Emma Brennan is an award-winning journalist and former newspaper editor with a fondness for yesteryear.

As the school summer holidays progressed and mum started to run out of creative ways to entertain us, we would pay a visit to my great aunt in the neighbouring village.

I enjoyed these excursions immensely for two reasons: firstly, Aunt Ivy was a cook and made the most excellent scones. Secondly, she lived opposite a children’s public playground, so my sister and I were able to escape when the adult chitchat and village gossip all got a bit too dull for us.

These days, when you say ‘kids’ play area’, you envisage exciting apparatus such as overhead climbing rails and even zip wires, all suspended over padded ‘soft-fall’ surfaces to cushion any potential tumbles.

Emma on a swing in the 1970s, which was about as exciting as playground equipment got in that decade (Image: Emma Brennan)

Around most play areas today, there are secure railings to keep the children safely ensconced. But go back to the 1970s, and public playgrounds were a very different place, jam-packed with potential hazards. 

There was literally no such thing as ‘soft play’, ball pools or bouncy castles – just the opposite in fact. 

The 1970s children's playgrounds defined by a lack of health and safety

For a start, today’s play equipment is often made from brightly coloured, flexible plastic-type materials........

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