Our High Flying Swingboats history can be traced back to the late 1800s and believe it or not, a thread of family ownership can be traced as well.

We are not sure who the first owners were, but we think these swingboats were made around 1880 by F.J. Thomas of Chertsey (Surrey). We do know, that around the turn of the century they were bought by Clifford Wynn, a showman from Huntspill, Somerset. He travelled them with his other fairground equipment, until the onset of the second world war. During these desperate times, the framework was placed in storage, but the boats themselves continued to be used on Weymouth beach. The ride remained in storage for a number of years until David Wynn, grandson of Clifford, was made aware of there whereabouts. He brought them back in to use on the fairgrounds of Somerset and Dorset once again, before passing them on to his daughter, Anthea Price (Arthur’s wife). They have benefitted from a traditional repaint at the beginning of 2018, and are now being enjoyed by a new generation of riders.