Wicksteed Park the first Leisure Park in the UK

by liamssoft | April 17, 2012 at 12:25 pm

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The Park's beginnings can be traced back to 1913 when Charles Wicksteed purchased a tract of Northamptonshire meadowland near Kettering with the intention of developing a model village. He wanted to create an open space and safe parkland for local families - many of these families lived in homes with no gardens - which forced their children to play in the street.

Charles Wicksteed also owned an engineering company and started to supply park seats and playground equipment to public parks far and wide. This company today still provides this equipment which can be found in many such parks across Europe with some of the products in Wicksteed Park.

The Park's fame spread far and wide and special trains and "Charabancs" brought excited crowds from an ever-widening area. Wicksteed Park was one of the first Leisure Parks in the UK and has been copied many times since. Upon the death of the Founder, the Board of Trustees were determined to continue Charles Wicksteed's good work.

The parks unique selling points are that they were the first Leisure Park in the UK with children's play equipment. Wicksteed Park is a combination of a Country Park with a Leisure Park

It is free at the point of access and one of the few parks owned by a Charitable Trust.

http://www.wicksteedpark.co.uk/History-of-Wicksteed-Park.aspx