MissPingu
Roller Poster
Wicksteed Park's iconic Double Pirate Ship operated in Kettering from 1982 until the end of the 2016 season, when rising maintenance costs saw it reportedly sold to a buyer in Bulgaria.
After that, the trail became increasingly confused. Various reports placed the ride in Bulgaria, Serbia or elsewhere in the Balkans, while a more recent claim suggested that the original attraction was actually stored at John H. Rundle's yard in Boston and might eventually return to Wicksteed.
After going down a fairly ridiculous rabbit hole, I'm very happy to say that I've now traced the original ride.
The first breakthrough came from a contact with direct, hands-on knowledge of the ride and its closure. They confirmed that the frame and both gondolas left Wicksteed together as a complete machine, and that the original double ship was never stored at Rundle's.
The Boston claim now appears to have been a case of mistaken identity involving a different, newer single Pirate Ship acquired by Wicksteed around the COVID period.
The second breakthrough came from an online sale advertisement for a ride matching this description. The listing included several photographs of the complete attraction assembled abroad, along with a CCTV image dated 1 September 2023 at 21:05, showing both gondolas, the full shared structure and the surrounding fairground. A label visible in the footage also narrowed down the country.
From there, I worked backwards using:
Taken together, I believe the identification is conclusive.
I was then able to identify the ride at REDACTED.
Some details in this post are being deliberately withheld while enquiries remain open, including direct contact with the current seller and information requests to relevant authorities and organisations. I'll publish the full picture once those enquiries have been resolved.
Google photographs from the site clearly show the complete Double Pirate Ship, while user-uploaded video shows both gondolas operating. Earlier footage indicates that the ride had already been rebuilt and running abroad by at least 25 June 2021.
Perhaps most remarkably, the gondolas appear to retain much of their Wicksteed-era appearance. The artwork and detailing do not seem to have been substantially repainted, although later images show the Union Jack livery removed from one of the gondolas.
The seller states that the ride now has a fully automatic start/stop system with safety sensors, an industrial inverter drive system for the electric motors, an industrial air compressor, and well-maintained structural and mechanical components — confirming the control system has been modernised in at least some form. The ride's behaviour and sound remain strongly reminiscent of its Wicksteed operation, raising the possibility that a significant amount of the original mechanical drive system survives underneath. That's still a working theory rather than a confirmed fact.
There are still several unanswered questions:
The seller describes the ride as being in very good condition, well maintained and ready for inspection. I am not yet drawing any independent conclusion about its maintenance, inspection or structural-testing history until supporting evidence has been obtained.
However, the main mystery is now solved:
Wicksteed Park's original Double Pirate Ship survived, was rebuilt abroad, and has operated again with both gondolas.
I'm currently putting together a full archive of the photographs, videos, advert evidence, eyewitness account, claim register and investigation timeline. I'll share more once everything has been properly organised, checked and credited — and once the open enquiries have run their course.
Honestly, seeing it running again after years of rumours is completely surreal.
Here are a few images that I'm prepared to share at the moment.
Copyright and attribution notice:
Some photographs, screenshots and video stills included in this post are reproduced for the purposes of research, commentary, identification and historical documentation. Copyright remains with the original photographers, videographers, platforms or rights holders. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement, ownership or affiliation.
Wherever possible, sources and creators will be credited. Anyone who owns rights in material shown here and would like a correction, additional credit or removal is welcome to contact me.
Thanks for reading my TED Talk.
- Alexandra Freeman
After that, the trail became increasingly confused. Various reports placed the ride in Bulgaria, Serbia or elsewhere in the Balkans, while a more recent claim suggested that the original attraction was actually stored at John H. Rundle's yard in Boston and might eventually return to Wicksteed.
After going down a fairly ridiculous rabbit hole, I'm very happy to say that I've now traced the original ride.
The first breakthrough came from a contact with direct, hands-on knowledge of the ride and its closure. They confirmed that the frame and both gondolas left Wicksteed together as a complete machine, and that the original double ship was never stored at Rundle's.
The Boston claim now appears to have been a case of mistaken identity involving a different, newer single Pirate Ship acquired by Wicksteed around the COVID period.
The second breakthrough came from an online sale advertisement for a ride matching this description. The listing included several photographs of the complete attraction assembled abroad, along with a CCTV image dated 1 September 2023 at 21:05, showing both gondolas, the full shared structure and the surrounding fairground. A label visible in the footage also narrowed down the country.
From there, I worked backwards using:
- the unusual twin-frame geometry
- the surviving gondola artwork
- the Union Jack detailing
- the platform and support layout
- the ride's swing profile
- local-language searches
- the footage's geographic clue
- Google photographs and videos from the eventual site
Taken together, I believe the identification is conclusive.
I was then able to identify the ride at REDACTED.
Some details in this post are being deliberately withheld while enquiries remain open, including direct contact with the current seller and information requests to relevant authorities and organisations. I'll publish the full picture once those enquiries have been resolved.
Google photographs from the site clearly show the complete Double Pirate Ship, while user-uploaded video shows both gondolas operating. Earlier footage indicates that the ride had already been rebuilt and running abroad by at least 25 June 2021.
Perhaps most remarkably, the gondolas appear to retain much of their Wicksteed-era appearance. The artwork and detailing do not seem to have been substantially repainted, although later images show the Union Jack livery removed from one of the gondolas.
The seller states that the ride now has a fully automatic start/stop system with safety sensors, an industrial inverter drive system for the electric motors, an industrial air compressor, and well-maintained structural and mechanical components — confirming the control system has been modernised in at least some form. The ride's behaviour and sound remain strongly reminiscent of its Wicksteed operation, raising the possibility that a significant amount of the original mechanical drive system survives underneath. That's still a working theory rather than a confirmed fact.
There are still several unanswered questions:
- whether the ride remains assembled today
- whether the sale advert is still current
- who legally owns and operates it
- exactly how much of the original control and mechanical equipment was retained, replaced or modernised after export
- what maintenance, inspection, structural testing or NDT work has been carried out since it left the UK
The seller describes the ride as being in very good condition, well maintained and ready for inspection. I am not yet drawing any independent conclusion about its maintenance, inspection or structural-testing history until supporting evidence has been obtained.
However, the main mystery is now solved:
Wicksteed Park's original Double Pirate Ship survived, was rebuilt abroad, and has operated again with both gondolas.
I'm currently putting together a full archive of the photographs, videos, advert evidence, eyewitness account, claim register and investigation timeline. I'll share more once everything has been properly organised, checked and credited — and once the open enquiries have run their course.
Honestly, seeing it running again after years of rumours is completely surreal.
Here are a few images that I'm prepared to share at the moment.
Copyright and attribution notice:
Some photographs, screenshots and video stills included in this post are reproduced for the purposes of research, commentary, identification and historical documentation. Copyright remains with the original photographers, videographers, platforms or rights holders. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement, ownership or affiliation.
Wherever possible, sources and creators will be credited. Anyone who owns rights in material shown here and would like a correction, additional credit or removal is welcome to contact me.
Thanks for reading my TED Talk.
- Alexandra Freeman
.