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This 100-year-old ride must never change again.

Tom Scott | August 19, 2026



At Wicksteed Park, I ride the first ever playground swing, and a century-old water chute. | AD: 🌍 If you’re travelling soon, you should get a Saily eSIM! https://saily.com/tomscott | 🙌 Wicksteed Park has an appeal to repair the chute’s roof: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/waterchuteappeal

🟥 MORE FROM TOM: https://www.tomscott.com/
(you can find contact details and social links there too)
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Written and presented by
Tom Scott

Producers
for Penny4 https://penny4.co.uk/
Cambria Bailey-Jones
Guy Larsen

Studio Associate Producer
Heloise Lowenthal

Studio Director of Photography
Jamie MacLeod

Studio Gaffer
Frank Hammond

Head of Post
for Breadbox Studios https://www.breadboxstudios.co.uk/
Mandy Celine

Associate Post Producer
Isla McTear

Senior Editor
Myles Wheeler

Online Editor
Jamie MacLeod

Assistant Editor
Bethan Leadley

Sound Supervisor
Dan Pugsley

Sound Assistant
Maggy Apodaca

Subtitles by So Speedy https://www.sospeedy.co.uk/

With thanks to the Historic County Borders Project https://www.county-borders.co.uk/

Executive Producer
Tom Scott

© Pad 26 Limited MMXXVI

Written by Tom Scott

Comments

This post currently has 44 comments.

  1. @inhaltsschwach5397

    August 19, 2026 at 1:02 pm

    Those old photos of swings remind me of the "ship swings" still common on fairs in Germany. They are usually themed and shaped like small boats and need some expertise to work right. If you have mastered the art, you can operate them while standing up, just holding on to bars on the sides and do a full overhead swing.

  2. @OB.x

    August 19, 2026 at 1:02 pm

    I know it's kinda like big and everyone knows it, but I think a cool video is going to the original six flags over texas. It's got rich history, in the 70s there was a section of the park called "Confederacy". Really interesting rides were built there over time.

  3. @i3looi2

    August 19, 2026 at 1:02 pm

    The new "rides" are too safe ..
    For some rides , that was the whole thrill/idea .. the imminent "danger". So you had to hang on with your dear life on to the bars.

  4. @Neverwinterx

    August 19, 2026 at 1:02 pm

    For anyone else wondering: A UK Grade II listed building is a structure of special architectural or historic interest. It makes up about 92% of all listed buildings in the UK. These properties face legal restrictions on changes, repairs, and demolition to protect their original character, both inside and out.

  5. @xN1NJAshotsx

    August 19, 2026 at 1:02 pm

    I love near this. In 2006 my grandad was dying of cancer but my family all told me he would get better. He promised me when he got better he would take me there again. Sadly he never got the chance

  6. @stereodog1899

    August 19, 2026 at 1:02 pm

    When I was young in the 90s, as you climbed up the stairs you could see some fabulous post war prefab houses over the hedge. They looked so neat and well kept with vegetable gardens that I always wanted to live in one. I went back last summer and was sad to see that they’ve been replaced by the holiday chalets that you can see in the video.

  7. @ITroopTheSpace

    August 19, 2026 at 1:02 pm

    4:05 we used to take wax paper to the park and sit on it the first few times down the slide. You would slide so fast you could really bust your tail if you weren’t expecting it. Worked great until everything got swapped to plastic from metal

  8. @dlscorp

    August 19, 2026 at 1:02 pm

    How many times do you reupload your videos with new titles/thumbnails? Is this some weird way to please the algo? This video is 11 days old, and 1 day old. Weird

  9. @cbecht

    August 19, 2026 at 1:02 pm

    11:04 "The Ship of Theseus: All the parts have been replaced over the years, but it's still the same boat."
    Well, I guess that's one intractable philosophical question put to bed then.

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