The Whirl-A-Round Twist

Hold on tight for this adrenaline-fuelled thrill ride – swoop and swirl past fellow passengers with just inches to spare!

About The Whirl-A-Round Twist

Fast and exciting, The Twist was built in around the 1950s by Eli Bridge & Co in America, who were aeronautical engineers who expanded their business into fairground rides after the war. It is a rare survivor, as these original machines are now becoming quite scarce.

Who can ride, and what does it cost?

The Whirl-A-Round Twist is a fast-paced thrill ride, and you must be over 1.2m tall to ride unaccompanied, and 0.9m to ride with an adult. It costs 6 tokens per person.

A brief history of the whirl-a-round twist

This example is an original Eli Bridge model, and they are becoming quite scarce these days so it’s a rare survivor. It underwent a total ground-up restoration ready for the 2016 season, including a sparkling new paint job by Aaron Stephens in our paintshop. The renovation was inspired by Silcock’s Twist which was based in Southport – in fact the power to run it comes from the original generator from Silcock’s Twist. The machine was stripped right back and shot blasted, every single nut and bolt was gone over, and new bearings and running gear was installed.

This example, sometimes referred to as a ‘grass-cutter twist’, was imported from the States to Southsea by Shufflebottoms, who operated it there for over 20 years. It was then bought by Henry Scarrot who travelled it for over 10 years. It was rare to find one in this condition – the cars are often pretty banged about, but this one is a very good surviving example in fantastic shape. The Twist joins us as a guest attraction – fast and exciting, it’s a very popular ride!