Sheffield-based Timberplay has created a new wooden castle complete with drawbridge for the Hylands Park Estate in Chelmsford, Essex.

Developed to complement the historic landscape, Hylands Adventure Castle has been constructed as a modern day folly, a building located at the northern end of the estate and aimed at encouraging visitors to explore more of the park. It was created to not only delight and enthrall young visitors, but also provide more challenging play for teenagers.

The castle was designed and built by Timberplay, but in order to keep within a limited budget Chelmsford Borough Council supported the project by undertaking the groundwork independently. The first phase of the Castle currently houses a Sound Roller, Nest Swing, watchtower, slide and climbing feature, with space to add to the equipment in the future as funding becomes available.

The playground has been surfaced with wood chips produced on site, reducing the carbon footprint of the site whilst cost effectively producing a safe and clean play surface.