Historians have discovered photos of what is believed to be the world's first playground swing - built 90 years ago with long ropes and no safety surface. Girls and boys can be seen swinging perilously high on the four-metre tall swings, which are suspended on ropes from metal poles over a hard floor. The play equipment is believed to have been constructed in 1923 in Wicksteed Park in Kettering, Northamptonshire - the first park of its kind in the UK. It was designed by owner Charles Wicksteed, as part of his vision to inspire and encourage play as part of families' health and well-being. He initially made swings and slides for his park, then went on to manufacture and sell them around the world. The photographs have been released as the park, which combines some of the UK's oldest theme park rides with the largest free playground in Europe, launches a worldwide appeal to trace the oldest remaining working models of Wicksteed play equipment. Charles Wicksteed said at the time: "We had a Sunday School treat in the park and put up primitive swings with large poles, tied together at the top with chains. "Fortunately they were not cleared away with the other things the day after the treat and I ultimately found them so popular that instead of pulling them down I added more." In his 1928 book, A Plea for Children's Recreation after School Hours and after School Age, he proclaimed: "I have good reason to believe that the park I have formed has changed the lives for the better, to a greater or lesser extent of thousands of children. "I have direct evidence from mothers how whining, pale-faced children, complaining of any food they get, have come back with healthy faces and rosy complexions, ready to eat the house out after a good play in the playground."
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Wow! I cant believe that they think that they might have found the first play ground swing ever! That is awesome.
i think this is pretty cool that they possibly found the first swing i wonder what it was actually like.
That's so cool that they found that! And how high the swing can get up is awesome! I remember always wanting to go higher but i couldn't go!
That is pretty cool that they were able to find this. Pretty cool find.
That is really cool. I can't believe they might have found it.
That's cool, I wish modern swings didn't have safety surfaces. Even in elementary school they lost there appeal when I realized that I couldn't get any higher than I was going