Do you think that residents of Bridlington have a sense of pride about their amusement heritage?
Definitely. A number of museums have sprung up in the last few years celebrating that heritage. An excellent museum about Bridlington’s resort past, called ‘Beside the Seaside’, is located right in the town centre. This was a significant investment for the town, and includes a section on amusement arcades. There is another new museum, called ‘Old Penny Memories’, which is packed full of old amusement machines, some of which are from Joyland itself. The owner of this museum, Chris Parcell, has also helped with the book. There was until recently another museum of vintage amusement machines in the town. Unfortunately, it recently closed down, but its owner, Ian Dixon, gave me a tour and, again, provided me with a wealth of information on amusement arcades in the town. So, yes, this will be the first book of its kind about this important aspect of Bridlington’s history, and I do hope it will reflect the very real sense of pride that the people of Bridlington have about their amusement heri
