Pinball Parlour

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Jun 6, 2009

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.016

TL;DR

UK pinball museum opens in Ramsgate, housing 27+ classic EMs and amusement machines.

Summary

This is a historical feature article documenting The Pinball Parlour, a UK pinball museum that opened in Ramsgate, Kent in 2009. Founded by Peter Heath and Pinball Geoff, the venue housed 27+ pinball machines (primarily Gottlieb and Williams EMs from 1939-1992) alongside other coin-operated amusements. The museum relocated to Margate's Dreamland amusement park in May 2014 as part of a restoration effort.

Key Claims

The Pinball Parlour officially opened in Ramsgate, Kent approximately three weeks before the open day covered (early June 2009)
high confidence · Article states 'The two officially opened their museum three weeks ago' and is dated 6th June 2009
Peter Heath was involved with the Pinball Owners Association and operated Pinballs2Go sales and repairs service
high confidence · Direct statement: 'Peter has been involved with the game for many years, both as part of the Pinball Owners Association and through his Pinballs2Go sales and repairs service'
Pinball Geoff was an operator of more than two dozen pinball machines across various sites in north London
high confidence · Direct statement: 'Pinball Geoff is a seasoned operator of more than two dozen pinball machines across a variety of sites in the north London area'
The museum collection ranged from a 1939 Genco Flying Scot flipperless game to a 1992 Data East Star Wars
high confidence · Explicit statement: 'There is a total of 27 pinball machines upstairs, ranging from a 1939 Genco Flying Scot flipperless game to a 1992 Data East star Wars'
The Pinball Parlour relocated from Ramsgate to Margate's Dreamland amusement park in May 2014
high confidence · UPDATE 2 states: 'In May 2014 the Pinball Parlour closed their premises in Addington Street, Ramsgate, and moved to the nearby seaside town of Margate'

Notable Quotes

“Pinball museums seem to be all the rage right now. The United States, France, Australia, Germany and Austria all have - or plan to have - at least one museum dedicated to the silver ball and now the UK can be added to that list”
Pinball News author @ Opening section — Contextualizes The Pinball Parlour as part of a broader international trend of dedicated pinball museums in 2009
“Ramsgate is perhaps not the easiest place for much of the UK's pinball community to reach so The Pinball Parlour has to appeal to casual players or just the curious and their families visiting the resort”
Pinball News author @ Assessment section — Identifies geographic challenge and target audience positioning for the venue
“As it stands, Peter and Geoff have done a great job bringing The Pinball Parlour to the public. The games are varied and interesting while the seaside surroundings give a suitable feeling of fun and whimsy”
Pinball News author @ Closing assessment — Positive review of the venue's execution and atmospheric appeal

Entities

The Pinball ParlourorganizationPeter HeathpersonPinball GeoffpersonRamsgate, KentorganizationMargateorganizationDreamland amusement parkorganizationPinball Owners AssociationorganizationPinballs2GoorganizationFlying ScotgameStar Wars (Data East 1992)gameThe Addams Family

Signals

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business_signal: Pinball Parlour relocated from Ramsgate to Margate's Dreamland amusement park in May 2014 as part of broader amusement park restoration effort
high · UPDATE 2 explicitly documents closure of Addington Street location and move to Dreamland's Visitor & Learning Arcade
?
community_signal: UK pinball museum ecosystem emerging in 2009 as part of international trend; multiple countries establishing dedicated pinball museums during this period
high · Article opening: 'The United States, France, Australia, Germany and Austria all have - or plan to have - at least one museum dedicated to the silver ball and now the UK can be added to that list'

Topics

Pinball museum/venue infrastructureprimaryHistoric electro-mechanical pinball machines (EM era)primaryUK pinball community and locationsprimaryCoin-operated amusement machines and noveltiessecondaryMuseum curatorial and educational approachsecondaryAmusement park restoration and integrationsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.78)— Article is appreciative of the founders' effort and venue's appeal, though notes room for improvement in educational materials. Tone is encouraging and supportive of the initiative.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

