Wicksteed Park in Northamptonshire unveils what could be the world's oldest playground swing

Visitors to a Northamptonshire park are being given the chance to have a go on what is believed to be the world's oldest swing.

The six-pronged frame with a thick wooden seat is thought to date back a century and was discovered nine years ago in the garden of a house which belonged to the family of Charles Wicksteed, the inventor of the modern-day slides and swings.

The swing now takes centre stage in a newly-opened heritage playground at Wicksteed Park in Kettering, thanks to help from lottery funding.

The playground also contains a rocking horse dating back 80 years as well as reconstructions of a 1921 slide.

Oliver Wicksteed, chairman of the Wicksteed Charitable Trust, which owns the park, said: “The discovery of the oldest swing known to be in existence is remarkable and, along with the rest of the playground, gives visitors to the park the chance to sit on and enjoy a real piece of history.

“Its shape, size and the lack of a tell-tale name plate, which went on all play equipment when Charles Wicksteed began to sell it commercially in the 1920s, indicate it was a prototype, possibly given by him to his family as part of pre-production trials.”