Chessington World of Adventures

Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park, zoo and hotel complex in Chessington, Greater London, England, around southwest of Central London. The complex originally opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931; the theme park aspect was developed by The Tussauds Group, debuting on 7 July 1987 as one of the first combined animal-amusement parks in the UK. following its merger with The Tussauds Group in 2007. Under Merlin, Chessington has been increasingly developed into a resort and tourist destination, including two on-site hotels, swimming pools, a spa, and fitness facilities.

The Chessington Zoo has over 1,000 animals, including western lowland gorillas and sea lions. It is split up into several areas; Trail of the Kings, Sea Lion Bay, Children's Zoo (until 2024), Amazu, Penguin Bay, a Sea Life Centre and Wanyama Village and Reserve.

Chessington World of Adventures was ranked in 2022 as the twentieth most-visited park in Europe, with an attendance of roughly 1.5 million guests, behind Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Legoland Windsor. In 2020, due to restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the park experienced an unexpectedly short operating season and temporarily closed its gates. Despite a significant drop in attendance during the pandemic, Chessington actually ranked as the third most-visited park in the UK for 2020 with .51 million visitors, behind Alton Towers and Thorpe Park.

Chessington World of Adventures features different themed areas, loosely inspired by a range of world cultures, with 'Adventure Point' at its centre. 'Shipwreck Coast' is a nautical harbour town, 'Wild Woods' is a Central European-styled area, 'Forbidden Kingdom' mirrors the ancient Middle East, and 'Land of the Tiger' reflects the Far East. Major attractions include: Vampire, Dragon's Fury, KOBRA, Tiger Rock, The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure and Mandrill Mayhem.

History

thumb|Burnt Stub Mansion is the original manor house of the estate.

The mansion at Chessington World of Adventures Resort known today as the Burnt Stub was originally built in 1348, in Chessington, Surrey. After Goddard died in 1946, the Pearson Publishing Company took over the zoo and managed it until 1978, when The Tussauds Group, a new subsidiary of the Pearson Group, took over its management.

Founding of the theme park

In 1984, due to the zoo's declining attendance, Tussauds commissioned a team including John Wardley to redevelop the park as a theme park. On 7 July 1987 Chessington World of Adventures opened to the public in a ceremony including Prince Edward.

In its first year, the park opened with the roller coaster Runaway Mine Train, the log flume Dragon River, the monorail Safari Skyway, the dark ride The 5th Dimension, and the Chessington Railroad as the main attractions (all supplied by the German ride manufacturer Heinrich Mack GmbH & Co). Smuggler's Galleon (a swinging ride) reached heights of 20 meters; it was later renamed Black Buccaneer.

The new park development adopted a pay-once price structure as opposed to the fairground's former pay-per-ride format. Other support rides were also opened and the park opened five themed areas: Calamity Canyon, Mystic East, Market Square, Toy Town and Circus World. The park was built on a relatively small budget of around £12 million.

Development history

In 1988, Smugglers' Galleon was opened in a small new area named Smugglers' Cove.

The 1990 season saw the park expand with the new Transylvania area, featuring The Vampire (opening and still operating as the only suspended rollercoaster outside of America) and Prof. Burp's Bubble Works.

In 1998, the Rattlesnake wild mouse coaster opened in Calamity Canyon. In 1999, Chessington opened the thrill ride Samurai in the Mystic East.

In 2000, Beanoland opened on the former site of Circus World, with the new rides Billy's Whizzer and Roger the Dodger's Dodgems. In 2011 the Ocean Tunnel and surrounding rooms in the Sea Life Centre were re-themed to Azteca. In 2012 a small new land named Africa replaced the ToyTown area. 2022 saw a new carnival event 'Mardi Grrra!' running from 27 May to 26 June.

2023 saw the opening of a new land on 15 May, 'World of Jumanji'. The new area features a B&M Shuttle Launched Wing coaster, and two SBF Visa Group attractions.

