Carnival King Faces Court Over Winter Wonderland Fire Threat Allegations
A dramatic family feud over control of a £10 million funfair empire has erupted in London's High Court, with two sons accusing their veteran showman father of violent assaults, customer poaching, and threatening to destroy a carousel used at Hyde Park's iconic Winter Wonderland event.
Violent Confrontations and Business Sabotage Claims
Clayton Manning, 33, and Joseph Manning Junior, 43, claim to be living in fear of their 65-year-old father, Joseph Manning Senior, whom they allege broke Clayton's nose with a headbutt during a July 2024 confrontation that also left Joseph Junior with a split brow. The brothers further accuse their father of trespassing at the Winterland event at Dartford's Bluewater shopping centre, where he allegedly removed locks and fence panels to set up unlicensed catering stalls.
Most alarmingly, the court heard that Joseph Senior allegedly threatened in October 2023 to set fire to equipment destined for Winter Wonderland, followed a year later by threats to destroy the event's carousel. The barrister representing the brothers' companies, Richard Power, detailed how Joseph Senior had engaged in "a persistent and deliberate course of unreasonable and oppressive conduct" calculated to cause alarm and distress.
Inheritance Promises and Broken Pledges
The bitter dispute stems from the brothers' claims that their parents reneged on promises that they would inherit the lucrative family business, which includes flagship attraction Old MacDonald's Farm and Fun Park in Brentwood, Essex. Both brothers say they worked extensively from childhood, with Joseph Junior not receiving a wage until June 2022 and Clayton earning just £500 monthly from 2013, payments that abruptly ceased in August 2024.
They now seek a court ruling for "proprietary estoppel" over what they claim are broken inheritance promises, arguing it would be "unconscionable" for their parents to change their wills. The Manning group operates temporary funfair events across England and provides rides, attractions, and catering services for Winter Wonderland and Winterland events.
Father's Defence and Counter-Allegations
Joseph Manning Senior vehemently denies all allegations of violence and harassment, with his barrister Tom Grant KC asserting that the brothers were actually the "aggressors" in the July incident, claiming Clayton strangled his cancer-stricken father. The elder Manning insists he attended the Winter Wonderland event only on advice from the Showmen's Guild to protect his rights under guild rules.
In court documents, Joseph Senior maintains he has been generous to his sons, pointing to their collective £7 million shareholding in the family companies and highlighting Joseph Junior's £1 million collection of high-performance cars that he allegedly funded. The father claims the injunction application is "motivated by a desire to put my client in prison" rather than genuine harassment concerns.
Corporate Control Battle and Family Rifts
The legal battle reveals deep corporate tensions within the Manning empire. Until 2020, Joseph Senior held majority shares in both Mannings Organisation Ltd and Mannings Amusements Ltd, before transferring shares to create a 33-33-34 split between his two sons and himself. The brothers then appointed themselves as directors in July 2024 and removed their father as director in September 2024.
The family divide extends beyond the immediate parties, with the parents supported by their daughters Chanel, 40, and Shannon, 33, who testified that their brothers had been given "too much" throughout their lives. Chanel specifically claimed Joseph Junior had "provoked my father deliberately" during confrontations.
Court Injunction Decision Pending
Deputy Judge Andrew Kinnier KC has reserved his decision on whether to extend a temporary injunction granted in December that restrains Joseph Senior from intimidating company staff or entering Winterland or Winter Wonderland events except as a paying visitor. The injunction carries potential jail consequences if breached.
The case continues to unfold as a dramatic illustration of how family business empires can fracture, with allegations ranging from physical violence to sabotage of lucrative contracts with major public events like Winter Wonderland, which attracts millions of visitors annually to Hyde Park.
