The Latest: Metroland closes its doors for the last time

To mourn the loss of one of the North East's childhood favourites, I've written another news article for The Latest to inform people about the closure of Metroland. Read it at The Latest or below!


EUROPE’S largest indoor theme park, Metroland, officially closed yesterday after 20 years of widespread popularity.

Part of the MetroCentre in Gateshead, Britain’s largest shopping centre, Metroland is now being dismantled with every ride being sold to the highest bidder.

Unveiled in 1988 at a cost of £20m, Metroland operated 12 major rides including a roller coaster, alongside amusement arcades and a food hall, and attracted one million people a year.

The MetroCentre, which was valued at an estimated £7 billion in late 2007, plans to expand the Yellow Mall area of the complex with a new Odeon cinema and additional shops to expand further from its 165,000m² floor space.

“We did run rather an extensive campaign and we received about 2,500 responses to it, but unfortunately it didn’t go to plan in the end,” said Craig Strong, park supervisor at Metroland.

“We weren’t able to save Metroland, but we did put up a good fight.”

With the Wonderful Waveswinger and Whirling Waltzers now packed away and plans already in motion to convert the existing Odeon cinema into more shops, many customers are lamenting the loss of the largest part of the MetroCentre’s individuality.

And with more theme parks closing down across the country, it is hard to disagree with them.