Timberplay has installed a new outdoor play area at the National Trust’s Gibside property in northeast England, taking inspiration from a legend of a Strawberry Castle that once stood on the site.
According to gardeners’ records, a “Strawberry Castle” existed at Gibside some 250 years ago, but nothing in the archives signalled what it was, where it was or how it looked. Gibside staff therefore decided to ask local children what they thought the Strawberry Castle could have been, and asked Timberplay to draw on those ideas when they designed the new play installation.
Timberplay’s bespoke Strawberry Castle features climbing walls, rope bridges, platform huts, ladders and chain paths, set against the backdrop of Gibside’s popular Georgian landscaped gardens.
A hefty timber climbing structure has also been built, bringing a more challenging element of play to the installation. The adventure play area is set to be developed further throughout the year.
General manager at Gibside, Mick Wilkes, said: “Intuition tells us that Strawberry Castle was probably some sort of folly, so it is fitting that it is now a feature play structure. The new castle is so popular with our younger visitors.”
Timberplay worked with German supplier Richter Spielgeräte to make the play structure a reality.
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