To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures, Attraction Source was invited to attend a special Q&A event with legendary ride designer John Wardley, hosted by Howard Ebison, Vice President at Chessington.
The day began at the Safari Hotel, where guests checked in and collected their event lanyards, which included a QR code to submit questions for the session. A themed buffet lunch and Vampire-inspired cocktail set the tone perfectly ahead of the Q&A. Howard then provided a fantastic introduction to John, who then entered the room with a huge round of applause.
The session itself offered a deep dive into the creation of Vampire, the beloved Bubbleworks, and the early transformation of Chessington into a theme park. John shared numerous personal stories and design anecdotes, some of which fans may recognise from his autobiography Creating My Own Nemesis, but hearing them delivered in person brought a whole new energy.
During the Q&A, John answered a number of Vampire-specific questions – including why the Arrow Dynamics suspended coaster was the right choice, and his thoughts on the original ride experience. He recalled travelling to Busch Gardens Williamsburg to ride Big Bad Wolf, which ultimately inspired the concept, and said:
“It was exactly what we needed for Chessington. The swinging coaster offered something thrilling, unique, and completely different to anything else in the UK at the time.”
He also shared his thoughts on the ride’s current trains, noting that while the originals looked more dramatic, the newer versions provide a smoother and more dynamic ride experience. One of the standout moments, however, came during a discussion of the newly announced Universal UK resort, where John commented:
“I think it’s a great opportunity. I feel the British parks are going to rise to the challenge. The thing to bear in mind, not many people seem to realise this, that it’s not going to be a David and Goliath situation. There’s room for us all. Less people may go to Mainland Europe to visit this kind of attraction, so we may see an increase in UK staycations once we have a Universal Studios Resort here. I also happen to know that what Chessington is about to do here is going to absolutely wipe the floor at anything that anyone’s ever seen in the market in Britain – and that’s for real, and that’s going to happen in a couple of years’ time.”
Following the Q&A, attendees were welcomed by Martin Cowdrey, Technical Services Training Manager, who ran an interactive quiz with the chance to win original parts of the Vampire ride, including ride wheels. Between rounds, fun facts about the coaster were shared – including that Vampire has 110 individual supports, and the Vekoma’s project number for the 2001 / 2002 transformation was 91031. On display was some retro memorabilia, an original lantern from the station, and parts from the ride seats and restraints.
Guests then had the opportunity to meet John Wardley in person for signings and photos. Everyone received a commemorative poster featuring art from the original launch of Vampire and Bubbleworks, as well as a limited edition Vampire 35th Anniversary beer created in partnership with Windsor & Eton Brewery. Attraction Source had the pleasure of speaking with Martin Cowdrey about how Vampire has influenced his career, along with sitting down with John Wardley for a one-on-one interview, which both feature in the video linked above.
A huge thank you to Merlin Entertainments and the team at Chessington for inviting us to this memorable occasion. Keep an eye on Chessington’s social media for details of future VIP and behind-the-scenes events.
Are you going to ride Vampire during its 35th Birthday season? What are your thoughts on the future of this classic attraction? Let us know via our social media channels.
