The Seaside Heritage Network has identified the UK’s most beloved coastal hotspots, and one place in particular has proved hugely popular with locals and visitors.
A beloved seaside town has been crowned this year’s must-visit spot in the UK thanks to its main attraction: a timeless funfair that families and tourists have been flocking to for many years.
New Brighton in the Wirral, Merseyside, has been recognised thanks to its New Palace and Adventureland securing the top position in the Bucket and Spade List for this year. The nod to Britain’s saltwater heritage comes from the Seaside Heritage Network, which gathers public opinion to identify our beloved coastal hotspots.
Sentimentality plays a huge role, according to voters, who cherished continuing long-held family traditions at these destinations.
The premier attraction, New Palace and Adventureland at New Brighton, found on Marine Promenade, wows visitors with an array of timeless funfair attractions, arcades and various outdoor amusements, reports the Liverpool Echo.
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One happy visitor reminisced about the New Palace and Adventureland: “I have been visiting the New Palace since I was five years old and now I take my grandchildren who love it, the building is iconic and very little has changed in 65 years it is part of New Brighton’s heritage.”
Another trip down memory lane came from a visitor who said: “From an era when New Brighton was the place to be seen. It has everything quintessentially seaside, amusements, ice cream, beach ware, cafes, candy floss.”
Aside from this main attraction, there are so many other things to see and new in New Brighton – and clearly tourists agree, as it attracts more than one million visitors every year.
Summer may be drawing to a close but it doesn’t mean you can’t still head to the beach and spend a few hours by the shore, paddling and walking along the sand with an impressive view of Liverpool’s iconic skyline. The town boasts the longest promenade in the UK, as well as plenty of traditional amusement arcades, giving it a very vintage feel.
But away from the seafront is New Brighton’s Victorian Quarter, which is packed full of independent bars and places to eat, record shops, vintage stores, music venues, and a street art trail too.
Perhaps one of the most iconic landmarks in the Wirral is also in New Brighton – the Lighthouse. It was built all the way back in 1830, and it’s recommended that you go either at sunrise or sunset for the best views.
David Wilkie, owner and manager at the New Palace and Adventureland, couldn’t hide his joy, saying: “All the fun of the fair is one phrase that reflects the Wilkie family’s commitment and dedication to providing New Brighton with an unforgettable attraction. To be awarded first place in the Seaside Heritage Network Bucket and Spade list is the icing on the cake – not only for the resort’s tourism – past, present and future – but for all the generations who have taken the Palace to their hearts.”
The top ten attractions included:
- New Palace and Adventureland, New Brighton
- Ventnor Paddling Pool, Isle of Wight
- Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
- St Annes Beach Huts, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
- Leas Lift, Folkestone, Kent
- Punch & Judy booth, Swanage
- Cleethorpes Lakeside Area, Lincolnshire
- Showtown Museum, Blackpool
- Grand Hotel, Scarborough, North Yorkshire
- Great Orme Tramway & Goats, Llandudno, Conwy
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