Jimmy Godden (December 1945 – 27 March 2012) was a businessman from Kent.[1][2][3] He was involved in a range of venues and projects including Dreamland Margate, the Rotunda Amusement Park in Folkestone and Ramsgate Pleasure Park.[4]
Godden was born in Folkestone, Kent.[2] He started a career as a builder, prior to marrying into a family involved in Folkestone Rotunda.[5]
Career
Business interests
Godden's business interests were primarily in the entertainment sector, and included ownership of numerous businesses such as amusement arcades across the South of England operating under the JG Amusements brand.
He owned the Folkestone Rotunda amusement park,[6] a prominent seafront attraction, prior to its closure.[7]
In March 1991, Godden pleaded guilty to bribing a councillor on Thanet District Council, receiving a six-month suspended prison sentence and a £25,000 fine.[8]
In 1992, Godden purchased the Feathers Funfair in Dymchurch.[9]
Godden demolished the Grade II listed 18th-century Ark Café in Folkestone, citing hurricane damage, despite opposition from local conservationists.[10]
In 1995, he acquired Dreamland Margate from the Bembom family.[11][12] He subsequently secured European and regional grant funding to support an initial £3 million redevelopment.[13] During his tenure, several rides were removed and sold, including the Ferris wheel, which had dominated the Margate skyline for two decades before being dismantled and sold to a park in Mexico,[14] and the looping swingboat Mary Rose.[15]
Several of Godden's properties were damaged or destroyed by fires, some of which were suspected to be deliberate. These included the listed Scenic Railway at Dreamland, which was damaged in an arson attack on 7 April 2008,[16][17] the Pleasurama fun park in Ramsgate,[18][19] and the Mr G arcade on Margate seafront. The latter site remained vacant and became locally known as "Godden's Gap".[20]
Failed projects
Godden was involved in several proposed developments that were not completed. In the mid-1990s, his Chamelion Group proposed a major leisure complex on the derelict Ramsgate Hoverport, including 250 holiday apartments, an indoor ski slope, a swimming pool, and other amenities, with funding expected in part from European Union development grants.[21][22] The proposal led to the demolition of the existing terminal building, but negotiations with Thanet District Council broke down in 1996.[23]
At the Pleasurama site on Ramsgate seafront, located on the former Ramsgate Harbour railway station, Godden had obtained permission to develop a shopping centre. However, the site was destroyed by fire before the development could proceed and was subsequently compulsorily purchased by Thanet District Council.[18]
Godden and one of his sons were kidnapped by men in balaclavas in December 1991, with the aim of extracting a ransom. The kidnapping was abandoned when a police patrol happened upon the kidnap in progress, and the kidnappers fled.[24][25] Property worth £100,000 was taken and Godden's insurance company offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the gang.[26]
