The £346milion theme park that wanted to be the ‘English Disneyland' in the 1980s… but was never built

The Sun

22-04-2025

A THEME park that wanted to be the UK's version of Disneyland was nearly built in the 1980s.
The theme park, called WonderWorld, hoped to open in Corby in Northamptonshire.
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In 1981, planning permission was granted for a the theme park to be built on a 1,000-acre site, around two miles from Corby.
Located at Priors Hall, the park was to be built on a disused quarry which was once linked to the town's former steelworks.
Group Five, who were due to be the developers, claimed that support from the local area including county authorities and the Commission for New Towns.
The attraction was to be modelled on Walt Disney World 's Epcot which opened in Orlando in 1982 and would include 13 themed villages built around a central bowl measuring 700 metres in diameter.
Six of the worlds would open in 1992 and were expected to draw in four million visitors annually.
The attraction would have featured high-tech rides, educational centres, themed restaurants, a conservation zone and several shopping areas.
There would have also been an open air concert hall designed to look like one of the Martian tripods from Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds and rides designed by Monty Python's Terry Gilliam.
A brochure produced on the planned park suggested that it would be a "unique resort set in beautifully landscaped surroundings".
Later in 1985, one of the architects, Derek Walker, said: "The basic ingredients [for WonderWorld] are very simple: entertainment at the very highest level. It's participatory and it's incredibly educational.
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"[WonderWorld] will offer the best of British design," according to the BBC.
In addition, botanist David Bellamy was involved in planning a mock safari and astronomer Sir Patrick Moore was set to contribute an observatory.
There would also have been a 10,000-seat stadium for sports.
A family resort with seven hotels initially, an 18-hole golf course and 100 holiday villas were due to be a part of the destination too.
The overall ambition was to launch a new leisure industry built around "British heritage, folklore, science and innovation", which was particular supported following the closure of the nearby steelworks in 1980.
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The project was estimated to cost £346million in total and aimed for an initial opening in 1985.
However, due to rising costs, planning delays and difficultly securing long-term funding meant that some of the backers pulled out.
Eventually the plans faded into obscurity and the only parts of the attraction that were built were a large WonderWorld sign and a small wooden cabin.
Today, the site is home to more than 1,000 houses and here are plans to build around 5,000 more in the future.
A £2.5billion 'UK Disneyland' theme park was also announced in 2012, before being scrapped - and images were released of what it could have looked like.
However, there is a Universal theme park coming to the UK in the next decade.
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