The Crown Carousel was one of the earlier carousels to operate at Alton Towers, arriving at the park for the 1985 season, and was named after the distinctive crowns that were painted onto its headboards.
Fact File
- Location: Aqualand / Talbot Street / Land of Make Believe / Cred Street
- Manufacturer: Hennecke
- Opening Year: 1985
- Closing Year: 1999
Instead of the more traditional versions, this carousel allowed guests to ride on a range of modern vehicles, under a colourful canopy.
The ride originally operated in Aqualand in roughly the same area that is now occupied by the Eastern Express restaurant. Making way for new developments in Aqualand, the ride moved to Talbot Street in 1987 to operate alongside the Motor Museum.
It survived Talbot Street’s makeover into The Land of Make Believe and also the subsequent change to Cred Street, as the perfect companion to the Vintage Car Ride at the end of the street.
Eventually the Crown Carousel’s simplistic entertainment value caught up with it though and the ride was removed at the end of the 1999 season, as the park upgraded to the double decker Cred Street Carousel, which arrived from Thorpe Park.
