Wicksteed Park, Kettering, Northamptonshire is thought to be the oldest leisure park in the United Kingdom. The park first opened its gates to the public in 1921 by Charles Wicksteed, who had first purchased the 147 acres of land in 1913 with the vision of building a model village. Today the park is owned by the Wicksteed Trust, which was set up by Charles Wicksteed in 1916 and is a registered charity.
The 30 acre man-made boating lake was one of the first features to be opened in 1921. The Water Chute was built in 1926 and underwent major renovation in 2002 and is the oldest working ride in the United Kingdom. The narrow-guage railway which runs around the lake is another very popular attraction. Today, however, Wicksteed Park has many amusement rides which aren't quite so historical.
The attractions are divided into four themed areas:- 1. The Playground Area which is open all year round, is free to use and is one of the largest playgrounds in Europe; 2. The Fairground Area with rides for the younger children and which also houses the Amusement Arcade; 3. The Lakeside Area which is predominantly for the water-themed rides such as the Bumper Boats; 4. The Arena Area which has the larger rides including the Racing Cars.
Unlike many other theme parks, Wicksteed Park is free to enter and tickets can be purchased for individual rides, or, a wristband can be purchased for unlimited access to most of the rides.
As well as the usual and expected fast foods, Wicksteed Park also has a diverse range of foods ranging from 3 or 4 course meals to sandwiches and baguettes. There are also international food outlets, such as Little Italy; French Cuisine; New York, New York; British Bulldog and a Cornish Pasty Shop. All across the site are situated cafes and bistros.
Some of the larger rides at Wicksteed Park include the Roller Coaster which was built and installed in 1992. A chain is used to pull the coaster train to the highest part of the structure and gravity then takes over to rapidly descend at 30mph negotiating the twists and turns. The passengers experience a severe deceleration during the braking process upon arrival at the station. The riders love it.
In 1997, Wicksteed Park had the Racing Cars installed. 200cc Honda 2 stroke engined racing cars with a maximum speed of 15 mph and is a very popular attraction with all ages as the drivers are allowed to navigate their way around the racing track. The Racing Cars replaced the old Go-Karts.
The Paratrooper ride was installed at Wicksteed Park in 1982. It basically consists of a central supporting column with a rotating disk at the top with steel spokes. The cars are fitted to the end of the spokes. A hydraulic ram lifts the spokes and the riders are swung out to 45 degrees.
The Lakeside themed area of Wicksteed Park is home to the Water Chute, the Bumper Boats and the Nautic Jets among others.
The Fairground is sited at the top of Wicksteed Park and has traditional fairground rides such as a Roundabout, Mini-jets, Astroglide, Dodgems and the Chairoplanes. More up-to-date is the Rockin Rug and Wicky's Inflatable.
As well as being a theme park, Wicksteed Park also has camping facilities, a fishing lake, orienteering courses, barbecue and picnic areas, an arboreteum and holds educational visits based on Key Stages 1-4 featuring a Nature Trail of a little over 2 kilometres with activity points along the way.
All in all, not a very big or extreme theme park, but it is certainly very popular with people from all over the UK who prefer to spend a relaxing day laughing rather than screaming. The Pavilion houses the "It's Showtime" daytime musicals throughout the year. For more information go to Wicksteed Park.
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