ABSTRACT
The amusement park had quickly become a key component in the urban 'pleasurescape' of modern Britain. Alton Towers provided the first instance of heritage becoming art in an amusement park context. Changing heritage values over the intervening decades now means that both Bondi Beach and Luna Park are designated heritage sites; the first recognised in effect for its heritage of resistance to an amusement park, the second for its heritage as an amusement park. Both places are driven by a strong sense of local cultural attachment and identity and, as Caroline Ford argues, understanding the history and heritage of absent amusement parks is crucial to properly understanding the appeal of those which ultimately succeeded. Dreamland's initial driving force was that of preservation of both the tangible heritage of the historic rides and the intangible heritage of experiencing them and amusement park culture in general.
