Recent acquisitions here at Jones Towers include these two unused postcards from 1920s showing the ‘Canadian Water Chute' on the right of both pictures. The chute was the first fun fair ride to be built at Marine Lake (1908) and probably had nothing to do with Canada.In his book ‘Rhyl At The Fun Fair’ Eric Hughes says, "The operator could not pay the suppliers of the chute nor keep up the agreed payments to Rhyl Urban District Council. In its third year the chute was forfeited to the council who got in touch with Samuel Butler’s of Leeds. This was the company that built the device. Samuel Butler’s sent one of their young engineers Albert Barnes to look after the chute and develop the fairground."
Mr. Barnes made a good fist of it and built the Figure Eight Rollercoaster in 1920 alongside the chute, scores of other rides and games, and trains for the miniature railway round the lake. The fun fair that he created there attracted thousands of day trippers to Rhyl.
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