Drayton Manor Founder George Bryan passed away
The founder and owner of Drayton Manor Theme Park, George Bryan, passed away peacefully on September 20th. Bryan, aged 92, was a trained engineer with a passion for the entertainment industry. In 1942 he met his wife Vera. Her family owned California in England pleasure park, which was the inspiration behind Drayton Manor. Vera and George Bryan married and paid GBP 12,000 for 80 acres of land in 1949 when they settled down at Drayton Manor with the intention of building a family theme park. In April 1950, Drayton Manor Park was opened. Today, the park continues to be run and owned by the family. Drayton Manor Park, which has had 1,120,000 visitors last year, extends over an area of 280 acres nowadays. George and Vera Bryan have three children, Colin – currently chief executive at the park – Andrew and Jane. Colin’s sons William and George and niece Helen Pawley are all involved with the operations of the park. Bryan was awarded the OBE in 2004 for his contribution to tourism and hospitality. The Theme Park Industry grieves for one of its pioneers. (eap)
