About Wicksteed Park

A Short Story

Wicksteed Park, in Kettering, Northamptonshire, is one of the UK's oldest theme parks, founded in 1921 by Charles Wicksteed. Managed by the Wicksteed Charitable Trust, it offers over 25 rides, 281 acres of parkland, playgrounds, and walking trails, catering to all ages. The park also hosts events like live entertainment and workshops, with venues available for weddings and parties. Best of all, entry to the parkland is free, making it an ideal destination for families and nature lovers to enjoy year-round.

Did you know? We are funded by the charitable trust

Wicksteed Park is wholly owned by Wicksteed Charitable Trust. The park does not receive any regular external funding to help maintain the park as a truly unique, freely accessible public space.

As a charity, Wicksteed Park is dedicated to preserving its heritage and ensuring that it remains a cherished community asset. The park relies on donations and support from visitors to maintain its facilities and to continue to offer free entry to the public.

If you would like to support the Trust in maintaining this wonderful space and securing it for future generations to enjoy, please click the Donate Here button below or visit our reception.

Car parking charges paid when visiting Wicksteed Park help support the Trust in maintaining the park as free and accessible for all.

If you have any questions about fundraising at Wicksteed Park, or would like to help, please email fundraising@wicksteedpark.org

The Wicksteed Charitable Trust: Join Us in Securing Our Future

Wicksteed Park has been a cornerstone of family fun, community events, and natural beauty for over 100 years. As the birthplace of modern play equipment, it holds a unique place in history—and in the hearts of generations.

However, the park’s future as a free to access site is at risk. The Wicksteed Charitable Trust needs your help to keep the park open, free, and thriving.

Thanks to a generous grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the “Love Wicksteed” campaign has been launched to secure vital funding. Your input and support can make a real difference:

💬 Share your thoughts: Take our quick online survey here.
💖 Make a donation: Every contribution counts. Visit JustGiving to donate.
📧 Partner with us: Email fundraising@wicksteedpark.org to explore ways to support.

Let’s work together to ensure that Wicksteed Park remains a free, green space for families, nature lovers, and future generations.

Complete our Survey Now!

Conservation

The Wicksteed estate comprises a mosaic of habitats from lowland grassland meadows, flood plains, wetland margins, open water to pockets of woodland. These varied habitats create the ideal environment for numerous species of flora and fauna.

Here at Wicksteed Park, we work closely with local farmers to low input graze large areas of grassland thus promoting species rich wildflower meadows and with the help of our dedicated volunteer team we also adopt traditional hay cutting methods to promote grassland habitats throughout the estate.

Where possible we strive to create new habitats through river restoration projects i.e. South Meadow, tree and hedge planting and in some of our existing woods, we employ coppicing (an ancient management technique) which further improves the biodiversity.

Situated in the Ise Valley , Wicksteed park is a green corridor for wildlife in an ever-urbanising world!

Download PDF

Digital Archive

Our Digital Archive contains historical photos, plans and memorabilia which we hope to update on a regular basis. This archive is a testament to the park’s rich heritage and the countless moments of joy it has brought to its visitors over the years.

View Archive

Become a Trustee at Wicksteed Park!

Are you passionate about preserving history, fostering community spirit, and shaping the future of a beloved green space? Wicksteed Park invites you to become a trustee and play a pivotal role in continuing our legacy of joy and togetherness.

Learn More

Get in Touch

Got questions or need further information about your visit? Our amiable team is eager to assist! Reach out through any of the methods provided on our contact page.

Customer Reviews

"It was absolutely amazing, my toddler loved seeing Santa and going to the elf workshop to pick a present! We saw reindeers, went on the train and a couple rides and went to the farm! A fantastic day out and a great experience for seeing Santa for the first time! Staff were great!"

Bethany

"Had not been to Wickstead park for years . Thought I would take my grandson and despite the weather and it being late in the season we had a lovely time. Great value for money and will return next year"

Perry

"We had a great fun day out. Old fashioned English Park. Good variety of rides. Clean loos. Friendly staff. We loved the train ride. Also the water rides were fantastic. Best to buy a wrist band that let's you have unlimited rides"

Rose

"We camped here this week, and all had a blast!!! It was so well-priced. We were one of the first in the park. The camping was quiet, and the kids absolutely loved all the places to walk!!! Thank you!"

Charlotte

"My parents took me to Wicksteed Park as a child over 50 years ago. Today I took my grandchildren and it was quite an experience. The train around the park is still there but now there are lots of much bigger rides for older kids and adults including a log flume. The old water chute I went on as a kid is still there and is loved by young and old. We found all the staff friendly and helpful at Wicksteed which is really important, as at other theme parks its what made for a poor experience. Maybe Wicksteed's British origins makes it a more relaxed experience than US style parks. You can almost imagine post Edwardian Britons in 1920's enjoying days out in this beautiful park with all its green spaces. My older grandkids enjoyed the rides and short queues whilst younger ones liked the soft play area. We are already planning our next visit to Wicksteed Park."

Del

"Great day out for extended family particularly good for 6 to 10 year olds and the older kids can take the little ones on the rides. The parks is really beautiful and there are hardly any queues. Lots of fun rides and wrist bands good value if you do lots of rides like my kids did. All 14 of us had a great day and we had a take out in the park before leaving on a beautiful evening. Fun times."

Julial

"We were lucky enough to go in a lovely sunny day. There were 11 of us, 5 adults and 6 children, 2 of whom have disabilities. The staff were so helpful in every way, sorting our wristbands out, giving advice, looking after us on rides, etc. Some of the rides I was used to were shut; the rocking tugboat, drop slide and mini landrovers, but a lovely surprise awaited in the form of new rides; the garden wheel and mechanical horses. We went boating on the lake, rode the water flume, went on loads of other rides for which there was barely a queue. The actual park itself is amazing, so much room to play for the children, we had a lovely picnic under the trees. Toilets were really clean, plenty of food outlets, although not as many as on previous visits. It baffles me that more people don't go there, as there really is something for everyone. Even if you didn't want to pay for the rides, there is still a excellent playing park. Take my advice and just head out there for the day..."

Janice

"Kids loved it, even through it was busy the queues weren’t too bad and as there is so much green space we easily found a spot in the shade for our picnic. Lovely parkland and they even dragged me on to the Dinosaur Valley ride! The band/ ticket options are great for a mixed group who might not all want to go on every ride."

Amy

"We camped at Wickstead park this weekend for our annual camping trip with friends and kids (age range 15 - 13). Booking was very easy and great communication with reception. The site is very clean, as are the facilities and there is lots for the kids to do. Its a very safe site and I would highly recommend it. We will definitely be back!"

Jackie

"Having one of our sons, and his nine year old to stay gave us a reason to visit Wicksteed Park yesterday. The rides were great fun and suitable for a range of ages; they all seemed well cared for and the operators paid attention to safety. We bought a wristband for our grandson, and individual tickets for the rest of us so that we could mix and match who went on with him. The weather was rather dull, which may have contributed to the generally short waits to get on the rides. The playgrounds are excellent and there is lots of room for running around. We took a picnic and easily found somewhere to sit and eat. Car parking was easy, and given there is no entrance charge, I thought it reasonable. I use a mobility scooter and had no problems getting around. We used to take our sons when they were small and we had little money: by just going in the playgrounds (no charge); playing ball games on the grass and taking a picnic, it was a cheap day out. Enjoy."