Then & Now
Side-by-side comparisons, and why each one matters to the identification. Wicksteed-side photographs are still placeholders; see the caption on each.
Twin-tower structure
Wicksteed Park (placeholder: photograph not yet sourced)
Installation of the Double Pirate Ship at Wicksteed Park.
- Date
- Date not yet verified
- Source
- Image awaiting rights clearance
- Location
- Wicksteed Park, Kettering
- Rights
- Image awaiting rights clearance
- Archive ref
- Not yet assigned
Research note: Research note: the opening year itself is disputed between 1980 and 1982; see Timeline.
Mitrovica, Kosovo
A daylight view across the river toward Mitrovica, with the ride's twin-tower structure visible among the town's rooftops.
- Date
- Date not yet verified
- Source
- Researcher's collection (AI-upscaled from a lower-resolution original)
- Location
- Mitrovica, Kosovo
- Rights
- Researcher's own collection
- Archive ref
- IMG-WIDE-01
Research note: This image has been AI-upscaled from a lower-resolution source; upscaling can introduce or smooth over fine detail, so it is not treated as reliable for close structural comparison.
Why this comparison matters: Structural comparison (twin lattice towers, bracing and proportions) is treated as the strongest identifier, because paint and branding can change but steelwork rarely does. See investigation method §7.
Gondola livery
Wicksteed Park (placeholder: photograph not yet sourced)
The original Union Jack livery on the Wicksteed-era gondolas.
- Date
- Date not yet verified
- Source
- Image awaiting rights clearance
- Location
- Wicksteed Park, Kettering
- Rights
- Image awaiting rights clearance
- Archive ref
- Not yet assigned
Research note: Would allow a direct side-by-side with the surviving Kosovo-era livery; see Then & Now.
Kosovo, close-up
Close-up daylight footage of the gondola hull, showing red-white-and-navy diagonal striping consistent with Union Jack-style livery.
- Date
- Date not yet verified
- Source
- Third-party video, obtained during the investigation
- Location
- Lunapark Aseba, Mitrovica, Kosovo
- Rights
- Third-party screenshot, used for research and identification
- Archive ref
- VID-LIVERY-01
Captions: No caption track available; footage has ambient sound only.
Research note: Used for artwork/livery comparison per investigation method §8.
Why this comparison matters: Union Jack-style decoration visible in Kosovo footage was compared with Wicksteed-era artwork as a secondary identifier, useful when it agrees with the structural comparison, per investigation method §8.
Loading platform
Wicksteed Park (placeholder: photograph not yet sourced)
The Fairground zone loading platform and queue line.
- Date
- Date not yet verified
- Source
- Image awaiting rights clearance
- Location
- Wicksteed Park, Kettering
- Rights
- Image awaiting rights clearance
- Archive ref
- Not yet assigned
Research note: No original Wicksteed-era photograph has been sourced for this project yet.
Lunapark Aseba, Kosovo
Boarding footage showing the Union Jack–liveried gondola beginning its ride cycle while the other slows to a stop.
- Date
- Date not yet verified
- Source
- Researcher's collection
- Location
- Lunapark Aseba, Mitrovica, Kosovo
- Rights
- Researcher's own collection
- Archive ref
- VID-BOARD-01
Captions: No dedicated caption track yet. Audio is ambient fairground sound (music, crowd) rather than narration; the description above summarises the visible action.
Research note: Original audio track was replaced for publication; a version with the original audio is retained in the project archive.
Why this comparison matters: The shared central loading platform is one of the distinguishing features of a double Pirate Ship, visible here in current boarding footage.
Livery over time, within Kosovo
Earlier: Union Jack livery documented
Close-up daylight footage of the gondola hull, showing red-white-and-navy diagonal striping consistent with Union Jack-style livery.
- Date
- Date not yet verified
- Source
- Third-party video, obtained during the investigation
- Location
- Lunapark Aseba, Mitrovica, Kosovo
- Rights
- Third-party screenshot, used for research and identification
- Archive ref
- VID-LIVERY-01
Captions: No caption track available; footage has ambient sound only.
Research note: Used for artwork/livery comparison per investigation method §8.
Later: orange-toned scheme, no Union Jack visible
Daylight footage described by the source as possible testing footage, showing both gondolas in an orange-toned colour scheme without visible Union Jack livery.
- Date
- Date not yet verified
- Source
- Third-party video, obtained during the investigation
- Location
- Lunapark Aseba, Mitrovica, Kosovo
- Rights
- Third-party screenshot, used for research and identification
- Archive ref
- VID-TEST-01
Captions: No caption track available; footage has ambient sound only.
Research note: Labelled as possible testing footage by the person who supplied it; not independently confirmed as a test run rather than normal operation.
Why this comparison matters: Findings note that some Union Jack livery was later removed or altered. These two clips, both from Kosovo, illustrate that change; exact dates for each are not yet confirmed, so this shows the change occurred, not precisely when.