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Billed as “The New Wonder of Edinburgh” when it opened in 1865, the gym in King George V Park – considered the forerunner of today’s fitness centres and thought to be the only one of its kind in Britain – was the brainchild of philanthropist John Cox.
It was designed for the city’s growing army of factory workers and saw residents shed pounds on machines such as the patent rotary boat or “Great Sea Serpent” – a circular platform with four piers allowing up to 600 people to row simultaneously.
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http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/archaeologists-dig-into-victorian-open-air-gym-1-3773952
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