100 Years of Imagination with Mr Dabell
For anyone to reach 100 years of age is some achievement. But for one to be born into a life that would see them become the 4th generation family owner of the UK’s oldest theme park, it becomes rather extraordinary.
Francis Richard Dabell, affectionately known as FRD, or Dick, celebrates his centenary on the 17th April 2024, and he spent nearly 70 of those years at the helm of Blackgang Chine. He is the man responsible for many of Blackgang Chine’s most iconic attractions, from the model village, to the dinosaurs, Fairy Castle, to Cowboy Town. He was the pioneer who kept up with the evolution of both the ever-changing landscape, and guest expectations. I had the privilege of meeting him for a chat to discuss just how spectacular the past 100 years have been.
As I arrived at Mr Dabell’s bungalow, I was greeted by a warm smile looking up at me from an armchair. “It’s wonderful to meet you Mr Dabell, how are you today sir?”, I offered my hand for a shake to which he declined. Instead, he gave himself a push out of the chair to stand and give me a “proper” greeting.
There is something so special about this generation. They smile with their eyes, they have a look of sincerity whilst talking with you, everything feels comfortable, and respectful. I think it’s because they’re familiar with a time of no distractions. They hold a conversation without the need to check a phone at the first ping of a notification – you have their full attention, and that’s rather rare these days.
After ensuring I was completely comfortable, and locating lost hearing aids, we began our long walk down memory lane.
Born in 1924, Mr Dabell’s childhood coincided with a time when domestic tourism was growing, with charabancs loaded full of eager guests wanting to see the curious whale skeleton and marvel at the natural phenomenon of the chine, it even capturing the attention of royalty.
“I grew up at Blackgang. I knew no different,” he reminisced, “And I’m told that Queen Mary, who often visited because she would watch King George sail, patted me on the head and said, ‘Nice little boy’. For me, that was just normal childhood.”
It seemed his path was set from birth, a legacy passed down through generations, each adding their own chapter to its storied history. From his great-grandfather’s visionary beginnings to his father’s astute development, Blackgang Chine evolved alongside the Dabell family, a testament to their enduring dedication and entrepreneurial spirit, and Mr Dabell was in the thick from an early age.
“I worked in the shop probably from the age of 16, then of course, I had to join the army.”
The outbreak of World War II changed Mr Dabell’s course for some time, leading him to serve as an engineer in Essex for the duration, before returning to the Isle of Wight in 1947. Unsure of his path forward, his father was on hand with advice, “The Governor said ‘If you don’t know what to do, you’d better work here’”, setting him on a trajectory that would define the rest of his days.
Though his path was now set, he had his head turned not long into it, when his school friend’s “annoying little sister” turned up to Blackgang Chine one day. “That annoying little sister,” he paused and smiled with bright eyes, “had become the most attractive young woman, and we soon began courting”. Years later, Josephine became his beloved wife, a trained nurse who lent her support to every aspect of the park’s operation, from cleaning toilets to managing the shop.
A trip to Disneyland is always said to be what inspired Mr Dabell, but he told me, “I visited many places, took ideas from some, and some had already taken ideas from us!”
Though it is true elements of Blackgang Chine are entirely unique to the park, and as the creator of the “Land of Imagination”, I had to ask where he got his ideas from; he simply smiled and pointed to his head. After a pause he added, “But every time I had a new idea, fairies, dinosaurs, cowboys, each was new and different, and fun. But always built from scratch. We would put things in and make them ‘Blackgang’”, he said with pride.
As well as bringing Blackgang Chine into its new era, Mr Dabell was known amongst staff for his passion surrounding car parking, and was still parking them into his 80’s. Though with good reason, as it all stems from the speed at which he had to deal with it, saying “It really was the evolution that was plonked on us, cars really took us by surprise. We had to keep up”.
As with anything spanning this length of time, innovation happens, and not everything will withstand the test of time. When I asked what bygone attraction he would most love to restore, it was natures evolution that meant saying goodbye to his favourite, “The chine itself. Up on that high platform, with the incredible view, and nature doing what it does. It was spectacular.”
As our chat drew to a close, he summarised, “It was hard work, committed, 7 days and 5 nights a week, but I’ve enjoyed my life.”
Prior to this interview, I’d not met Mr Dabell, and I only wish I’d been able to have this chat with him once a decade from the time he took over through to today. He was a pioneer, and today remains as passionate as he was then.