Can you help restore a piece of Orton & Spooner history?

A legendary fairground ride, which includes work by Burton’s own Orton & Spooner, has been designated the top priority for restoration by national organisation the Fairground Heritage Trust.

Hopes are high that the Rodeo Switchback – which may well be the oldest surviving fairground ride in the country – could be returned to full working order and then rehomed permanently at Statfold Country Park’s National Fairground Museum, near Tamworth, just 15 miles from where Orton & Spooner were once based.

But the project needs skilled volunteer engineers and craftspeople willing to help, support from the general public and the offer of a covered site in the Midlands where it can be fully assessed and examined to confirm the resources and time needed to bring it up to working museum standard.

Last surviving ride of its type

The Heritage Trust says the Rodeo Switchback is by far the oldest ride in its collection. It is believed to have been built by Savages of Kings Lynn for James Pettigrove, possibly as a Velocipede as early as 1880. The velocipede ride was invented in the 19th century by Frederick Savage and was a roundabout which was powered by its riders pedalling various styles of bicycles mounted on the circular track.

It was originally quite a plain machine, says the Trust, but later became one of the most ornate switchback rides to travel. It is the last surviving spinning-top Switchback. A switchback ride, sometimes called a scenic railway (or a scenic for short), featured carriages that held multiple passengers and which travelled around a circular, undulating track so that riders got an ‘up and down’ motion as well as circling at speed.

William Wilson, who was based at Peckham Rye, acquired this switchback around 1905 and had it extensively rebuilt. Orton & Spooner worked on it during the winter of 1926/1927 and built a complete new bottom for the machine. At this time, George Orton had died and the two companies of Orton and Sons and C J Spooner had finally been officially merged into one company called George Orton, Sons and Spooner.

Curious animal carriages made by Orton & Spooner

The Burton fairground company fitted the ride with a succession of exotic cars, including some unusual animals with a lot of personality. The names  ‘Orton, Sons and Spooner’ and ‘Burton on Trent’ can be seen on the front of some of these cars today.

One of the curious animal cars built by Orton, Sons and Spooner of Burton upon Trent for the Rodeo Switchback. Their name and the name of the town is on the ribbon across the animal's chest. Image courtesy of the Fairground Heritage Trust

The Trust says that William Wilson toured the ride until his death in 1942 when it passed to his son-in-law George Studt.

In 1947 it was sold to Billy Manning. He travelled the switchback occasionally, including visits in 1954 to Kings Lynn Mart and Nottingham Goose Fair. For a lot of the time it operated at his Clarence Pier Amusement Park in Southsea. From there it was sold to Jimmy Williams in 1973.

He restored the ride, and travelled it in 1974, selling it at the end of the season to the Six Flags theme park in New Jersey, USA, where it was only used for a short time.

In 1982, a consortium was formed to save the ride from destruction and bring it back to the UK. Switchback Ventures was set up to restore and operate the ride and it made its debut at the Great Dorset Steam Fair in 1984 and continued to travel for seven years.

In 1992 the decision was made to sell the ride, and in 1993 it was acquired by the Fairground Heritage Trust. They operated the ride at Hollycombe steam museum in West Sussex in 1994 and at the former Dingles museum in Devon, but it has been in store since 2016.

Currently it is in pieces at The National Fairground Museum, at Statfold, where much of the Trust’s collection moved after the closure of Dingles.

Another of the animal carriages made by Orton Sons and Spooner. This appears to be a jolly bear. Image courtesy of the Fairground Heritage Trust.

At the moment, the ride does not have a working organ; Switchback Ventures unfortunately sold the original and presented the Switchback with a loaned organ in the centre. The Trust is currently seeking a suitable organ for the centre, at this stage preferably on loan.

The Trust says: “The Rodeo Switchback is recognised as the sole surviving spinning-top Switchback. Its importance is fully understood by the Fairground Heritage Trust and by the Lee family, owners of Statfold Country Park, who are themselves well known within the railway preservation movement.

“As a historic fairground ride, the Switchback is more than a static object. Its value lies in the possibility of seeing, understanding and ultimately experiencing it as a working exhibit, while also preserving the craftsmanship, character and engineering that make it such an important survivor.”

How to get in touch if you can help

The Trust is a small organisation, with a core team of just a few people which means they need partnership, practical assistance and public support if the Rodeo Switchback is to be restored and brought back into operation.

After successfully establishing the National Fairground Museum at Statfold, the Rodeo Switchback now stands as the Trust’s next great restoration challenge.

The Trust welcomes support from anyone able to assist with the campaign and what is probably a five year plan to rebuild this historic ride. You can get in touch via the Trust’s website or by writing to the Treasurer, Rodeo Switchback Appeal, The Fairground Heritage Trust, c/o 11 Orchard Coombe, Whitchurch Hill, Reading RG8 7QL.