, increasingly at risk. Amusement arcades originally developed from travelling fairs, with the first British examples appearing in the early 19th century in the form of games stalls and shows. The first automated machine of any kind is considered to be a stamp vendor patented in 1857. By the end of the 19th century there was evidence of automated entertainment machines in the UK. During this period many former travelling showmen decided to settle in seaside resorts and establish ‘sports’ arcades or ‘gaff shops’. It is in this context that automated machines started to appear in funfairs and on piers along the British coast. These early machines included automated fortunetellers, shooting ranges, strength-testers and kinematographs. During the early 20th century, formal arcades featuring a collection of permanent automated machines, such as mutoscopes, automated football, punchballs and mechanical clowns, appeared in many resorts.They were usually situated along a resort’s promenade. The first purpose-built amusement arcade was generally considered to be Barron’s ‘Paradium’, located onMarine Parade in GreatYarmouth, which was opened in 1902. By the 1930s amusement arcades were firmly established as a core component of the seaside holiday. They now featured a broader range of fully automated machines that included cranes (also known as ‘grabbers’); Allwin machines (a wall mounted machine of ‘skill’ that involves firing metal balls into winning cups); electric shockers; prize shooters; and the first form of automated gambling machine, commonly known as ‘one-armed bandits’. Of course the amusement arcades were thoroughly modern attractions that warranted being housed in buildings that reflected this, such as theWonderland building in Cleethorpes (originally built in 1911 but extensively refurbished in a modernist style during the 1930s) and the New Palace amusements in Manning’s Amusements in Felixstowe is housed in the entrance building of the former Butlins amusement park. Opened in 1933, the building has been owned and operated by the Manning family since 1946.
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