Les Montagnes Russes, Blackpool's Latest Attraction (1902)

A sneak peak at Edwardian Blackpool's first rollercoaster.

The 'Montagnes Russes' (Russian mountains) fairground ride was a type of switchback railway which originated in Paris. Blackpool, at the cutting edge of the latest attractions, soon commissioned its own on the site of the Italian Gardens. Alas, the ride wasn't complete when this film was made, and the camera shows nothing of the structure, only two couples canoodling in a stationary carriage.