Alnwick Adventure Play Area

The Duchess of Northumberland wanted to create a world class play area that pushed the boundaries both in terms of challenge and in meeting the needs of people with special needs to add to the already hugely impressive Alnwick Gardens attraction.

After intensive discussions with their team, which also comprised ex SAS soldier and conquerer of Mount Everest, Brummie Stokes, we developed a design that allowed children and parents of all abilities to move up amongst the tree canopy. The walkway, which is now installed, includes two technically complex wheelchair accessible suspension bridges. Later developments will use the existing towers to add many more challenging and sensory activities.

The simple concept behind this was to allow all children, regardless of ability, access to the highest parts of the play area.

Ian August of the Alnwick Garden Trust has written a book called “The Making of The Alnwick Garden” and in it he talks about the play area development…

"We had several depressing meetings with British play specialists, but nothing they came up with inspired us. They all used brightly coloured metal and plastic and talked endlessly about health and safety, whereas the Duchess had in mind a wooden playground without rubber and steel, that was ‘safely dangerous´ to challenge kids physically and mentally. Then someone mentioned the Peter Pan pirate ship in the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Garden in Kensington, which was created by Gunter Beltzig and Richter Spielgeraete GmbH, a German play company."

"We were immediately inspired by their attitude; they used a different vocabulary, with a psychological and child-focused approach that concentrated on what kids get out of the play experience. They took the Duchess to see their designs at the Playmobil Funpark near Nuremberg, and she came back enthusing about the interesting areas they created for disabled people and wheelchair users, and their quality of their materials and standards of workmanship."