Honestly, you’d be hard pressed to find a better playground in the whole of London that the Princess Diana Memorial playground.
Bold claim, we know, but we can back it up with some bold facts too.
For one, it’s located right in the heart of Kensington Gardens, which is kind of a playground in and of itself, and accessible to pretty much everyone in the city. It’s surrounded by greenery, lakes, and coffee shops. And this is all before we even get into the playground itself.
Inside, the first thing you’ll notice is likely to be the gigantic pirate ship moored right in the centre of its own beach. There’s rigging. There are rope ladders. It’s the real deal (and it’s actually a throwback to when the park was designed as a Peter Pan tribute). And this alone would make the trip worth it… but you’ll also find the likes of a sea monster sculpture, a giant swing, huge glockenspiels & xylophones, a storyteller’s chair, playful sculptures carved into tree trunks, sensory trails, teepees, and more.
Instead of being built from metal & plastic, all of this is made from exclusively natural materials too, making it feel like it seamlessly blends into the surrounding landscape in a way that most tarmac-planted playgrounds simply can’t. It’s completely accessible, and many of the elements have been designed with wheelchairs in mind.
It gets in over a million visitors a year, most of the kinds (unaccompanied adults aren’t allowed in) and has since it opened almost a quarter of a century ago. But the best bit? It’s completely free.
We like to thing that Princess Di would have thoroughly approved.
NOTE: The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground is open seven days a week. Opening hours vary throughout the year, but you can find them all at the Royal Parks website.
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground | Kensington Gardens
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