A swing boat, colloquially known as a "shuggy boat" in

Northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...

, is a fairground ride in which pairs of riders pull ropes to swing back and forth. A similar ride called a

pirate ship Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

swings in a similar motion but without the rider pulling on ropes. Swing boats were one of the earliest fairground rides, common in the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

. The Beamish open-air museum features an example from the 1830s, named "Skylark". The boats were originally powered by hand, but steam-driven versions began to be introduced in the 1880s. Examples of Victorian-style manually operated swing boats are still popular and are generally seen in traveling "period" fairs.Bridgend County Borough Council, "Families enjoy Bryngarw's Victorian Christmas weekend", 16 Dec 2013
. Accessed 8 January 2014

References

Pendulum rides {{amusement-ride-stub

See also

References