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Parks Equipment (Swings etc)

Old Boy

Old Boy

master brummie
Hi All.

On the Gosta Green Towards Duddeston thread at post 1779 is a lovely picture of Lawford Street Recreation Ground. (Perhaps it could be also put on this thread but I do not know how)

On the picture is a childrens slide quite high which I am sure the Health and Safety Gestapo will have banned by now. It made me think of other park equipment which we do not see now probably because of H&S rules. I remember the swing which consisted of a long plank with about 5 seats. Two boys or girls would stand on the plank at either end and push and pull as hard as they could causing the swing to raise higher and higher moving forwards and backwards as it did so. I have described it as best as I can

What else was in the parks that we never see now. I know that safety is important but in taking it as far as we do I think that we are depriving todays children of a lot of fun that we old uns enjoyed.

What does anyone else think?

Old Boy
 
Great stuff OB I remember them both we had them in our local park when I was a lad
 
Hi Old Boy,

When I posted the photo to the Gosta Green thread I did so because of the Lawford St connection with Vauxhall & Nechells and the fact that I had used the park at a much later date. I don't think it would be a good idea to post the same photo twice, but perhaps you could add a link to it.

As compensation here is a photo of the item of equipment you describe at Highgate Park. I also remember these play items.

Phil

HighgateHighgatePark1932.jpg
 
we used to call it the pump. I could only go on the slide as I was sick on the swings and roundabouts, fairs except for the dogems were not much fun
 
Children in the past must have been rather more dextrous than they are now; the things we were allowed to do (if we survived them!) must have improved our abilities, surely? All that tree-climbing/tunneling/rope-climbing/swinging/whirling about etc must have improved our sense of balance/awareness of danger, surely?

As a kid I was a fair shot with an air-rifle/air-pistol/bow and arrow/cross-bow/knife-throwing (remember playing 'stretch?!?/lassoo/tomahawk/sling-shot/cattapult/spears/boomerangs/spud-guns and those other guns that shot out corks (what were they called???) or gravel even!....not to mention all those hours getting my fingers battered by wooden swords!
icon12.png
It's a wonder any of us survived! But what jolly good fun it all was!

I can remember making 'Aboriginal-type' spear-throwers to get greater power and distance from a throw.

All damned dangerous I know, but what was the incidence of 'knife-crime' then??? Sorry, I've gone a bit off-topic.
 
Old Boy said:
Hi All.

On the Gosta Green Towards Duddeston thread at post 1779 is a lovely picture of Lawford Street Recreation Ground. (Perhaps it could be also put on this thread but I do not know how)

On the picture is a childrens slide quite high which I am sure the Health and Safety Gestapo will have banned by now. It made me think of other park equipment which we do not see now probably because of H&S rules. I remember the swing which consisted of a long plank with about 5 seats. Two boys or girls would stand on the plank at either end and push and pull as hard as they could causing the swing to raise higher and higher moving forwards and backwards as it did so. I have described it as best as I can

What else was in the parks that we never see now. I know that safety is important but in taking it as far as we do I think that we are depriving todays children of a lot of fun that we old uns enjoyed.

What does anyone else think? Old Boy Quote; Hi there, I live near a large playing field in Derby and the council have spent a small
fortune recently building a skateboard rink, fenced in 5a side football etc etc, I walked by last Sunday night and a
group of lads + girls were trying to set fire to it, that must be their way of having fun, Bernard
Click to expand...
 
what is the thing that looks like a spinning top?
Click to expand...
Polly it's a Roundabout...You would all sat on the bars ,or just leaned over them with your feet off the ground and then someone would run as fast as they could to get it to go really round fast before also leaning over the bar and lifting their feet. I played many times on that very one on my way home from school when we cut through the park when we lived in Dymoke St.
 
Thanks Pom, the only roundabouts I have ever seen are solid ones - I expect the 'open ones' would have been quite scary - sitting on the top of that bar looks quite high up. I would of had to dangle over it.
How lovely that you used to play in that very park - it must have brought some memories back to you seeing that picture
Polly
 
There used to be one of those, in Finchley Park in Kingstanding back in the 60s. We also called it the Pump.
 
There used to be a wooden horse - at least thats what I think we called it - in Grange Rd Park, held about 8 kids and rocked back and forth.
Cant rememember ever seeing one like it anywhere else.

There was a witches hat in Kingston hill Park, and a Spiders Web, remember them ?

Could just have been a kids gory tale, but there was a story of a girl who got her leg caught in a Spider Web and got dragged around with her head on the floor.
 
I remember the roundabout that you used to hold onto the bars and pump it round with your feet. The boys used to pump so hard that you sometimes flew off. I sat on the floor once and was so giddy when I got off I fell over. Jean.
 
Re: Parks Equipment (Swings, etc.)

Hello there fatfingers,
I've just this minute come across this photo which must have been taken in about 1957.

_Rocking_Horse_.JPG
View attachment 50370

Is this the "wooden horse" you're describing in Post #15? I've never heard this particular piece of park apparatus referred to by name ...... got no idea what it was called !!!?!
Regards, db84124
 
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