By Lisa Marie Wilkinson
The Cyclone at Coney Island
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Essex House of Wonders
Winstanley’s Water Works
If the last two amusements/entertainments on the list aren’t familiar to you, it’s because you’re living in the 21st century.
Those seeking entertainment in the Piccadilly area of 1690’s London could view attractions featuring fireworks, fountains and assorted clever gadgets at the Mathematical Water Theater known as “Winstanley’s Wonderful Water-Works.” Spectacular water and fireworks displays were staged by owner inventor/engineer Henry Winstanley and his wife Elizabeth, and the exhibit included such mechanisms as the “Wonderful Barrel,” a unique piece of equipment that dispensed both hot and cold drinks to visitors.
An English businessman and engineer who studied engraving, architecture, and clock-making, Winstanley (March 31, 1644-November 27, 1703) dev
eloped a perpetual motion mechanism that was still in popular use generations after his death. He filled his own home and garden at Littlebury in Essex with hidden passages, warped mirrors, and his own mechanical and hydraulic gadgets and inventions. The carnival-like atmosphere contained mechanical wonders that included a “flying chair” (an early incarnation of the roller coaster) and curious chairs with arms that would immediately imprison any hapless visitor who sat down in them, requiring the trapped unfortunate to wait to be extricated from the contraption by an attendant. The “Essex House of Wonders” became a local landmark, attracting members of the royal court as well as local denizens.
Winstanley invested his profits from the 
Mathematical Water Theater in ships, and after incurring losses when two of his ships were wrecked upon the infamous Eddystone rocks off the southern coast of England, he decided to take action by designing and funding the construction of the famous Eddystone Lighthouse, the very same structure that was swept from the Eddystone rocks during the Great Storm of 1703.
Alas, Winstanley and a crew had journeyed to the lighthouse on the day of the storm to effect repairs to the structure, and Winstanley and his crew perished in the storm.
The Mathematical Water Theater continued to operate successfully for several years after the death of its owner/creator, and no doubt inspired many of the spectacles and attractions featured in modern amusement parks.
Lisa Marie Wilkinson is an IPPY Gold Medal winning author of historical adventure-romance. Her latest novel, STOLEN PROMISE, featuring vibrant Gypsy characters and breath-taking romance, is available now.
By Lisa Marie Wilkinson
A fictional interview with inventor Henry Winstanley by Lisa Marie Wilkinson.
Lisa Marie: I've selected you for inclusion in the "Famous People" category of the Unusual Historicals blog because you designed and oversaw the construction of the famous Eddystone Lighthouse. The lighthouse stood 14 kilometers off the coast of Plymouth, England until it was swept away during a violent storm in 1703. What other interesting facts do you feel make you a worthy "Famous People" candidate?
Henry Winstanley: My inventions weren't limited to lighthouses. I was an engraver, an architect, and I'd always had a fascination for hydraulics and all things mechanical. I had a house built in Littlebury for the purpose of housing some of my inventions for exhibition. My "Mathematical Water Theater," combining fireworks and fountains, was a popular attraction in London's Piccadilly during the 1690's. I was called the "Jester of Littlebury," because my house was filled with all sorts of oddities, including trap doors and chairs that came alive and ensnared those who sat in them.
Lisa Marie: Would you object to my quoting a section from my historical romance novel, FIRE AT MIDNIGHT, which describes my heroine Rachael's first impression of your lighthouse?
Henry Winstanley: No, not at all. I'm very proud of my design.
Lisa Marie: Quoting passage from FIRE AT MIDNIGHT:
Sebastién battled a strong crosswind as he steered the tiny rowboat in choppy seas. They came close enough to the great foundation of rock to which the Eddystone Light was anchored that Rachael was afforded a glimpse of its underpinnings: iron rods of at least twelve feet in length in a stone base some two dozen feet tall.
This was no ordinary lighthouse. She squinted up at the high tower as they stepped onto the landing platform that led to the front entry. The ten-sided upper section bore an artist’s impressions of the sun and moon, plus various inscriptions, mostly in Latin, Post Tenebras Lux ("After Darkness, Light"), Salutem Omnium ("For the Safety of All"), Pax En Bello ("Peace in War"), and, Glory Be To God.
Directly below the great lantern with its massive glass windows was a skillfully engraved shower of stars and the inscription, Anno Dom in bold work, flanked by a reference to the reign of William the Third.
Sebastién urged her forward, whispering that he expected to find the decor of a Parisian bordello inside. As they passed through the main door, she glimpsed another engraving in Latin, this one a proclamation that the lighthouse had been designed and constructed by Henry Winstanley.
The interior of the tower upheld the lavish style promised by its exterior. She had expected to find steep, rust-corroded spiraling stairs, drafty landings, and hard pallets tossed onto cold floors. Sebastién, evidently expecting the same, gave a low whistle when he opened a door and discovered an attractively appointed bedchamber. The room was richly gilded, with a large closet, and a small chimney. While he noted the barred outside shutters with a grunt of approval, she marveled at the fine woodwork and the quality of the tapestry rugs.
Lisa Marie: You also met my hero in a later scene, the Frenchman by the name of Sebastién Falconer.
Henry Winstanley: I'd rather not be reminded of that.
Lisa Marie: Why is that, Mr. Winstanley?
Henry Winstanley: Because I hate French privateers! When I was hard at work constructing the foundation for the first light tower to stand on the Eddystone rocks, my crew and I were attacked by French privateers and taken as hostages to France. If not for Louis XIV, I might have languished in France forever. But Louis simply ordered me returned to England, saying that, "France is at war with England, not with humanity."
Lisa Marie: Did you say, "the first light tower?" How many have there been?
Henry Winstanley: There have been a total of five. But I believe mine was the best, because it was the most beautiful design, with an octagonal tower and splendid furnishings within.
Lisa Marie: Would you share your most famous anecdote concerning the Eddystone Lighthouse with us?
Henry Winstanley: I used to say I yearned to be inside my lighthouse during the greatest storm there ever was. The lesson to be learned there is: be careful what you wish for.
Lisa Marie's closing note: Henry Winstanley and several workmen had sailed out to the Eddystone Lightouse on the night of November 27, 1703, to do repairs on the lighthouse. This was the night of what would come to be known throughout England's history as "The Great Storm." Winstanley and his crew perished when the lighthouse was swept away during the storm.
By Lisa Marie Wilkinson
eloped a perpetual motion mechanism that was still in popular use generations after his death. He filled his own home and garden at Littlebury in Essex with hidden passages, warped mirrors, and his own mechanical and hydraulic gadgets and inventions. The carnival-like atmosphere contained mechanical wonders that included a “flying chair” (an early incarnation of the roller coaster) and curious chairs with arms that would immediately imprison any hapless visitor who sat down in them, requiring the trapped unfortunate to wait to be extricated from the contraption by an attendant. The “Essex House of Wonders” became a local landmark, attracting members of the royal court as well as local denizens.
Mathematical Water Theater in ships, and after incurring losses when two of his ships were wrecked upon the infamous Eddystone rocks off the southern coast of England, he decided to take action by designing and funding the construction of the famous Eddystone Lighthouse, the very same structure that was swept from the Eddystone rocks during the Great Storm of 1703.
