Casino Rides

Canvey's Amusements

The Cresta Run. The Helter Skelter was made of copper/aluminium alloy which made it light and easy to erect. The bowl which riders ended up in was made of highly polished wood.

In June 1933 The Casino was opened for business. Upstairs was the ballroom and restaurants, downstairs the amusements.

In the amusements were dodgems, a boating pool, slot machines, House of fun and rides of all kinds.

On this page we have pictures of some of the many rides available at the Casino over the years.

The pictures were lent to Dave Bullock by the Swann Family and reproduced here.

Many more pictures and memories of the Casino can be seen on Dave’s site.On

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Comments about this page

  • I remember the casino..used to have great fun on the dodgems and also the cars on the track.

    i remember rocking and rolling to the red diamonds in the ballroom upstairs in 1957/ 58

    By ernie king (22/10/2014)
  • Spent many a happy hour on here..used to be a chap worked on it called OXO

    By Sandra Springall (10/05/2015)
  • I lived here as a child my dad ran the cafe hook a duck and gun stalls

    By Daniel Palmer (26/10/2015)
  • Thank you for showing our family photos again, always brings back so many memories.

    By Liz Swann (29/10/2015)
  • In the late 1940’s there was a miniture railway too, right in the same area as the Dodgems etc.  I operated it for at least one summer. It consisted of a small engine pulling a couple of open carriages around a circular track. It was a fun ride and was very popular costing about 6p I think. Have never seen a picture of that little train, maybe there isn’t one??9

    By Gerald Hudson (30/10/2015)
  • So many fond memories of the amusements in 1963, couldnt keep away, shame its all gone now.

    By Kevan ward. (31/10/2016)
  • I was visiting Singapore some years ago. There is and island off Singapore called Sentosa Island. It is devoted to a variaty of themed amusement centres. One of these was a fairground including dodgem cars. I was told the cars were from Canvey Casino.

    Alan Whitcomb

    By Dr Alan Whitcomb (17/11/2016)
  • I worked at the casino for about ten years in the summers. I was nine when I first helped Maggie in the rifle stall you had to knock sweets of with corks fired from the riffle. I did this for about three years then I worked on the kiddies car track behind the dodgems for one year. I then went on the dodgems for two years then the speedway  waltzer and ark and wild mouse. I was the best time of my working life no money but so much fun. It was a great shame to see it go as all the punters faces lit up when they was on the rides even if they where scared for that little bit of time

    By steven chipps (09/08/2018)
  • I worked in The Casino during a few summers from the late 1960’s. I worked on the dodgems, wild mouse and speedway. It was an exhilarating place to be. As you entered through the arcades, the sound of metal on metal from the dodgems and speedway would fill your head. You could smell the static electricity from the rides, mixed with the aroma of hotdogs and candy floss. It almost made you drunk. Then the sound of the Four Tops and The Supremes would complete the total battering of the senses. When I worked on The Speedway cars, on a full-on bank holiday, flat out for 4 or 5 hours, it got right into your very soul – nothing like it! John Dawkins

    By John Dawkins (01/09/2018)
  • I’m doing some research into these helter skelters built by Supercar and I’m trying to track it down I understand it was sold to Gerry Cottle in 1992

    By gary witcomb (19/05/2020)
  • I worked in the Casino for about 8 years. Starting in Kiddies Corner, Dodgems, Speedway, Octopus, Ark and The Wild Mouse. Great times, great people.

    By Paul Hayes (28/05/2020)
  • Gary, I believe the Helter Skelter went to a static fair in Scotland. Will look through our papers and check with my sister and get back on it.

    By Liz Swann (19/08/2020)
  • In the picture of the dodgems, at the back, is Peter Keeble’s ‘Flying Corks’ stand where folks would shoot corks at packets of sweets trying to knock them off the shelves (which were a lot deeper than people thought!). I remember my dad, who was a friend of Mr Keeble, working in his shed fretworking the sign for the stand, cutting 10 x 1 foot high individual letters out of hardboard and painting them. Dark blue I think?
    My kiddy job in 1960 – 62 was to stand outside the Flying Corks stand and collect the rebounding corks so people didn’t get free shots! Amazing how many did rebound too. Great days. I was paid 5 shillings a day – two half crowns was a lot then, plus a free Hardings steak and kidney pie from the cafe at the end of the afternoon! The location of the stand was close to the jukebox at the end of the dodgems, opposite the cafe, and that’s where all the teenage girls would collect to play the latest records – good scenery! My cousin Norma Blayney used to be amongst them. (she moved to Australia in 1964 and has sadly since passed away). Yes, lots of memories here.

    By Pete Raven (24/12/2020)
  • Does anyone have any photos /stories about dodgems and the twins Paul and Peter..

    By tracey mead (19/01/2021)
  • I lived in Grafton Road from 1952 Being so close to the Casino I spent many hours there In 1962 my last year at Furtherwick I worked selling candy floss for a Mrs Smith who had a hot dog stall I also worked on hook the duck but the lady who had the stall also wanted. me to clean her caravan so that did not last The Duke box played Cliff most of the time I was not keen as I preferred Elvis Remember when the fair can to town One year the only record they played was Speedy. Gonzalez It was so loud I could hear it in bed Brilliant days

    By Julia Cornwell Goillau (30/11/2021)
  • My grandparents lived at May Avenue close to the amusement arcade , although my home was at Hawkesbury road ,I stayed with them several times and spent many hours at the amusements

    By Denise Stiles ( Hawkins) (30/11/2021)
  • Loved all these rides,and later on the ballroom such great memories.
    Lived in Canvey 1952 to 1980 ,last place was The Meadway just behind the Casino. My two brothers Eddie and John Miller lived on Canvey approx.2010.

    By Christina Hart née Miller (11/07/2022)

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