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For generations of children and families across South Wales a trip to Barry Island Pleasure Park was a summer rite of passage.

But, as these haunting images show, the sun-soaked candyfloss-tinged memories are all that are left of the amusement park that has become a forlorn shadow of its former self.

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Demolition work is well underway, as you can see in these pictures found on our sister site Wales Online. Piles of rubble and tyres now stand where all the lobster pink August day trippers of decades past once thronged.

All that remains is an eerily out of place toddlers’ “tea cup” ride, standing garish among the wreckage – and the hulking mass of the Log Flume.

Where once the sight of the flume’s iconic bulk heralded the start of an action-packed day out, today its faded grandeur is a sad reminder of past glories.

The fortunes of the pleasure park have gone up and down as dramatically as a train on the scenic railway rollercoaster ride that used to dominate the fairground.

Ground-breaking rides like the Scenic Railway along with The Waltzer, several carousels, the Big Wheel, Dive Bomber and Moon rocket are all long gone.

Looking at the site on a bleak November day, it is difficult to appreciate just how popular it once was, especially in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

And its history stretches back beyond those heady days – back to the early 1920s, when the fairground was relocated from the beach onto its current site.

The White Brothers became the first tenants of the newly formed Barry Island Pleasure Park and ran it until the close of the 1929 season. The Pat Collins era began soon afterwards and it was in the autumn of 1939 that the famous Scenic Railway was brought to the Pleasure Park. With a track of just over a mile long and an initial climb and drop of 72ft it was the biggest wood built roller coaster ever erected in the UK.

The massive ride only just fitted into the available space and ran almost the full length of the park. The Scenic Railway was the main attraction at the park for more than 30 years before it was demolished in 1973 after being wrecked in a heavy storm. Businessman Ken Rogers, who owned the Hyper Value stores which began life on the Pleasure Park, bought it in the 1980s and developed and improved many of the rides. But following his death in 2000 the park steadily declined, despite the best efforts of veteran showman Vernon Studt who ran it under lease for the 2010-2012 seasons.

And yet there is a hope that the glory days - seen here in our picture gallery from the archives - may one day return. The clearance work comes as redevelopment plans are in the pipeline. The scheme – which would consist of traditional attractions with a 21st century twist, complete with shops and two-bedroom homes – require planning permission.

The Barry Island Property Company’s restoration plans have been welcomed. Talks are ongoing. Expectations are high. But for the time being, the abject sight of the once mighty pleasure park marks another sad loss for the traditional Welsh childhood.

Looking through the gates of the windswept park, visitor Denise Davies, from Grangetown, Cardiff, said: “I’m sure may people have happy memories of the fairground when it was at its best. It would be wonderful to see it brought back again.”