Roundabout visit to Yorkshire for a rare Rolls-Royce vintage carousel

The traditional carousel, made in 1931 for entertaining their workers and families on field days, was made at Rolls-Royce’s Derby factory.

The ride has been lovingly
 put together and carefully housed in Littleboy’s Wakefield showroom in Yorkshire – an enthralling haven for fairground enthusiasts, until it finds a new home.

David Littleboy, the firm’s owner, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have this exclusive and rare carousel entrusted to us, and it was very moving to sense the carousel’s unique history as we rebuilt it in our showroom amongst fellow vintage rides we have here.

“It is distinctive, and definitely in its rightful place amongst fairground and vintage collectibles.”

Mr Littleboy added: “Our great hope is that soon it will find its way to complete a Rolls-Royce enthusiast’s collection somewhere, or similar – after we’ve enjoyed it here caretaking it for a short while”.

The roundabout has 24 horses which were cast in the aluminium foundry at Rolls-Royce in Derby, and all are fitted with leather saddles and reins.

The 12 horses which sit on the outer ring of the ride are named after famous Rolls-Royce cars and aero engines, including Ghost, Shadow, Merlin, Phantom.

The word carousel originated from the Italian word garosello and Spanish carosella, meaning “little battle”, the terms used by crusaders to describe a combat preparation exercise and game played by Turkish and Arabian horsemen in the 12th century.

By the mid-19th century the platform carousel was developed; the animals and chariots to sit on were fixed to a circular floor that would suspend from a centre pole and rotate around, which soon became a popular fixture at fairs.

Visit the Littleboy’s website on www.littleboys.co.uk.