Southend the Kursaal's macabre accidents and gruesome deaths

Back in its heyday the Kursaal was most definitely a colourful place for people to let their hair down and visitors would pack out the famous pleasure palace in their thousands each year.

As a consequence of such heaving crowds, the Kursaal’s rides and amusements had to be meticulously maintained and repaired so that they continued to function safely.

By 1924 big-hitting rides at the Kursaal included the Ice Toboggan, the Scenic Railway, the Bowl Slide, The Rivers and the Alpine Ride. Other notable amusements were the Whip, the Joy Wheel, the Snake Pit, The Wiggle and the Over The Falls Palace of Illusion.

In 1921 the Joy Wheel was destroyed by a fire – for the second time. A mysterious blaze broke out in the Kursaal park where the rides were located, despite the park being closed for the season. The Joy Wheel and several side shows were burnt down.

But that wasn’t the first time the ride had been in the news. In fact, the Joy Wheel must have been one of the most cursed of all the Kursaal rides.

In June of 1911 a devastating fire had destroyed the Joy Wheel at the attraction - then known as Luna Park for the first time.

The Ice Toboggan Slide - In 1931 thrill-seeker Louisa Wilson, was badly injured after she became tangled in the machinery on this ride (Image: Newsquest)

The blaze originated in the “haunted cave’ which was adjoining the Joy Wheel The flames then spread to the wheel on which there were at least 300 people. Most of the riders were rescued but a few had to jump to the ground and injured themselves.

Seeing that the drama had caused a distraction, some visitors attempted to storm through the entrance kiosk without paying.

However, the fire brigade saw this and firefighters quickly turned their hoses on the people trying to get in for free. The park had only just opened for the season and many of the attendants who worked on the ride lost all their belongings.

Yet again the Joy Wheel would be rebuilt but yet again there would be accidents. In 1924 Henry Smith, of St James’s Road, Holloway, attempted to clamber on the Joy Wheel while it was in motion. He fell and fractured his skull.

There was also a ‘Joy Grotto’ at the park, but this too had its problems – deadly ones. In August of 1920, tragedy struck when day-tripper Laura Lee, aged 54, from Hoxton, fell down the stairs of the grotto.

One of the features of the amusement was a floor that moved suddenly and shook the legs and feet of visitors. Lee somehow fell and was rushed to St Barts Hospital in London but died of her injuries.

Despite health and safety issues being thrust to the fore, there would continue to be accidents at the Kursaal. In August 1928, a gruesome tragedy occurred when Henry Slough, the owner of an amusement ride known as The Glider was killed by his own machinery.

Slough, aged 55, had invented The Glider himself and it had only been installed at the Kursaal that season. The ride consisted of a number of cars that were connected by cables and travelled round on a circular switchback. During one ride, which was rammed with passengers, something went wrong and Slough went underneath the mechanism to investigate.

The Joy Wheel at the Kursaal (Image: Newsquest)

A cable snapped and entangled him, dragging him into the machine. An inquest later found that death must have been instantaneous after his head became trapped in a cog wheel under the ride.

A year later, in August 1929, one of the worst accidents to ever occur in the Kursaal took place when 11 people were injured when the “flying boat ride” came a cropper.

Luckily, the boats had been slowing down when a cable fell about 50 feet from the ground – and snapped.

One eyewitness recalled the terrifying scene: “The occupants were thrown in a heap and several people who were standing on the platform were hurled to the ground as the boat fell.”

Several people were taken to Victoria Hospital, where, after being treated for cuts and abrasions, they were able to go home. Four women and two children were among those hurt. Elizabeth Warren, 21, of Welshpool Street, London Fields, had her right arm broken while Frank Phillips, of Seaview Road, Southend, the attendant working on the landing platform, was hit by the falling cable and his right arm and chest were injured.

The cable cut down a flagpole and this fell among the dense crowd of holidaymakers, scattering them in all directions. A large number of people were grazed by the wire and had to receive medical attention. The driver of the aerial ride was so shocked by the drama that he fainted after bringing the machinery to a standstill, while several people manning the sideshows near the ride were also overcome by the horror of seeing the boat collapse.

An eyewitness told a reporter that the roundabout had just started when the crash occurred. “There were eight boats,” he said “and all of them, each holding 12 people. The boat fell without any warning and the people standing below did not have much chance to leap clear.

“Women screamed and there was a wild rush to the spot where the injured were lying in heaps.”

Two year later, another Kursaal landmark made the headlines for the wrong reasons.

In August 1930, Mary Osborne, 44, and Mary Holmes, 47, both from Mile End, were on the top of the popular Bowl Slide when one of the women’s clothes became trapped. Mrs Osborne fell against Mrs Holmes, who was on the next seat, and knocked her off on to the steps. Both were badly injured.

The following year Alfred Davies, aged 33, of Dartford, Kent, stood up from his seat on the Bowl Slide and fell out of the ride. He was killed by the fall.

The ride had been going at about 35mph. There were signs all around warning people not to stand up but Davies had told a fellow passenger that he “wanted a thrill”. An inquest recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.

On the very same day another bloody accident occurred on a different ride. Louisa Wilson, aged 44, from Euston, was being taken to the top of the ice toboggan at the Kursaal when she became tangled in the machinery. She was left with a badly lacerated leg.

Just a month later, there was a mishap on the equally popular Scenic Railway when Arthur Stevens, aged 37, fell out of one of the cars on the ride and was left with a fractured skull and two broken ankles.

Again, on the exact same day, Stanley Osborne, of Ilfracombe Road, Southchurch, fell from the platform on the Whirlpool ride and one of his shoes had to be cut away before he could be released.

Even the seemingly gentile ride, The Whip, couldn’t escape the scourge of death.

In the summer of 1938 James Pereira, aged 36, died after he ignored all the warning signs and stood up while the ride was going.

He fell backwards out of one of the cars and sustained fatal injuries.

In the 1970s all of the Kursaal’s rides were crushed or removed as changes were made to overhaul the Kursaal. By this time fewer and fewer people were coming to the attraction for the amusements and it was decided to get rid of them completely.