Dartford swimming pool, anyone remember?

Neil79 · 30 Jul 2012 at 15:01

Does anyone remember the huge swimming pool on the hill near dartford crossing?, had tons of slides and one such ride was called the black hole. What happened to it?

When i went there it was amazing however one of the swimming pools had no water and was closed of, only the water rapids and slides were opened

cainer · 30 Jul 2012 at 15:37

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantaseas

JeffH · 30 Jul 2012 at 15:41

I remember urban myths linking the closures to someone sticking razor blades down the slides. Didn't believe it then either.

Chris [BEANS] · 30 Jul 2012 at 15:42

JeffH said:
I remember urban myths linking the closures to someone sticking razor blades down the slides. Didn't believe it then either.

Ha, I remember that!!

GhostlyPea · 30 Jul 2012 at 15:43

Black Hole
Whale Whirler
Shark Shocker

Were those the three? Used to cost 20p for a wrist band to get in there. Loved it

Also Water Palace, but that shut down years ago

LINK. Was epic. Photo doesn't do it justice

- GP

Neil79 · 30 Jul 2012 at 15:43

cainer said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantaseas

yay that was it, big thanks

JeffH said:
I remember urban myths linking the closures to someone sticking razor blades down the slides. Didn't believe it then either.

I heard rumours it was due to the grounds being too weak causing the swimming pools to crack and people getting stuck

GhostlyPea said:
Black Hole
Whale Whirler
Shark Shocker

Were those the three? Used to cost 20p for a wrist band to get in there. Loved it

Also Water Palace, but that shut down years ago

- GP

Yep Black Hole, Pitch Black darkness loved it

Chris [BEANS] · 30 Jul 2012 at 15:46

The Dolphin (In Southend maybe??) became really popular after Fantaseas closed, because it had a wave machine :cool:

iv-tecman · 30 Jul 2012 at 15:50

Fantaseas opened in the late 1980s with six American-style water slides, a lazy river, wave pool, and an outdoor heated lagoon but within five years it was found to be sinking into the hillside and was closed in 1992 and demolished ten years later.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...1&hl=en&safe=active&sa=N&tbm=isch&um=1&itbs=1

Efour · 30 Jul 2012 at 15:50

Went to it a few times! That razor blade myth still going strong

rofl.

I thought it was built on reclaimed unstable ground and their was foundation issues.

MEh !

antijoke · 30 Jul 2012 at 15:51

JeffH said:
I remember urban myths linking the closures to someone sticking razor blades down the slides. Didn't believe it then either.

That seems a local theme for anywhere, there were rumours someone did this at our local pool.

I went to a mental place like this down in Poole years ago and it was totally awesome.

HEADRAT · 30 Jul 2012 at 16:12

Efour2 said:
I thought it was built on reclaimed unstable ground and their was foundation issues.

Yeah something like that, also I heard the structural engineer that planned it didn't calculate the weight of the water in the pool, just the building itself, probably as true as the "razor blade" myth

Efour · 30 Jul 2012 at 16:14

I also heard it was built on an Old Indian burial ground and haunted by the ghost of Billy Bonds' dead nan !

Conscript · 30 Jul 2012 at 16:18

I remember it. Went there when I was about 5, I lived 2 minutes away in Stone. Drove past it today as it happens.

As I remember it closed down because it was built on a landfill site and it had problems with subsidence.

JeffH · 31 Jul 2012 at 11:54

Chris [BEANS];22454929 said:
The Dolphin (In Southend maybe??) became really popular after Fantaseas closed, because it had a wave machine

Dolphin was in Romford - wasted a lot of my youth sitting on the wall nearby before getting into pubs.

Overlag · 31 Jul 2012 at 11:59

JeffH said:
I remember urban myths linking the closures to someone sticking razor blades down the slides. Didn't believe it then either.

i got told that too, i used to love going to that place as a kid

used to have a steam train there didnt it?

Dolphin was epic too, the wave machine yay!!!!

gothic_hobbit · 19 Aug 2012 at 11:26

The Dartford site is getting turned into housing.

Overslop · 19 Aug 2012 at 11:37

Fantaseas was fantastic back in the day!

PapaLazaru · 19 Aug 2012 at 12:17

Did anyone also go to Richmond Water Slides? It was my favourite place in the whole world when I was a nipper.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-516000-174000/picture/2

Freshblood · 19 Aug 2012 at 13:19

Did anyone ever hear the rumour that it was closed due to snakes?

MOOGLEYS · 19 Aug 2012 at 13:22

Fantaseas was fantastic. Not much there now....