The Scorpion Express section of Mexicana and the adjacent Children's Zoo were closed for redevelopment during the 2024 season to make way for a new Paw Patrol-themed area. The revamped section opened in the spring of 2026, and features a new Zierer Force roller coaster designed specifically for younger riders. This new attraction will replace the now-defunct Scorpion Express, which was removed as part of the ongoing redevelopment project.

The Wild Asia-themed area was closed during the 2025 season in preparation for its transformation into a Minecraft-themed area, slated to open in the 2027 season. As part of this redevelopment, the KOBRA attraction will be relocated and rethemed, while a new indoor roller coaster by Intamin will be introduced.

Resort development

In June 2007, the park opened the Safari Hotel, initially operated by Holiday Inn. It managed to win the gold Awards in the following categories: Theme Park of the Year, Best New Attraction, Best Theme Park with Animals and Best Marketing Campaign.

| align=center | Rattlesnake || 110px|| align=center |Steel wild mouse || align=center |1998 || align=center | Forbidden Kingdom

| align="center" |Maurer Söhne || Steel Wild mouse.

| align=center| Seastorm ||110px || align=center| Sea Storm||align=center| 1995 || align=center| Shipwreck Coast || align="center" | Mack Rides || A Mack SeaStorm ride.

Chessington Railroad ( narrow gauge) left at the end of 1996.
Scorpion Express was a Mack Rides Blauer Enzian coaster. The ride opened in 1987, as Runaway Train and was rethemed to Scorpion Express in 2014.
Monkey Swinger was a wave swinger ride with a water element, opened in 2000 and closed at the end of 2024. Originally opened as Billy's Whizzer in Beanoland

Minecraft World

In November 2024, the park submitted plans for an immersive new land to replace the Wild Asia themed area. The area will feature 3 rides including an indoor rollercoaster, restaurant and shop. The land is to be themed to Minecraft, which was officially announced during a Minecraft Live livestream on 21 March 2026.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Name !! Type !! Opening !! Manufacturer !! class="unsortable" ! | Additional information

| align="center" | Rollercoaster || align="center" | Multi dimension coaster || align="center" | 2027 || align="center" | Intamin || A predominantly indoor, multi dimension roller coaster that will become the 'world's first Minecraft roller coaster'.

| align="center" | Immersive Flat Ride|| align="center" | Spinning ride || align="center" |2027|| align="center" | unknown|| An 'immersive indoor' secondary attraction.

| align="center" | Relocated Kobra Flat Ride || align="center" | Disk'O || align="center" | 2027 || align="center" | Zamperla || The existing Kobra ride will be relocated and rethemed as part of this land.

Safari Lodges

In line with Merlin Entertainments' ambition to invest in short break offerings, there are plans to develop 34 Safari Lodges in the Wanyama Village. It will open in 2027 alongside Minecraft World.

Waterpark

On 16 November 2022, Chessington held a public consultation regarding plans to create an indoor water park as an extension to the Safari Hotel. A public consultation closed on 30 November and plans were submitted on 30 June 2023.

Events

Over the years, Chessington held a variety of events to enhance the guest experience. Themed park-wide takeovers through means of new shows, soundtracks, custom food and retail items, and additional theming were seen largely between 2022 and 2024 with Eggsplorers, Mardi Grrra, Wilderfest, and Summer Festival.

Howl'o'ween

On select days in October and November, Chessington hosts its biggest event – Howl'o'ween, previously known as Halloween Hocus Pocus. During the event the park is decorated for Halloween with various large theming elements. During the event, several shows run on different stages, and walkthrough scare attractions are available. On some event days, rides operate in the dark due to extended opening hours.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;font-size:85%;"

|+ style="font-size:125%;" |Howl'o'ween (Formerly Hocus Pocus) Scare Walkthrough History

!Year

! colspan="5" |Attractions (number of seasons)

!2003

| colspan="5" style="background:#f0f0f5;" |Original Event

!2004

| colspan="5" rowspan="2" style="background:#fff7e6;" |Scooby-Doo Event

!2005

!2006

| colspan="5" style="background:#e6f3ff;" |Star Wars Event

!2007

| rowspan="6" |Hocus Pocus Hall: Bewitched (6)

| rowspan="2" style="background:#aaa;" |

| rowspan="4" style="background:#aaa;" |

!2008

!2009

| rowspan="3" |Black Forest Haunt (3)

