Blackpool Pleasure Beach lived in London where Leonard worked at a Swedish Match Company, however upon hearing of Bean's death the couple returned to Blackpool, where decisions regarding the future running of the Pleasure Beach were in discussion. Leonard up until that point had not had any active involvement with the Pleasure Beach whatsoever, however on a mutual agreement with his wife it was agreed that Thompson would take over the running of the Pleasure Beach and have full responsibility of all its affairs. His first move was to appoint Oscar Haworth as the General Manager and George Palmer as Chairman of the
Blackpool Pleasure Beach the Pleasure Beach which began to garner the attention of holidaymakers. Beans' aim was to establish a fun park of relative size that would "make adults feel like children again and inspire gaiety of a primarily innocent character". The first notable attraction of interest to open at Pleasure Beach was "Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine", a rotary swing ride designed by the British inventor of the same name in 1904. A Mill Chute water ride followed in 1905, which opened under the name "The River Caves of the World", both of which are still operational today. In 1907 the