Category: Ride features

Following extensive restoration, the Burrell Showman’s steam engine previously owned by GT Tuby celebrated its 100th birthday by embarking on a tour of King’s Lynn, Leeds and Doncaster. Following six years of hard work and restoration and having attended the opening of King’s Lynn Mart on …

London Section Showman Tom Matthews Jnr is set to tour the UK with his sky high Freefall thrill ride in 2025 following a successful appearance over the festive season in Glasgow. Named simply Freefall, the 80 metre (over 250 ft!) tall attraction is the first …

Since the turn of this century, the Bagnall family have progressed from operating games to owning one of the UK’s tallest travelling thrill rides. John Thomas Bagnall tells us how they got there. Early Years When I was a lad, my dad (the late John …

We kick off Rides of my Life for a third year with a special edition dedicated to the late Thomas Wilmot, who passed away in December 2023. Here his younger son Josh tells us about the rides he operated in Scotland and Ireland, and the …

Dexter Hackett’s new Joker Breakdance draws spellbound audience of riders at Halloween event. Crawl through the cobwebs, fight off the chainsaw wielding Leatherface, side step the approaching zombies and you will find a Joker, the surprise in the trio of fairground rides at this year’s …

Fifth generation Showman Jimmy Beach, now 69, talks us through the rides he’s travelled in and around London and the Home Counties. Growing up When I was little, my dad and grandad had a set of chairs, which they sold then bought a set of …

Keeping his father’s legacy alive, Lancashire Showman Farrar Shaw continues to present rides and fairs under the banner of John Walter Shaw. Here are all the machines he remembers from his youth to the present day. Razzamatazz Waltzer The ride was new in 1974, before …

Hampshire-based Showman John Wall is taking life a little easier these days, but he’s had an impressive list of funfair attractions during his life on the road. Easy Rider The first ride that we travelled when Bernice and I got married in 1966 was an …

There’s a new ride on the block for Kurt Hill’s Northwest Funfairs as former amusement park Miami returns from Ireland and starts a travelling life. A recent addition to the ever growing collection of fairground attractions from Kurt Hill’s Northwest Funfairs is the ‘Stomp It’ …