Godden rides again?

Written by Matt B · first published 07/04/2008

Video from youtube.com

Yes, folks that is the image of the Scenic Railway Roller Coaster (one of the oldest in the world) burning down today. I remember riding that as a child - I loved it. Now the land owner Mr Godden may well be free to build houses or shops as he first wanted to.

Mr Godden is (a) a very lucky man or (b) not to be trusted with matches. For some reason his properties seem to burn down whenever they get in the way of development. I would never say outright that I think something "fishy is going on" (even if I do) because I wouldn't want my house to burn down... I mean I don't want to get sued.

So, I do not think that the Scenic Railway burning down is a deliberate, if clever, by-pass of a blockage to building work. I would never wish to hint that everyone is saying that Mr G has been happy with the matches again even if they might be saying this. I would hate to bring up the loss of two or three other seaside properties of his that planning permission had been turned down on. I am not indicating that the first person I mentioned this too said "Godden?" only to have me inform her that he owns the land...

...oh, wait, maybe I am. Darn. Well let's be honest here it does look rather convenient and frankly this man is going to find building insurance getting costly (not that I think he is going to care).

For those just joining us from under a rock or another part of the world. The Scenic Railway is, or was, the oldest or one of the oldest roller coaster in the world. It was Grade II listed and pretty much exactly where a local property tycoon with an (un)lucky history of fires wanted to put houses (I understand).

So are we going to see houses there now or some sort of light commerce as was oddly "agreed" with strange enthusiasm that made many people say "bribe" (not that I'd say out right that this happened (without evidence)) in a strange PR dance not so many months ago.

By the time the second person called me to say the Scenic was burning I got the hint and wrote about it. By then Zumi Web had obtained a photo and already published. (Should have taken the first hint).

"Police said they were treating the fire, which broke out on Monday afternoon at the Scenic Railway at Margate, as suspicious."
--news.bbc.co.uk

Kentonline have pictures

invictafm.co.uk have coverage up too.

eastcliffrichard.blogspot.com has photo's "from the ground"

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Public Comments

Adem wrote:

As soon as I heard this I though 'Godden', and it made me sick that something like this can happen, and that it is very likely to be arson.

There's no way that with the wet weather and snow that this happened by accident and there surely has to be investigations into this.... or just some luxury flats instead.

07/04/2008 10:47:56 PM

Matt B wrote:

The BBC say police are "suspicious" so there might be a real investigation this time.

07/04/2008 11:05:01 PM

Julieann wrote:

Suspicious???? It takes the police this long (what year did Pleasurama burn down?) to get suspicious? Bloody hell. Talk about poor response times

08/04/2008 10:20:05 PM

Matt B wrote:

Never ones to move to quickly, our local coppers. If you remember the big drugs bust that was in all the papers - they knew about every last one of those for a good number of years before they acted. One of the arrested people lived near to me and everyone knew what he did and the police so much as told me that they knew four years before they arrested him.

09/04/2008 12:30:27 PM

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