Wicksteed Park

I really like the pictures that you've added and I like how you said "So come on don't be shy and come to Wicksteed Park"

The pictures that you have added I think are a really good idea! If someone wanted to see what the pirate ship ride is like they could look on here.

My memories of Wicksteed Park or 'Wickies' go back to about 1980 when I was at nursery school. At about the age of 3-4 I attended Croyland Road Nursery School in Wellingborough. One of our trips was to go to Wicksteed Park on a Green Double Decker United Counties Bus. I recall we went on a ride on the train and also on a large paddle boat made up like an American Paddle Boat with a big paddle wheel on the side. I can recall running my hand in the water and getting told off by one of our teachers! We must have taken sandwiches with us for the day as well. I know also in the afternoon we were allowed to go on the play park. There used to be a really good slide which had a copper or brass part to the slide, which went up and down. This became in time one of my firm favourites. Used to be great fun going on this. There was also a steam locomotive which had previously been at Irchester Country Park (when it was an Ironstone Quarry). It was originally given to Irchester Parish Council and stood on Irchester Recreation Ground. It was transferred to Wicksteed shortly before my visit and I can remember how pleased I was to see it. It stood stationary on a piece of track and I was able to climb all over it, including up through one of the cab windows onto the top of the engine. My teacher ordered me down and told me off, even though she didn't understand I had done it so many times before when it had been at Irchester!!!! I was sent back to the Double Decker bus in disgrace!!!!

Over the years in the early 1980s I was lucky to go to the park on a regular basis. I can recall when the 3D cinema opened, the swing pirate boat arriving, the car track being open, the computer arcade opening (in the days that computers were a rarity) and always a trip on the railway (when you could scream through the tunnel) or going on the water slide and getting soaking wet!. The best bit though was always playing on the swings, slides, sea-saws and roundabouts - of which my particular favourite was a bumpy roundabout which sort of moved up and down as you went around. This was of course all in the days when you had a tarmac covering on the floor which if you fell on it you got grit in your knees and lovely scabs to pick off later!!!

One of the favourite things we used to do was to go through the rose garden to see the statue of Charles Wicksteed's Dog, Jerry. We used to think it would come to life at night - not that we where ever their when it was dark! Might have been too scarey! One of the other things that we loved to do was getting a Wicksteed Ice Cream and if we where really lucky we could get a tub to take home with us.

When I got older in the late 1980s and early 1990s I would often go to Wicksteed Park with my friend for the whole day- after all it was a free activity and Kettering seemed like miles away - especially from the Parents!!! Happy Days!!!!

My uncle Dave was the first person to operate the paratrooper when it first opened in the 1970's

Loads of my family have worked at wickstead park, including me! My nan made and served the ice cream, my grampy worked on the train and the old rollercoaster, my auntie pat worked in the gift shop and i worked in the arena area many years later! Its still a good park - although its well expensive now - and needs better food! lol xx

WICKSTEED PARK IS THE BEST THEME PARK IN THE WHOLE WORLD BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME RIDES,WICKY BEAR AND HIS FRIENDS,LOTS MORE INCLUDES TRAIN.I LOVE ROLLERCOASTER BEACUSE IT WAS THE BEST.I WAS SCREAMING ON THE COASTER BUT I LIKE IT

I have a photo of my Late grandfather Albert Stapleton who was an ice cream vendor many years ago.

I remember the train in the play area at Wicksteed Park! Wasn't it green? Went to the park last weekend for a look around and it wasn't there, also the Pirate Ship(s) had been painted! Was also sad to see the Mini Cars ride was missing the original cars, just looks like any other vintage car ride now. Still, the park looked very similar to how I remember it about 20+ years ago when I was last there!