Hanwell, West London

Residents of Hanwell in west London now have a fantastic new play area to explore, a vast improvement from the old playground which has been in need of a facelift for some time.

Designed and project managed by multi award winning Groundwork London Landscape Architect´s, Adam White and Andrée Davies, this new playground represents a £230,000 capital investment from the local council and landfill trust BIFFAWARD. The project embodies natural play in its truest sense and creates what Adam refers to as a ‘challenging, exciting, playful landscape´.

Featuring a variety of innovative Timberplay products, the original concept for the King George´s Field Playscape project was the vision of Adam and Andrée.

During the summer of 2007 they won national acclaim with a RHS Gold Medal and BBC Peoples Choice Award for their Playscape Show Garden at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Underpinned by sustainability, they donated show garden products, which included the centre piece, a Timberplay climbing structure.

King George´s Field, Hanwell is set amongst a densely packed residential area in the London Borough of Ealing and was in need of improvement. Groundwork London spent six months working closely with local residents and children to ensure they were engaged in the entire design process.

Principal Landscape Architect for Groundwork London, Adam White, comments on the importance of their Playscape: -
“King George´s Field Playscape represents what we believe should become common place in UK play space design. The project has been designed to challenge and inspire children and provide a space for all ages that encourages engagement with natural surroundings and taking acceptable levels of risk. Alongside traditional equipment, such as swings and slides we have designed the landscape to encourage imaginative, challenging, risky play´

Two popular features are the 1.5 metres wide slide and pod swing, both promote social interaction alongside play. The climbing forest, which serves as a focal point for the play space, has been selected as it is appealing to all users of the space, from young to old.

The designers have also created areas more appropriate for younger children. Rather than have segregated fenced areas, they have used landform and low timber retaining walls to suggest boundaries, thereby creating a safe play space without compromising the deisgn of the site.

The project was designed and created by Adam White and Andrée Davies from Groundwork London, with funding from BIFFAWARD a multi-million pound environment fund managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, which utilises landfill tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services and additional funding from the Sita Trust and Veolia Environmental Trust.