1-192-257 - © London Museum/Heritage-Images

The Flip-Flap amusement ride, Franco-British Exhibition, White City, London, 1908. The fare was sixpence for a ride, and took three minutes and twenty seconds from one side to the other. At the top people could see Windsor Castle and Crystal Palace if the weather was clear. The exhibition aimed to promote the achievements of Britain and France. Pavilions and exhibition halls were built on a 140 acre site in Shepherd's Bush. The site was given the nickname White City because of the white stucco facades of all the buildings. When London underground opened a tube station there in the 1950s it was given this name as a reminder of the site's history.