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7th August 2018

For nearly a hundred years, the people of Northamptonshire have had a wonderful place to relax and enjoy themselves thanks to the kindness and philanthropic spirit on one man, Charles Wicksteed. This month I’m visiting Wicksteed Park near Kettering, or ‘Wickies’ as it is affectionately known by the thousands of families which visit annually.

Charles Wicksteed knew a thing or two about family life. He was born in 1847 into a large family of twenty one children. His father was a Unitarian minister whose emphasis on education, rational thought, and the common good influenced the young Charles. He was drawn into the world of engineering and after his apprenticeship set up his manufacturing works producing a variety of ingenious tools which assisted with the increasing mechanisation of workshop production. Charles rapidly became successful and developed his dream of endowing the people of Kettering. An initial plan to develop a model village was changed to provide families with a free to enter space for recreation and family fun. The park opened in 1921, a much welcomed antidote to the privations of the Great War. His concern for his industrial employees welfare meant that as the demand for their engineering products waned he was able to redeploy their labor and materials towards building play equipment and constructing various structures within the park itself. In this way Charles created continuous employment for his men.

Charles Wicksteed lavished attention on the design of his park, and on the play equipment he furnished it with. He designed and built all kinds of apparatus from the small and simple to the larger and more complex. As this play equipment was safe and ‘hooligan proof’ these items became popular and furnished many other playgrounds, all bearing the famous ‘Wicksteed’ brand.

Today the park is managed by a charitable trust, and is still free to enter following the precepts of its founder. Playgrounds of all kinds abound, and include the restored slides and vintage attractions designed by Charles himself. There are plenty of modern thrills too, including rollercoasters, a zip wire, a stuntman style air bag jump and a climbing wall. There are many different play zones surrounding wide open stretches of parkland which lead down to the lake designed by Charles. This mature stretch of water contains my favourite attraction, the Grade II listed Waterchute, another of Charles’ designs. The regular splash of boats into the water doesn’t seem to disturb the swans geese and ducks who all looked very contented fishing for their dinners when I visited. The 147 acres of country park are made more accessible for little legs by a charming vintage narrow gauge railway which was the last feature added by Charles before his death in 1931.

Charles had a vigorous and energetic personality, and enjoyed dancing and having fun right to the end of his life. He believed families should get outside and spend time together at play. It seems right that the slogan adopted by Wicksteed Park should be ‘the place where fun was invented’

For more information visit wicksteedpark.org

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