Workers' carousel up for auction

Rolls-Royce built the carousel in the 1930s to entertain its workers

A fairground attraction - built by Rolls-Royce in the 1930s to entertain workers - is going under the hammer.

The working merry-go-round is expected to reach between £25,000 and £35,000 at the Goodwood Revival sale in West Sussex next week, Bonhams said.

The roundabout has 24 horses which were cast in the aluminium foundry at Rolls-Royce in Derby, and which are fitted with leather saddles and reins.

It is thought to be the only carousel made by the engineering company.

'Assemble in a day'

The merry-go-round's present owner has kept the working machine in his garden to entertain his three children.

It comes with wheels for transportation and requires a mains socket for power.

Information from Bonhams said: "We are advised that the merry-go-round, which has wheels for transportation, can be put up in a day."

The merry-go-round comes with 24 horses fitted with saddles and reins

The Bonhams catalogue gives an outline of the roundabout's history.

It describes how Rolls-Royce historian John Fasal found out that the firm had made a carousel for its field days.

In 1978, Mr Fasal tracked the machine down to Moreton-in-Marsh, where it was being restored, and bought it.

The roundabout later had two private owners and was displayed in a museum before it was sold to the current vendor.

The attraction is being sold with a copy of John Fasal's letter recounting its history, plus annotated photographs showing how to assemble it.

The Goodwood Revival, which celebrates the heyday of the Goodwood Motor Circuit between 1948 and 1966, is being held from 19 to 21 September, with the auction taking place on the first day.