New location: Marine Terrace, Margate, CT9 1JX, UK. Date: 6th June 2009, updated 10th April 2010 & 28th July 2014 Pinball museums seem to be all the rage right now. The Unites States, France, Australia, Germany and Austria all have - or plan to have - at least one museum dedicated to the silver ball and now the UK can be added to that list, thanks to the opening of The Pinball Parlour in Ramsgate, Kent in Robert Englunds's south-east corner. The Pinball Parlour in Ramsgate Located about 75 miles east of London, The Pinball Parlour is the work of two long-time pinball fans, Peter Heath and Pinball Geoff. Peter has been involved with the game for many years, both as part of the Pinball Owners Association and through his Pinballs2Go sales and repairs service. Pinball Geoff is a seasoned operator of more than two dozen pinball machines across a variety of sites in the north London area. Peter Heath & Pinball Geoff Peter had rented a small retail unit in Ramsgate for the past seventeen years which he used to store and restore games. When the owner of the adjacent antique shop decided to retire and sell up, the two of them pooled their experience operating and repairing machines to buy the shop in December 2007 and start converting it into The Pinball Parlour. The two officially opened their museum three weeks ago but this weekend they held an open day to show off their new premises and the machines they have on display. Pinball News got there early so we could explore the museum before the guests arrived. The entrance lobby contained seven pinball machines - some of which were for sale - along with a seating area and, on this open day, a selection of drinks and snacks for the guests to enjoy. On regular opening days, drinks and snacks are available to purchase. Cans of drinks and tea or coffee are all 80p, crisps are 50p as are Twix bars, while Club bars are 25p each. The lobby The games in the lobby were Party Zone, High Speed 2 - The Getaway, Friendship 7, Fun Park, Baywatch, The Champion Pub and Gilligan's Island. The Getaway was for sale at £700 while the Baywatch and the Gilligan's Island could be picked up for £600 a piece. The two EMs were also for sale although prices were not advertised. The lobby The lobby opens out onto the street and provides the public face of the museum to any passers-by. The heart of the museum, though, is upstairs. Stairway to heaven? Passing Pete Townshend's autographed lyrics for Pinball Wizard, we arrive in the main museum room. Games at the top of the stairs The museum is not purely dedicated to pinball machines. Instead it shows off a variety of coin-operated amusements including bowlers, pitch & bat games, Allwins, working models and shooting games. As visitors arrive at the top of the stairs they are presented with a bank of four pinball machines directly in front of them. To the left are many more pins while on the right is the penny arcade, where novelties and amusements are set up to enjoy. The penny arcade All the devices are available to play. The penny arcade amusements quite sensibly operate on one old penny which, being in rather short supply, can be purchased at a price of £1 (€1.14, $1.59) for 10. All other games are operated by tokens which cost 30p (€0.34, $0.48) each or 4 for £1. There is a total of 27 pinball machines upstairs, ranging from a 1939 Genco Flying Scot flipperless game to a 1992 Data East star Wars. The emphasis, though, is on Gottlieb and Williams electro-mechanicals. The EM games Here is the list of games set up for the open day: Capt. Fantastic Eight Ball Deluxe* Fireball Flying Scot Gigi Heat Wave Hot Line Hot Shots Hurdy Gurdy King of Diamonds Kings & Queens Lucky Seven Nags* Nip It North Star Orbitor 1 Rollercoaster Satellite Slick Chick Star Wars The Addams Family Toro* Triple Strike Vegas Warlock Wizard! World Fair * game was switched off or not available for public play The whole museum room In addition, the following amusement machines and novelties were available to play: ABC Bowling Lanes (Bally)* Deluxe Baseball (United) Drop Penny Slot Elevenses (Allwin) Mini Golf (Williams) Playball Sharp Shooter (Chicago Coin) Skill Parade (Bally) Super Love Test Target Gallery (Midway) Ten Strike (Williams) Ten Strike (Williams)* The Challenger The Greyhound Stadium The Night Watchman (working model) Tick Tock Unnamed hockey game * game was switched off or not available for public play Visitors to the Parlour enjoying the games It wasn't long before people started turning up to find out what the museum was all about. After a brief introduction, most visitors headed upstairs to start enjoying the games. At times, the room became a little crowded but the machines held up well and as the day wore on and the external light coming in through the windows diminished, the room began to look even more attractive. Visitors enjoyed a variety of different game types The museum doesn't currently offer any educational materials to inform visitors about the history, development or the significance of the amusement machines on display or the people who created them. Information cards on each machine, a suggested starting point and the possible machines they might want to play next would provide some guidance and help visitors explore games they might not otherwise play based on appearance alone. That can be easily rectified though and it will give the museum a more rounded and complete feel. As it stands, Peter and Geoff have done a great job bringing The Pinball Parlour to the public. The games are varied and interesting while the seaside surroundings give a suitable feeling of fun and whimsy. Ramsgate is perhaps not the easiest place for much of the UK's pinball community to reach so The Pinball Parlour has to appeal to casual players or just the curious and their families visiting the resort. It's off to a good start. During the open day, families seemed to enjoy themselves without any one member getting bored and with a little more educational value included, The Pinball Parlour should make a great destination for players and non-players alike. The Pinball Parlour is located at 2 Addington Street, Ramsgate, Kent, UK, CT11 9JL. There is no parking directly outside but there are spaces across West Cliff Road around Vale Square. It is only open at weekends and the opening hours are from 11am to 5pm on both days, although the closing time may be extended according to demand. UPDATE 1 The Pinball Parlour has now expanded their ground floor modern pinball selection with the addition of three new games. New machines at the Pinball Parlour This development of the ground floor is the first stage of work on the museum. There are also plans to hold a number of special event evenings on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the year. UPDATE 2 In May 2014 the Pinball Parlour closed their premises in Addington Street, Ramsgate, and moved to the nearby seaside town of Margate as part of the redevelopment and restoration of the popular Dreamland amusement park. A selection of pinballs has been set up in the Visitor & Learning Arcade which is the focal point for all the efforts going into restoring Dreamland to its former glory. The new location is open from 10am to 5pm every day and can be found on Marine Terrace in Margate. Back to the News page Back to the front page