SegaWorld London
From Sega Retro
SegaWorld London was a SegaWorld indoor theme park which opened on September 7, 1996. It was housed within the London Trocadero complex within the city of London, UK.
Opened in the height of Sonic the Hedgehog's popularity, SegaWorld London had numerous floors with arcade machines and indoor rides. From 1997 Pepsi sponsored the Pepsi Max Drop Ride and the Pepsi IMAX cinema, being the first 3D IMAX cinema to appear within the UK. The venue was heavily promoted by earlier editions of Sonic the Comic.
Unfortunately visitor numbers were not large enough to keep the attraction open, and so Sega were forced to sell it to new owners. It was then stripped down considerably, with several floors closed, the Pepsi-endorsed features removed and the attraction being renamed "FunLand".
Many parts of the original SegaWorld London remain on the site, but are unused. The area was not refurbished after Sega left, and hence many of the remaining floors provide clues to once-present attractions and themed areas. Perhaps one of the most obvious leftovers is the "Rocket Escalator", used by SegaWorld as an entrance. Rather than the escalator being removed, it was simply blocked by a vending machine, with the steps still clearly visible.