Clients: Crudwell Village Hall
Garden: Shady. East-West orientation
Site: Run down grass and tarmac
Design: Low maintenance, Child friendly, educational and sensory
The pre-school committee asked Grassroots to entertain the idea of a recreation of their playground in an effort to turn around their flagging intakes. They had had other landscape companies to commission for the project, but their ideas were lacklustre and frankly too expensive. Grassroots offered the design work free, and excited the committee with their "Brands Hatch" racetrack design.
The racetrack is entered through a stone tunnel. The tunnel has a walk over step and path arrangement that links with a musical forest which then carries the children over a timber bridge and down into the beautiful dry stone walled sandpit. The racetrack winds around the entire playground and is flanked with a mixture of astro-turf and natural planting. Trees are dotted throughout to deliver shaded seating areas for those not so keen on race car driving! A castle made from ash limbs harvested on the site give's further play contrast. There is also a herb garden and playhouse!
The pre school's expectations were over exceeded. Acknowledgements were given to John Holland who donated many of the materials from his reclamation yard. The intakes have filled the pupil capacity and parents are queuing up to enroll their children. "Yet again, Grassroots Landscaping have come up trumps. They are bright, well organised and have an abundance of common sense!" A quote from the committee head.