!2010

!2011

| rowspan="1" |The Krypt (1)

!2012

| rowspan="3" |Vampire: The Haunting in the Hollows (3)

| rowspan="3" style="background:#aaa;" |

!2013

| rowspan="2" |The Mystery of Hocus Pocus Hall (2)

!2014

!2015

| rowspan="4" |Curse of the Lost Tomb (4)

| rowspan="5" |Trick or Treat Wood (5)

| rowspan="2" style="background:#aaa;" |

!2016

!2017

| rowspan="3" |Creepy Caves Unearthed (3)

!2018

!2019

| rowspan="1" |Spyders (1)

!2020

| rowspan="2" style="background:#fff;" |The Forgotten Forest (2)

| rowspan="2" style="background:#fff;" |Creepy Caves: Resurgence (2)

| rowspan="1" style="background:#aaa;" |

!2021

| rowspan="4" |Vile Villagers (4)

!2022

| rowspan="1" style="background:#fff;" |Creepy Caves: Elimination (1)

| rowspan="3" style="background:#aaa;" |

!2023

| rowspan="3" style="background:#3f6;" |Enchanted Hollow: Trick or Treat (3)

!2024

!2025

| rowspan="1" style="background:#3f6;" |Stone Watchers: Vampire's Lair (1)

| rowspan="1" style="background:#aaa;" |

– Previous Howl'o'ween attraction. – Current Howl'o'ween attraction.

The Scooby-Doo event was what the original Halloween Hocus Pocus event was based on, featuring attractions such as The Mystery Machine and a Scooby-Doo meeting point. It was replaced in 2006 by a Star Wars based event.
The Star Wars event was held during the 2006 Halloween Hocus Pocus event to replace the previous Scooby-Doo based attractions. Due to a poor reception, the event never returned. Instead new attractions were conceived for following events.
Creepy Caves Unearthed won the SCARECON 2017 Award for Best Original Concept and Design and was nominated for Best Set/Costume and Make Up.

Winter's Tail

Winter's Tail is Chessington's Christmas event which runs from late November through to the new year. The resort opens with Christmas decorations and the 'Christmas Village' next to Sea Lion Bay, where children can meet Santa Claus in his Grotto and explore the 'Enchanted Hollow: Toy Workshop'. Some rides are open, including, but not limited to, the entire World of Jumanji, and The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure. The majority of the zoo is also available. A pantomime show on the 'Mane Stage' runs daily as well as singing from Christmas carollers in Adventure Point.

One-off events

Ice Age – In August 2009, Chessington held an event to celebrate the release of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. The park opened a temporary maze outside Beanoland for the event.
Vampire XXI – In April 2011 Chessington opened a temporary maze in the area outside the Vampire roller coaster to celebrate its 21st birthday. The event was free and ran for two weeks.
Mystic East Carnival – The Mystic East Carnival was a display of arts from the orient shown in Market Square and Mystic East. The event was held in May for a number of weeks.
25th Birthday Celebration – During July 2012, the resort had 25 days of events to celebrate the theme park's 25th anniversary.
African Adventures – The February half term event for many years up until 2015, this event saw African tribal dancers and street explorers can be found roaming and interacting with guests, as well as African artwork and creative activities dotted around the park.
Animal Adventures – A weeklong celebration held during the February half term of 2016 to celebrate 85 years of the Zoo being at Chessington. Many animal talks and events went on to celebrate all Animal life at Chessington. This was a one-off event, however, it was adapted for a more general event under the same name from 2017.
Moshi Monsters – From 25 July to 18 August 2012, the Moshi Monsters visited Chessington. The characters could be met, and there were challenges around the park which if completed could win Moshi Monster lanyards, in-game 1,000 rox codes and seeds. Each Moshling was looking after a secret symbol, collect all eight to unlock the code word and reveal a new Moshling online. Guests also had the chance to win Moshi prizes and giveaways.
Elmer's Big Art Parade – From 19 April to 31 May 2021, where guests could join a patchwork elephant for a sculpture trail around the Resort and rides on Elmer's Flying Jumbos.
Roar & Explore - An evening in 2023 and 2024 involving speeches and information about the charity work the Chessington Conservation Fund is involved in, as well as presentations of some of the Zoo's endangered species. All revenue goes towards the fund.

