A key part of the £3m revamp of Princess Diana’s memorial playground is nearing completion in Germany.
Built in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, the full-scale wooden ship is set to make its way to London soon ahead of summer this year.
It will be put in the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, near Kensington Palace, her former home.
The playground opened in 2000, but was closed in October to undergo a refurbishment as the Royal Parks says many of its features have now reached the end of their life.
The new galleon, which is one of the new features, was constructed in the village of Frasdorf, Germany, by Timberplay and its partners Richter Spielgerate, the same designers who produced the original Peter Pan-themed pirate ship for the playground when it first opened.
Royal Parks said £3m is being spent on upgrading the playground’s equipment.
The revamped play area will feature the 12m (39ft) tall galleon, which includes a tunnel slide, two crows nests and a ramped entrance to the main deck for disabled access, and also a new treehouse, redesigned water play area and a new under-threes area.
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The Royal Parks says the new equipment will retain the characteristics of the existing Peter Pan-inspired playground but will provide “more accessible and inclusive play, as well as challenging physical play, so that children of all abilities can enjoy creative and imaginative play together”.
Andy Williams, park manager for Kensington Gardens, said: “It really reaches to children’s imaginations, it lets them set free in a safe space.”
He added the new playground was “in the spirit of Princess Diana, we’ve kept faithful to that”.
The new structure is partially built out of mountain larch wood from sustainably managed forests in the Bavarian Alps.
The Royal Parks said the harsh alpine conditions result in extremely slow growth, making the timber stronger and naturally rot-resistant, negating the need for chemically treated wood.
Paul Collings, managing director at Timberplay, said: “This new galleon and treehouse will reinforce the space as a benchmark for public play, delighting millions of children for years to come.”
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Head of planning and projects at Richter Spielgerate, Peter Heuken, who also helped design the original pirate ship in 2000, said: “If equipment is not just rotting away, but it is run through and worn out by children, then this is the biggest compliment one can get.”
“We are so much in love with the place and the park that I decided, we absolutely want to help redo it.”
Diana, Princess of Wales – the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry – died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. William’s wife Kate is the current Princess of Wales. Diana and the then Prince Charles divorced in 1996.
