Blackgang Chine -
Blackgang Chine is the location of a natural chine (a coastal ravine) in the soft Cretaceous cliffs near Ventnor at the southern tip of the Isle of Wight, England. Unstable terrain due to the underlying Gault Clay strata has resulted in a succession of huge landslips, notably in the 1920s, giving the area a very rugged and spectacular appearance quite atypical of southeast England. The site is home to the Blackgang Chine amusement park, established in 1843 by Victorian entrepreneur Alexander Dabell, whose descendants have owned it ever since. It is allegedly the oldest theme park in the UK, and famous for its lifesize plastic dinosaurs. Originally a general-purpose scenic and curiosity park, it featured a whale skeleton and landscaped paths down the chine to a waterfall and the beach below. The paths were swept away in the early 1900s, and the continuing coastal erosion has since obliterated the chine itself and forced the owners to repeatedly move the clifftop facilities inland. The park's focus now is themed entertainments for families with young children. The same owners run a sister site, the Robin Hill countryside adventure park.
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