Theme Park

thumb|Compass in the centre of Adventure Point, with each area in the resort labelled

Chessington World of Adventures opened on 6 July 1987. Its original theme was cultural locations from around the world. Major attractions include: Vampire, Dragon's Fury, Zufari: Ride into Africa, Mandrill Mayhem and Croc Drop.

Land of the Tiger

Until the end of the 2017 season named "Mystic East", this is an oriental-themed area built around the Tiger Rock log flume (previously Dragon River).

Forbidden Kingdom

thumb|[[Tomb Blaster]]

An Ancient Egyptian area, Forbidden Kingdom was created in 1994 originally opening with the Terror Tomb dark ride. Currently, it only contains two rides; Tomb Blaster and Croc Drop.

Opening in 2002 Tomb Blaster is a dark ride shoot out game where riders shoot laser guns at targets and is a retheme of the 'Terror Tomb' dark ride. One side of Forbidden Kingdom is architecturally designed as an Arabic market town, while Tomb Blaster is set in an Ancient Egyptian courtyard tomb area, though much detail has been removed throughout the area over the years.

The second attraction located in Forbidden Kingdom is a brand new family drop tower Croc Drop. The ride opened as a replacement to Rameses Revenge in March 2021, and is themed around the Egyptian crocodile god Sobek. The ride's slogan is, "Brave the drop, release the curse!".

Rattlesnake Near the entrance to the Zoo, there are enclosures for otters and reindeer. In the same month, park owner Merlin Entertainments initiated a court case to seek an injunction against Peter Cave, owner of survey consultancy Peer Egerton Limited. The consultancy firm had been hired by Merlin to prepare a report on the safety of the park, after the 2012 accident. Cave's firm found 2,000 defects and potential safety hazards. This led to a dispute between Cave and Merlin, culminating in court proceedings to prevent the park from reopening after its 2012 winter break. Merlin won this case and the park reopened.

Cave then set up a campaign to warn the public and staff of the findings, including sending out 80,000 emails. Merlin claimed to have spent the £4.6 million on repairs and improvements that Cave had recommended and named the allegations "baseless". But High Court Judge Elisabeth Laing ruled that the campaign was a "matter of public interest" and refused the injunction to silence Cave.

Green belt restrictions

Due to the majority of the theme park being located on green belt lands the park is subject to several restrictions. Most significant are restrictions in height (no building higher than the tree line), noise (with time restrictions) and traffic management.

Various rides have had to have been built in pits due to these restrictions. It is most noticeable on Blue Barnacle, Croc Drop and Rattlesnake. The resort cannot operate Vampire past 11pm. The resort was not allowed to build anything higher than the Peeking Heights Ferris Wheel, which has since been removed from the park.

Gallery

:Main gallery: Chessington World of Adventures Resort at WikiCommons

;Theme park and features

File:Chessington World of Adventures 070.jpg|Lorikeet Lagoon in Wild Asia

File:Chessington World of Adventures Land of the Dragons.jpg|Frazzle the Dragon

File:Chessington World of Adventures 034.jpg|Entrance to Dragon's Fury in Land of the Dragons

File:Burnt Stub at Chessington, 2012.JPG|The Burnt Stub Mansion

</gallery>

;Chessington Zoo

Two ostriches, Chessington World of Adventure and Zoo.jpg|Ostriches in their Wanyama Village enclosure

Chessington gorilla eating.jpg|Chessington gorilla eating

Chessington Zoo Sumatran tiger 2010.jpg|Sumatran tiger 2010

Sea lion enclosure, Chessington World of Adventures - geograph.org.uk - 254717.jpg|Sea lion enclosure

Chessington World of Adventures otters.jpg|River otter enclosure

Kune kune pig Chessington Zoo.jpg|Kunekune at petting zoo