Bowes & Son - The OCTOPUS 

Please keep the classic’s alive

I love to see these old fairground rides being looked after and this one looks great .

Rode this Octopus ride many times as a kid back in the early 1960’s when Benson’s fair came to South Park near Reigate. They arrived with Scammel Pioneers pulling trailers containing the dodgems, switchback/Noah’s Ark, whip and this octopus. Benson’s fair still comes to Horsham, still a great fair.

A true classic, I remember George Scarrott had one he bought in the early 1970s, he has it still now. I remember Scarrotts fairs as a child in the 1980s in Wootton Bassett, nice to see the original controls to including the memette fusebox made by MEM, Midland electrical manufacturing. George Scarrott also has a few classic trucks to.

i am glad that they found a new home for this lovely fair ground ride after repairing it

This is a very nice looking machine

I love the old tractor units.........there's always a German Shepherd dog with a fair.........didn't see one on this occasion though

This was the best ride at the Numurkah show back in the 80's. It's a shame the octopus no longer appears at shows anymore.. Maybe the younger generation these days would find it boring compared to the modern rides? I can still say the Zipper and Gravitron were fun but not after eating a dippy dog...

You can't beat a ride on the Octopus ride. What I wouldn't do to re-live my childhood fun on the Octopus. Unfortunately this ride is very seldom seen on our show circuit or anywhere else much in Australia. If you want to have some good old fashioned fun and laughter and a bit of a scare, bring back the old rides especially the Octopus. Yeah there are some who say that the old rides are tame, but there are some like the UFO ride, Moon Ride, The Tip Top, The Turbo, and I could go on. These old rides will soon put your heart in your mouth. Especially the old moon ride, which I think was a bit dangerous as you sat inside the moon itself and the galaxy was all around you. It would spin slow and then peak at approximately 40kph and also it went backwards. The seats really had no safety belts only a handlebar which was placed across your lap. The whole ride relied on centrifugal force inside. It was fun. Sadly rides like these have either gotta make money for the owners or they get scrapped until someone finds them and brings them back to life. But the Octopus, comes along Australia, we need this ride back on the show circuits. I am still a number one Octopus rider fan forever. 🐙🐙🐙🐙😂😅😊😉😁😎😎😎

I didn't know Griff Rhys Jones was a fairground ride owner.

Can the Octopus operate in both directions and can the concentric cam go in both directions, i seem to remember seeing the ride stationary with the concentric cam sending the arms up and down? Great machine & video.

Just noticed, this ride used to turn clockwise back in the 1960’s, not anti-clockwise as now.

Another classic from our fairground heritage that needs a good knowledgeable owner.. Especially one who can make it turn in the Clockwise direction, the way all UK rides were intended to rotate.. NOT anticlockwise..

I ran one for Carter Shows in Thamesville ont

spot on!!! can i be cheeky and ask how much you sold it for?

My dads got an octopus that loads all at once

Enjoyed the video but the background music is just a bit too loud when he is speaking.

This got scrapped?

how much did you sell this for in the end?

the name is spelled wrong it has an o instead of a y

Get rid of that bloody music then we can here the guy talk.

not like the Americans this is backward