Here are some of the roundabouts, slide and 'horse' typical of playgrounds then.
My local park had the roundabouts just like those pictured. We called one of them the 'Witch's hat' or 'Umbrella'. Beginning by sitting on the planks, soon we graduated to standing and then climbing up the bars. Often there was a 'competition' to see who could climb highest and stay on as the roundabout not only went around, but also swung from side-to side. No idea why, but the nickname 'Daz' springs to mind. Must have been one of the older ones responsible for making it bash too and fro. I still remember hanging on for dear life, yet enjoying it at the same time.
The small roundabout was a challenge to get on whilst it was spinning. Sometimes older youngsters would spin it faster and faster. Again us littlies needed to do our best to cling on.
As for the 'horse' the one pictured looks like one I knew in a park in Derbyshire (Pavilion Gardens, Buxton). This 'posher' version has seats and 'running boards', a more staid version than the local one. Again, older youngsters would come and make the 'horse' rock faster trying to get the younger ones off.
The slide had a cinder path surround, imagine the H&S response today! I still have scars on one knee from falling on the cinders when coming off the slide.
Looking back, playing on all these rides must have been good exercise. What a contrast to today!
2 comments:
I remember all of them - they all come from Wicksteeds, didn't they? I wasn't terribly keen on the rosking horse as it did bump very hard indeed.
J x
I had not some across Wicksteeds, so of course I had to do a search. The rocking horse is on the website. I remember the way the old ones used to judder when the bigger children tried to get to little ones off. Apparently today's version 'has a mechanism to prevent excessive movement'. H n S strikes again. Jx
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