The swing … the roundabout …… and the sliding horse ……

You will have to be a certain age to remember and perhaps mourn those old-fashioned play appliances which were a feature of our public parks from the beginning of the last century up till quite recently.

There was the roundabout, the seesaw, and the sliding horse along with a bank of swings. 

Some have survived, with just a hint of design change, and others like the roundabout seem to have vanished.

What they all had in common was that they were all placed on a hard surface, which proved unyielding if you fell on it.

Added to which some of the playthings were not always well maintained.  

The wooden platform of the roundabouts could be rotten, the swings and seesaws rusty, and the sliding horses didn’t always live up to their name.

Now there will be those out there who bewail the passing of these creaking paint chipped ways of hurting you, even citing accusation of wokeism and worse.

Not me …… I had enough nasty tumbles and scratches from these “accidents waiting to happen” in the 1950s and judge the safety of our grandchildren as such that bouncy surfaces, and well-maintained playthings are paramount.

That said the ones in Beaumaris by the pier all looked to be in excellent condition, and had I been 65 years younger I might have given them a whirl.

That I suspect is the real cruel observation about the passing of the decades.

Location; Beaumaris

Pictures; nostalgia at play, 2023 from the collection of Andrew Simpson