UK’s largest outdoor playground at Belton set for upgrade

Planning consent has been granted for the National Trust to carry out a £1.4 million renovation of the outdoor adventure playground at Belton House in Grantham, a much-loved feature that has seen generations of fans.

The historic Lincolnshire estate has long been famous for its outdoor adventure playground which is now set to receive a complete makeover for a phased opening in spring 2015.

“Hundreds of thousands of children have played here over the past 40 years,” explains Ali Keightley, Belton’s Project Manager. “But the playground is showing signs of wear and tear from all those feet.  We know parents who came here as children now bring their own families to play and we want that tradition to continue for generations to come.”

The original playground dates back to Belton’s previous owners, the Brownlow family, who opened it in 1976. Over the years much of the original equipment has had to be replaced, the ground has become heavily compacted and the specimen trees have suffered from having play equipment attached to them.

“We’re planning lots of exciting new play features and a train station for the miniature railway, as well as catering and toilet facilities” says Ali Keightley.

“We know that its woodland setting is one of the most loved features of the playground, so we’ve made it a priority to enhance that within the new design. We’re also working hard to ensure that the new playground respects the landscape and historic character of this place”

The National Trust is working with specialist tree house designers, Blue Forest, to create bespoke play features which will sit alongside firm favourites such as zip wires, swings and tube slides.

The existing playground will remain open as usual until November 2014 when work on the new playground will begin.

The new playground will be open 364 days of the year, closing only on Christmas Day. Entrance will still be free for National Trust members and, as with the existing playground, an admission ticket will be needed for non-members.