New play area opens at Newark Park
Families visiting Newark Park can now enjoy a new natural play area.
Inspired by the architecture of some of the buildings and stories of Newark Park, the National Trust has worked with a specialist company to design and install a fun new experience at the estate near Wotton-under-Edge.
Located in the lakeside garden, the Folly Field play area contains elements that are inspired by the Castle Folly in the garden. The play area includes a woodland section which uses logs from the Newark estate as stepping stones and balancing beams. There’s also a rope bridge, a tree full of fairy doors and due to the natural landscape, the slopes are perfect for rolling down. It provides safe space for children to roam and explore.
To give families plenty of opportunities to experience the new play area Newark Park will be open 11am – 5pm, 7 days a week, throughout the school holidays.
Operations Manager Stefanie Van Stokkom said, ‘We’ve been working on this project for some time, as we wanted to create a play area that would be in keeping with the historic surroundings, but most of all it had to be fun for our younger visitors. Some areas of the play area were constructed with the help of our volunteers as well as several volunteer groups; the ‘Active National Trust Squad (ANTS)’ and the Cotswold Wardens, so it’s been a real joint team effort. ’
Stefanie adds, ‘We believe children are positively impacted by playing outdoors in natural settings. Research has shown that children use five times as many words when they play outdoors. Time for outdoor play is becoming harder and harder to find, but there’s nothing like the freedom of playing outdoors to engage your imagination.’
Standing on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment and boasting unspoiled views and large amounts of outdoor space, the Tudor hunting lodge at Newark Park was extended into a Georgian mansion.
Image: Exploration Tree © National Trust/Barry Batchelor
Explore Gloucestershire
17 August 2018
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