Dawson's Amusements demolished

Alun

Just noticed that Dawson's Amusements down on Bray sea front has been demolished. About time too, it was a real eyesore, but does anyone know if there's anything planned for the site or is it just going to be left as an empty plot for years just like the ones further up the front next to the Esplanade Hotel, and by the corner of Victoria Avenue?

Also any ideas, apart from the obvious "putting a new roof on", are they doing to the old boat house? Maybe opening up some new shop units?

EDIT: Should have Google'd it first Turns out it's just going to be turned into a car park "for the time being", i.e. the next 10 years at least ...

Judgement Day

Dawson's Amusements used to be the best arcade on the seafront and the Ghost Train was epic - back in the 1960s - but in its more recent incarnation it was an awful eyesore. The old building had an Art Deco (?) look about it and was packed with all sorts of amazing mechanical gaming machines. A vintage arcade on Bray Seafront would be a real draw but I shouldn't think that there's much chance of that.

Anybody got photos of the arcade in its heyday?

LEIN

This Facebook page has plenty of photos of it being demolished.


https://www.facebook.com/braydidyouknow?fref=ts

zoobizoo

Judgement Day wrote: »

Dawson's Amusements used to be the best arcade on the seafront and the Ghost Train was epic - back in the 1960s - but in its more recent incarnation it was an awful eyesore. The old building had an Art Deco (?) look about it and was packed with all sorts of amazing mechanical gaming machines. A vintage arcade on Bray Seafront would be a real draw but I shouldn't think that there's much chance of that.

It was a great old arcade..... Space Ace, DragonSlayer (both the first Laser Disc games) and lots of decent pin ball games.

It also had Sea Wolf - the sound of the inside of submarines coming from it.

There were loads of games we used to play there and in the little arcade beside it - they had good version of Daley Thompson's Olympics and Yi-Yar Kung Fu.

The Star was good for 1942, Supersprint, Ghosts n' Goblins, Rampage, Shinobi, Spyhunter, Karate Champ, Kung Fu Master and Paper Boy to name some of the best ones. Oh, and R-Type and Commando.

The Fun Palace had a dodgy version of Return of the Jedi which kept giving out lives. There were plenty of afternoons I'd head down, pop in 10p and stay for an hour.

It all went down hill when Street Fighter arrived. 6 Buttons!!!! Too many moves.... then the price of games went up to about a pound and we stopped going down.

They were great places to hang out after school.

I even miss Loppy's.

BarryD

Is that where the Ghost Train was? I recall it well enough as a child in the 1960s and was only telling our youngest lad, who's 9, about it the other day. My father was into the sailing a bit and we'd be brought down for the day and left to look after ourselves on the seafront, whilst he took to the waves. So we ended up in the amusement arcades when we had a few bob or even if we were broke, just to get out of the wind or drizzle if it was poor day. I can still picture the train and the dark and the skeletons and things swinging out over you.. those arcades there (I think there were a few?) would be my mental picture of Bray!!

Judgement Day

I seem to remember that the "Fun Palace" had a Ghost train too. That was back in the days when chippers only sold fresh fish 'n' chips, and ice cream was from a block with a couple of wafers.

Even further back, in the late 1960's, I remember the Guinness Clock which used to appear near the bandstand every summer. It was a fascinating, Heath Robinson type invention that used to spring to life every quarter of an hour. There were 8 or more of the clocks which travelled around the British Isles and were based on the original created for the Festival of Britain in 1951; sadly some philistine in Guinness' decreed that they all be scrapped in 1966 as the Gilroy Zoo animals used no longer reflected the company's new image.

Zebbedee

Dawson's had the 'Laughing Sailor' too.
A puppet thing that sat in a glass box and laughed
it's head off for a couple of minutes if you put some money in.
I think it was 1 or 2d (old pennies).
Not showing my age now am I?

Maudi

Alun wrote: »

Just noticed that Dawson's Amusements down on Bray sea front has been demolished. About time too, it was a real eyesore, but does anyone know if there's anything planned for the site or is it just going to be left as an empty plot for years just like the ones further up the front next to the Esplanade Hotel, and by the corner of Victoria Avenue?

Also any ideas, apart from the obvious "putting a new roof on", are they doing to the old boat house? Maybe opening up some new shop units?

EDIT: Should have Google'd it first Turns out it's just going to be turned into a car park "for the time being", i.e. the next 10 years at least ...

i heard the old boat house re.roof project is going to be a new overnight homeless shelter...needed after that young chap froze to death on the street at smiths during the cold spell..anybody else hear this?

