The Big Dipper is a wooden out-and-back roller coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach on England’s Lancashire coast. It opened on 23 August 1923, making it one of the longest-running roller coasters still standing anywhere in the world, and it remains a defining silhouette on Blackpool’s seafront skyline alongside its towering neighbor, The Big One.
Designed by American coaster legend John A. Miller and built by William Strickler, the Big Dipper was extended in 1936 with a new layout and a station designed by architect Joseph Emberton. Its lasting significance was formally recognized in 2017, when Historic England awarded it Grade II listed status, protecting the wooden structure as a piece of British seaside heritage.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Blackpool Pleasure Beach
- Manufacturer: William Strickler (designed by John A. Miller)
- Opened: August 23, 1923
- Height: 65 ft (20 m)
- Top speed: 40 mph (64 km/h)
- Length: 3,300 ft (1,005 m)
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
True to its 1920s roots, the Big Dipper is a classic out-and-back wooden coaster: a lift hill climbs to 65 feet before a 50-foot first drop sends two trains of three cars racing along 3,300 feet of white lattice track at up to 40 mph. The ride was the first coaster in England to use upstop wheels, a technical innovation that let its designers build steeper drops and tighter transitions than earlier wooden coasters could safely manage.
Each trip lasts roughly two and a half minutes, with the timber structure’s natural flex giving the layout the rattling, airtime-filled character that fans of vintage wooden coasters seek out. Riders must be at least 46 inches tall to board.
A Storied History
Built for £25,000 and opened in 1922-1923, the Big Dipper predates almost every other operating coaster in the UK. Its status as Britain’s oldest continuously operating roller coaster was cemented in January 2026, when the older Scenic Railway at Dreamland Margate, which had opened in 1920 but stood idle since a 2024 derailment, was permanently retired. Over its own century of operation the Big Dipper has survived a 1975 fire and periodic mechanical incidents typical of a ride its age.
On 23 July 2026, a train failed to crest a hill and the wooden track structure beneath it cracked; no injuries were reported, but Blackpool Pleasure Beach closed the ride while engineers investigate the damage. As of this writing no reopening date has been confirmed, though the park has not indicated the closure is permanent.
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Big Dipper FAQs
Is the Big Dipper currently open?
The ride has been closed since 23 July 2026 after a train failed to clear a hill and cracked a section of wooden track. Blackpool Pleasure Beach is investigating, and no reopening date has been announced.
How old is the Big Dipper roller coaster?
It opened on August 23, 1923, making it over a century old and one of the oldest surviving roller coasters in the world.
Is the Big Dipper the oldest roller coaster in the UK?
It became the UK’s oldest operating roller coaster in January 2026, after the older Scenic Railway at Dreamland Margate (opened 1920) was permanently closed following a 2024 derailment.
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Photo: Franz Heinrich / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.