Two projects in the village of Cawston, Norfolk enabled me to ‘cut my teeth’ on designing playful landscapes.
Both were completed about 6 years ago and largely on a voluntary basis. I remain involved at the local Primary School, helping them with their School Gardening activities, but my early involvement was in designing, sourcing planting and organising the creation of an ‘Eco Park’ – basically to try and diversify the habitats and play opportunities in a bland, mown grass playing field with a solitary multi function play unit. The design features a curved mixed native species hedge (which is now over 2 metres high) and a haven for wildlife, several groupings of native trees such as Silver Birch, Hazel, Douglas Fir, Beech, Oak, Feild Maple, Mountain Ash and Black Poplar, and some areas of shallow mounding.
The planting has been used to create several different spaces, and grass within these has been left to grow long both to provide varied habitats and interesting play areas. In addition a ‘Nectar Bar’ of insect – friendly herbaceous and other flowering plants has been created alongside the school, including a painted pergola which both helps to privide shade to the south – facing side of the school and added planting interest.
The second project involved working on commission for the Parish Council and a local charity to design, seek funding, consult local people and supervise the creation of a new play landscape at the ‘Oakes Family Field’ located to one side of the village. The design was constrained by the need to retain areas for cricket and football pitches and to avoid placing play areas close to housing on one side of the field. There is a mix of landscape features including a large mound (with a slide), timber play equipment for balancing and enclosed social areas, as well as a selection of traditional play equipment in two main areas, one for younger, one for older children. Over £100,000 was raised from various sources and so a wide range of play equipment and features has been possible.
School- children playing their part
School- ‘Nectar Bar’ planting
School- Nectar Bar planting
School- hedge planting
School- hedge planting event
School- Pergola and ‘Nectar Bar’
School- under the pergola and looking at the ‘Nectar Bar’
Verbena bonariensis
‘Nectar Bar’- Coreopsis
‘Nectar Bar’
‘Nectar Bar’
Riased bed -heathers and conifers
School- Outdoor classroom and new planting
Cawston- Ecopark
School- multi-function play unit with new hedge planting around
School- in among the ‘jungle’
School- hedge taking hold
School- shallow mounding provides hiding places
School- play unit
School- hiding places in the grass
School- long grass and new trees
School- quiet places for reading and reflection
School- Native species Hedge
School- Play cabin
School- multi play unit
School- ‘Eco Park’ Plan
Oakes FF – planting
Oakes FF- play train and inset sleepers and planting
Oakes FF- toddler area
Oakes FF- mounding and slide unit
Oakes FF- inset log slices
Oakes FF- refurbished bench and planting
Cawston – Oakes Family Field
Oakes FF- picnic bench, slide and swings in older children’s area
Oakes FF- mound and slide
Oakes FF- older children play area
Oakes FF- clamber clourse in older children’s area
Oakes FF- sleepers
Oakes FF- toddler area
Oakes FF- rocks
Oakes FF- timber enclosed social /meeting area
Oakes FF- climbing boulder
Oakes FF- clkimbing frame in older children’s area
Oakes FF- skate park and cable way
Oakes FF- meeting point
Old School Gardener
If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and others on this blog, why not comment and join others by signing up for automatic updates via email (see side bar, above right ) or through an RSS feed (see top of page)?
Produced for the US play world by Let Kids Play, this Guide nevertheless includes some very useful ideas of wider relevance, especially on the layout and access to play areas and enriching the play experiences of all children, including those with some form of disability. Free download.
Old School Garden 