Blenheim Palace – Adventure Playground | ASA Landscape Architects

Project: Blenheim Palace – Adventure Playground

Appointed by Blenheim Palace as Lead Designer, ASA Landscape architects lead the coordination of playground design specialists Creating Adventurous Places Ltd (CAP.Co), water specialists Fairwater Ltd with Kelley Peers Design Partnership, as well as Architects and Engineer’s Ridge and Partners. ASA also led the design of the hard and soft landscape elements, to produce a design commensurate with its location.

Blenheim Palace is home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705, Blenheim Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Steeped in history, the magnificent Palace is surrounded with over 2,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown parkland and beautiful Formal Gardens. Blenheim Palace is also the birthplace of one of Britain’s most famous leaders, Sir Winston Churchill, and it was his father who described the vista on entering the Estate from the village of Woodstock as the ‘finest view in England’.

Within this highly sensitive setting, the bespoke play features designed by Norfolk based CAP.Co had to sit within a landscape that stimulated the senses and provided wonder and enjoyment throughout the seasons; ensuring visitors had something new to discover month after month.

Appointed by Blenheim Palace as Lead Designer, ASA Landscape architects lead the coordination of playground design specialists Creating Adventurous Places Ltd (CAP.Co), water specialists Fairwater Ltd with Kelley Peers Design Partnership, as well as Architects and Engineer’s Ridge and Partners. ASA also led the design of the hard and soft landscape elements, to produce a design commensurate with its location.

Blenheim Palace is home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705, Blenheim Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Steeped in history, the magnificent Palace is surrounded with over 2,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown parkland and beautiful Formal Gardens. Blenheim Palace is also the birthplace of one of Britain’s most famous leaders, Sir Winston Churchill, and it was his father who described the vista on entering the Estate from the village of Woodstock as the ‘finest view in England’.

Within this highly sensitive setting, the bespoke play features designed by Norfolk based CAP.Co had to sit within a landscape that stimulated the senses and provided wonder and enjoyment throughout the seasons; ensuring visitors had something new to discover month after month.

To support these aims, 7 zones each with their own planting palette were developed, which included;

An arrival experience; through the existing doorway, the journey continues through a traditional steel-framed tunnel planted with climbers for seasonal interest, opening to a view of the golden ball; the start of the water source.
Discovery; a winding path leads into the discovery zone entered through the gardeners shed, planting species have been chosen to play with scale, the idea of a traditional kitchen garden and seasonal changes.
Rest and observe; Trained umbrella-trees and a paired back planting palette creates an intimate and sociable space for relaxing and observing play.
Explore and adventure; stands of trees with layered textural planting set the scene for a play ‘jungle’ for children to weave around and explore.

Glyme Valley; running like a spine through the adventure playground, the central water feature winds towards the feature bridge, ending in a wide pool. This is supported with terraces of ornamental planting, to bring colour and seasonal interest.
Journey through; forming the route out of the garden and backdrop to the waterplay, species rich perennial meadow planting, interspersed with trees will provide colour and biodiversity.
Gather and reflect; beyond the hubbub of the Adventure Playground, a footpath takes visitors through the peace of the established orchard, enhanced with new heritage species and species rich perennial meadow.

ASA Landscape Architects are delighted with the progress on site, and look forward to its opening by the Blenheim Palace team in April 2023.