A new collection of vintage fairground rides has opened as the new National Fairground Museum in Tamworth.
Opened yesterday in the town’s Statfold Country Park, the museum contains eight historic rides.
They include a circa 86-year-old Moon Rocket thrill ride, reportedly the last surviving model in the world.
Other attractions include Edward’s Chariot Racer, dating from the mid-1930s and one of the first modern thrill flat rides.
The museum also includes a traditional carousel, 2p slot machines, House of Mirrors, helter-skelter and dodgems.
A spokesman for Statfold Country Park said: “We have worked alongside the Fairground Heritage Trust to relocate and open this prestigious collection of fairground rides.”
The National Fairground Museum is open from 10:00 to 16:00 on Friday, Saturday and Sundays, with additional openings during schools holidays.
Admission costs £5, which includes three ride tokens. Rides typically require 2-3 tokens each.
The museum’s mission statement is: “To preserve historic fairground equipment, imagery and memorabilia for future generations, in the hope of fostering understanding of, and support for, a genuinely national institution.”