Wicksteed Park

In the county of Northamptonshire, or rather in Kettering, about 88 km east of Birmingham and about 45 km from Leicester, you will find Wicksteed Park in the south-east of the city. The park was founded in 1921 by the industrialist and owner of the engineering works Charles Wicksteed & Co. Initially planned as a model village and recreation area for his employees, Charles Wicksteed quickly discarded this idea and planned to create a leisure and amusement park for the local population after the First World War. The first play equipment to be installed in the park came from the park's own engineering works, for example Charles Wicksteed and his employees designed and manufactured the water slide, which has been in operation since 1926 and is one of the oldest and most listed in Britain. In the 1930s, one of the first rides was the railway, whose track was built around the lake. In the following decades, many other attractions followed, such as the cinema, a miniature motorway, the Ferris wheel, a pirate ship swing and, in the 1990s, the first roller coasters. In the millennium year 2000, the park got its mascot Wicky Bear. Today, Wicksteed Park has several roller coasters, children's and family rides as well as a go-kart track and water rides. With its wide range of rides and other attractions such as the farm and its inhabitants, Wicksteed Park is a destination for all amusement park fans young and old.