B0jangles

Zebbedee wrote: »

Dawson's had the 'Laughing Sailor' too.
A puppet thing that sat in a glass box and laughed
it's head off for a couple of minutes if you put some money in.
I think it was 1 or 2d (old pennies).
Not showing my age now am I?

Do you remember the gypsy fortuneteller in the glass case that used to be near the entrance of the Fun Palace?

She was awesome, I hope she went to a good home and didn't get throw away as rubbish.

Wicklowandy

Maudi wrote: »

i heard the old boat house re.roof project is going to be a new overnight homeless shelter...needed after that young chap froze to death on the street at smiths during the cold spell..anybody else hear this?

Heard it, but haven't had anyone to confirm it. It'd be very welcome, was in Bray two nights last week working, and still a lot of people visibly sleeping out in a few areas of Bray:(

Zebbedee

B0jangles wrote: »

Do you remember the gypsy fortuneteller in the glass case that used to be near the entrance of the Fun Palace?

She was awesome, I hope she went to a good home and didn't get throw away as rubbish.

I only have the vaguest memory of that.
Not sure if I liked it.
Was it a freakish looking thing with a shawl?

Calibos

I seem to remember a wild west shooting gallery from the early to mid 80's? In the old building where the dodgems were in the new building if you get me. One of the targets was an outdoor loo and if you hit the target the toilet door would open with an animatronic cowboy sitting on the loo would then pull the door back closed??? Or did I imagine all that???

randomCluster

In the mid-90s I worked in Dawson's during the Summer holidays. Great times. Went around with a bunch of keys unlodging jammed coins in the machines. The slot machines were a lot more profitable - fewer staff, less servicing, higher usage.

Judgement Day

Whatever happened to all the machines out of Dawsons, The Fun Palace etc?

insomniac86

It's kinda sad and also surprising that looking at the pictures of the place being demolished they dumped all the arcade games too. I would of thought they'd be worth a bit of money. I probably would of bought one given the chance.

Judgement Day

insomniac86 wrote: »

It's kinda sad and also surprising that looking at the pictures of the place being demolished they dumped all the arcade games too. I would of thought they'd be worth a bit of money. I probably would of bought one given the chance.

I should think it most unlikely the machines were still in the arcade - do you have link to the pictures?

insomniac86

Looking at it again I may have assumed too fast I think they might be speakers and other equipment for the rides etc. Here's the link anyway https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=524028904294140&set=a.234502209913479.61595.234210346609332&type=1&theater

Judgement Day

insomniac86 wrote: »

Looking at it again I may have assumed too fast I think they might be speakers and other equipment for the rides etc. Here's the link anyway https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=524028904294140&set=a.234502209913479.61595.234210346609332&type=1&theater

Looking at that you could well be right!

Calibos

Ah jaysus no!! I would have paid good money for it. I loved that wheelbarrow game!!

insomniac86

I was just thinking about this and figured here was the best place to bring it up. Does anybody know exactly why Dawsons closed in the first place? Was it losing money? Seems strange considering Star was smaller. I know the owners of Star bought the place.

eskerman

im trying to make contact with Jerry Dawson - Dawsons Amusements

Any assistance appreciated
Thanks
EM

Annasopra

eskerman wrote: »

im trying to make contact with Jerry Dawson - Dawsons Amusements

Any assistance appreciated
Thanks
EM

I thought Jerry Dawson died years ago?

flyingmachine

eskerman wrote: »

im trying to make contact with Jerry Dawson - Dawsons Amusements

Any assistance appreciated
Thanks
EM

Did Gerry Freeny not own dawsons

Annasopra

flyingmachine wrote: »

Did Gerry Freeny not own dawsons

The Freeneys purchased Dawsons sometime in the 80s I think. Could be the 90s though.

This photo of Jerry Dawson and his wife and daughter is on the "Bray Did you know" facebook page. I think it was taken sometime in the 60s or 70s. If you look at the comments there is a comment from someone claiming Jerry Dawson was her great grandfather.

Spiderman90

I always remember this defunct amusement place in Bray, Co. Wicklow. I used to go there when I was a kid and I went on the dodgems, known as bumper cars and the ghost train.

Sadly, it went out of business in 2006 after its owner went bankrupt, I think.

It is now a car park after it has been demolished since Febraury 2013.