Cobble Landings Fun Fair, Filey: Family who own Yorkshire fun fair to revive park in Whitby that is derelict and a ‘waste of potential’
A family who own Cobble Landings Fun Fair in Filey are transforming a park in Whitby that was derelict and a ‘waste of potential’.
Cobble Landings is a traditional fun fair located near Filey beach and was taken over by Lewis Holloway, 40, and his wife Jess in 2022.
As well as having the typical rides such as swings, a trampoline and a drop tower, the fair also has an underground roundabout that has been around for 80 years.
Last year, Mr and Mrs Holloway also decided to buy a piece of ground in Whitby near the outdoor pool in West Cliff to give it a new lease of life.
“There wasn’t really anything up there for kids to do,” Mr Holloway said.
“Up on the West Cliff there’s a big outdoor pool in summer, a crazy golf course and there were two bits of land; we’ve bought the one next to the outdoor pool.
“I thought it would be nice to have something up there away from the hustle and bustle of the harbour.
“It’s a similar type of thing [to the Cobble Landings Fun Fair]; we’ve put a bungee trampoline, a set of swings, a carousel, and coin-operated motorbikes.”
Mr Holloway, who grew up in Whitby, wanted to recreate a space he used to enjoy as a child.
“That area always looked like a waste of potential,” he said.
“It’s next door to the outdoor pool, there are coffee shops and ice cream shops, it’s next to the skate park and BMX track and there were these two areas that were derelict.
“They were where we all went when I was a kid, and I’ve watched them degenerate. When I saw the lease come up, I fancied trying to renew that and make it somewhere worth going again.”
At their fair in Filey, they see between 200 and 300 children visit every day during the summer months.
“We’ve been really popular since we took it over,” Mr Holloway said.
“People have been saying ‘this is great, we have something on our doorstep, we don’t have to travel out of town now’.
“Sometimes it’s just weather dependent - if you have a lot of rain people don’t tend to want to go down next to the beach at a fair.
“On a busy summer’s day it might be 700 rides per day, on average there would be 200-300 children a day as it is just a children’s fair for children up to early teens.”