A CORNISH theme park which once described itself as the ‘best day of the week’ has been the subject of online criticism.

In its heyday, visitors to Flambards, which opened in 1976 under the name ‘Cornwall Aero Park’ on the site of Culdrose Manor in Helston, offered thrill seekers a wide variety of rides in addition to all round family fun, including TV’s famous Gus Honeybun.

Owned by the Hale family from its inception until 2013, it was then taken over by Livingston Leisure Limited.

However, eleven years after that takeover and it would seem life at the famous fun park is much different. In June, the attraction announced it would be closing four of its best known rides, namely The Thunderbolt, Sky Swinger, SkyForce and The Hornet rides were to all be retired, with season pass holders offered go kart tokens by way of compensation.

It is safe to say that visitors to the attraction have noticed, leading to a visitor labelling the attraction on X (formerly Twitter), as the most ‘spectacularly depressing theme park in the UK’.

Harry Sword, a writer and ‘monolithic undertow’, observed: “At Flambards. The most *spectacularly* depressing theme park in the UK. Most of the ‘big rides’ are closed, forever. Hardly anyone is here. They have an exhibition of ‘bridal dresses through the ages’.”

It led to a groundswell of responses to the post, which featured pictures of an empty and gloomy looking theme park, which to the untrained eye could be thought of as abandoned if it wasn’t for the smattering of visitors in the picture.

Radio 3 broadcaster and Cornishman, Petroc Trelawny, was one of those to respond to the post, saying: “‘Flambards Triple Theme park is a wonderful place … three fabulous attractions for the Price of One’ as the ad on TSW (Television South West) used to go.”

He later agreed with someone who said it was never the same since the departure of Gus Honeybun.

Mr Sword later expanded on his feelings about the perceived demise of the theme park, saying: “The last time I went was about 2010 and it was quite a decent little park. It’s brilliantly depressing now though! Completely mad. Utterly bizarre that it’s even open.”

The pictures shared were also compared by John Kilbride to a notorious Banksy art installation, based on a sinister twist on Disneyland, known as Dismaland. Based in Weston Super Mare through the summer of 2015, it was a self-styled ‘bemusement park’. Mr Kilbride responded to the post asking, ‘Is that the one designed by Banksy?”

Some respondents sought to defend the theme park saying that the cost of the operation and maintenance of larger rides was not matching income. One, said: “They've had to make really difficult decisions. Closing most of the larger rides and reducing admission price. Attendance Income just wasn't matching cost of maintaining them. Unlike say Merlin (owners of Alton Towers) they just don't have huge financial backing to trade at a loss. Lightwater also pared back”.

Many users responded with sadness to see what had become of a theme park they had fond memories of.

A user known as Praxis said: “They used to have a Gus Honeybun animal attraction thing and once when I went all the animals had been destroyed because of foot and mouth or something. It was quite an experience.

“Sad to see it slowly fade away, I know it's a red neck fun fair but it was our red neck fun fair.”