First children's slide was built in Northamptonshire

It's hard to imagine that Wicksteed Park in Kettering was the birthplace of the children's slide.

But an historian has told the park that it's likely that Charles Wicksteed's claim that he popularised the slide at the beginning of the last century is true.

Engineer Charles Wicksteed started buying land in 1914 to create an open space for local people. Historian Linden Groves says her study of children's play equipment, backs up Wicksteed's claim.

She said: "I can't really think of other slides before then I can think of other climbing frames and swings and that kind of thing they were called gymnasiums generally but I can't think of slides so maybe he wasn't stretching the truth he is the inventor of the slide"

These days theme parks like Alton Towers in Staffordshire offer an array of sophisticated rides.