Belvoir Castle announces opening date for £350,000 adventure playground

Belvoir Castle has announced an opening date for its £350,000 children's adventure playground.

The playground will open on Saturday, October 15, just in time for half-term.

It will be part of a host of Halloween events being held at the castle and The Engine Yard.

Lady Alice Manners said: "I am extremely proud of the new Belvoir Castle adventure playground, a project that I have been spearheading since 2019.

"We wanted to create a place for families to come to together, to enjoy together and to be in nature together.

"The whole ethos of this playground is inclusivity, everything is built so that parents and grandparents can join their children in the play.

"We have worked around the natural topography of the woodland to create a non-invasive structure which we hope will feed everyone’s imaginations and my hope is that many happy memories are made by families at this wonderful adventure playground."

The much-awaited playground has been built in the parkland at the foot of the Grade One listed castle, by a specialist company name CAP.Co, which has also recently completed bespoke playgrounds for the Prince’s Foundation at Dumfries House Estate in Scotland and Walby Farm Park in North Cumbria.

The design has been overseen by Lady Alice Manners, and is inspired by the castle itself and the stories of its inhabitants, including David Manners, the 11th Duke of Rutland, its present custodian.

Perched atop the embankment, the impressive wooden ship is the first structure visitors come across when entering the playground. This will be the stage set for the imaginations of many 21st century ‘captains’ who can dream up their own adventures on the ocean wave in the heart of landlocked Leicestershire.

The structure is a representation of the HMS Resolution and can be accessed from both lower and the higher routes of the playground – either by steps into the hold or a gantry directly onto the top deck, which is accessible to all and features an exciting zip wire for those who dare to fly through the trees at speed.

The lower deck features crawl spaces for exploring the inside of the ship, with portholes to peer out of into the forested area of the playground.

Entry to the adventure playground will be included in all garden tickets with passes available for regular visitors.

Annual passes give unlimited entry to the playground and gardens, as well as free parking when you visit.

These can be purchased for £150 a year, which admits a family of five.

Lady Alice, added: "I wanted to create a playground that represented my father’s tenure of Belvoir.

"The ship is inspired by Resolution, my father’s book which is about my ancestor Lord Robert who captained the ship in the 18th century."

The design and build of this playground is supported by the RDPE SCHEME: Growth Programme, which provides support for investments in the creation and development of non-agricultural activities.

It is part funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.