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| Reference: |
45393b
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| Caption: | Sir Leslie Joseph. Ex-Major Joseph became an amusement park entrepreneur who devised popular water chutes. The first was at Coney Beach (Porthcawl) in 1936. The Porthcawl chute was followed after the war by larger rides at Battersea Fun Fair (London, 1956), Belle Vue (Manchester, 1957) and the Kursaal (Southend-on-Sea, 1958). He became Managing Director of the Festival Pleasure Gardens in 1951 and was knighted in 1952. In April 1956 he gained, along with restaurant magnate Charles Forte, control of the Belle Vue Zoological Gardens for ?200,000. The 68 acre location contained a major zoo, a 30,000 capacity stadium, the 7,000 seat King's Hall (used for circuses), the 600 ft long exhibition hall and restaurants. |
| Added: | 05/04/2013 |
| Keywords: |
man portrait
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