Wicksteed Park’s Water Chute Marks Its One-Millionth Splashdown

If you’ve ever queued up with your little ones for a go on Wicksteed Park’s Water Chute, you’ll know exactly why this ride holds such a special place in so many Northants families’ hearts — and now it’s about to make history all over again.

Fans of Wicksteed Park’s iconic Water Chute are being offered the chance to climb aboard for the one-millionth splashdown in the ride’s 100-year history.

The event – to be held on Tuesday September 1st – is being held to highlight a fundraising campaign to pay for urgent repairs to the ride’s roof before the start of the 2027 season.

Wicksteed Charitable Trust is raising £30,000 to carry out the essential restoration work, helping to protect one of the Park’s most loved attractions for years to come.

On splashdown day, ten visitors will climb aboard one of the oldest surviving water-based rides in the world and the oldest ride of its kind in the UK; and experience the joy of it splashing down for the one-millionth time since it began operating 100 years ago.

The lucky riders will include five people selected on the day, and five more selected from people who contact the Park in advance, at community@wicksteedpark.org saying why they feel they should be selected, and marking their email Water Chute Splashdown in the subject line.

The iconic Water Chute attraction was built in 1926 by Wicksteed Park’s founder Charles Wicksteed, the creator of swings and slides as we know them today. It was a forerunner to many of the theme park rides now popular across the world.

The ride’s significance has earned it Grade II-listed building status from Historic England for its architecture and design: it survives almost as it was built, and the rider experience is the same as when it first opened.

Wicksteed Park’s Head of Fundraising Allison Waterhouse said: “Essential roof restoration work is required to protect the future of the Water Chute and ensure it can continue delighting visitors for generations to come.”

“But this appeal is about far more than restoring a roof. It’s about protecting an important part of Wicksteed Park’s history, preserving one of Britain’s most iconic historic rides and ensuring future generations can continue making memories at the home of children’s play.”

“For generations of families, that famous splash has become part of childhood memories, family traditions and visits to Wicksteed Park.”

“We therefore thought it would be a great idea to support the appeal by quite literally making a splash; and after some research by the Park’s Community and Heritage team, based on the information we have available, we realised that the one-millionth splashdown was fast approaching.”

Ways to support the appeal include making a donation, organising a fundraising event, volunteering your time, becoming a Friend of Wicksteed, supporting the Park through your business or simply helping spread the word.

Allison added: “Many people don’t realise that Wicksteed Charitable Trust is the charity caring for Wicksteed Park today and protecting it for tomorrow. Every donation to this appeal helps us care for this special place, protect its heritage and preserve the memories it has created for generations.”

To donate go to
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/waterchuteappeal

The Water Chute – judged the country’s Best Historic Ride in the 2022 UK Theme Park Awards – was opened in 1921 by Charles Wicksteed, the inventor of modern-day slides and swings, who had a vision to inspire and encourage play as a way to improve families’ health and wellbeing.

The Wicksteed Charitable Trust was formed to ensure his work continued after his death and the Park has become known as the home of children’s play.

Wicksteed Park combines a 281-acre estate including beautiful, listed parkland with more than 25 rides and attractions for all the family.

Those rides and attractions are now open every weekend, bank holiday and school holiday until the first week in October.

After listening to feedback from visitors, the price of on-the-day wristbands purchased at the Park has been reduced from £25 to £22, to match the online purchase price.

For further information on all the above, go to wicksteedPark.org

If you’re looking for more ways to fill your days out in Northamptonshire this autumn, take a browse through my full guide to things to do in Northamptonshire for families, and if you want a ready-made outdoor activity for the kids while you’re out and about, grab my free nature scavenger hunt to take along.

The events listed in this guide are run by third-party organisers, and all details were correct at the time of publication, based on information from their official websites. However, changes or cancellations can happen at short notice. To avoid any disappointment, we recommend double-checking the event information on the official websites before making plans.