The Big One arrived at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in 1994, a grand piece of Arrow Dynamics steel set on the Lancashire seafront. For the visitor approaching the promenade, it made the Pleasure Beach feel newly monumental, with the park itself gathered beneath its lift and long returning track. blackpoolpleasurebeach.com· en.wikipedia.org

Its construction was no simple matter of empty ground. The course had to be worked through a famously crowded park, passing among established rides and buildings, while the old Space Tower was moved away to make room for the new undertaking. pbdb.co.uk

At its opening, the ride was presented as the tallest, fastest and steepest steel roller coaster in the world, a proud claim for a British seaside park with long memories of engineering showmanship. Its scale gave Blackpool a new landmark for visitors walking the Golden Mile. blackpoolpleasurebeach.com· blackpoolpleasurebeach.com

In later years, the coaster has received substantial re-tracking work, with British engineering firms contributing new steelwork and careful fabrication. It remains an operating monument of the park, kept in service for another generation of seaside travellers. barnshaws.com· architecturaltechnology.com