Name William George Bean Born 06/06/1868 Place of birth Chelsea, London Died 16/01/1929 Role(s) Founder
Managing Director until 1929
William George Bean was born in Chelsea in 1868. After spending time working in marketing in the USA, he was captivated by Coney Island in New York City. He returned to England with the rights to the Hotchkiss Bicycle Railway and began operations in the southern resorts, before opening a ride at South Shore in 1896.
On arrival, he found a number of fairground rides operating amongst the sand hills. These included a Switchback and the American Caroussel owned by John Outhwaite. Over time, Bean introduced additional rides and later purchased the Watson Estate, which would become the ‘Pleasure Beach’ in 1905. Although rides existed before his arrival, it was William Bean who began to create a cohesive amusement park, based on those he had seen in Coney Island.
W. G. Bean also influenced far beyond his Pleasure Beach. He was an active member of the Blackpool community, as an elected representative and a leader in the flourishing amusement industry that he was instrumental in pioneering.
He died aged only 60 in 1929, however, his life’s work continues and stands as a fitting memorial, still steered by his ancestors. Indeed, a number of rides that he built continue to excite riders today, including, the Flying Machine and Big Dipper.