Progress Report

As we enter the last month of construction, the playscape is really starting to take shape. The tree house is going to be a real focal point for families visiting the park - work has now started on a fully accessible ramp up to the main tree house platform.

Not long to go!

Groundwork North West Staff Conference Pays a Visit!

The Groundwork federation held its annual North West regional staff conference yesterday to share best practice from around the region amongst Groundwork staff, and Lyme Park was one of the star features.

Twenty members of staff were taken on a tour of the Playscape site as part of a workshop looking at current practices in play space delivery. The Groundworkers were able to take a sneak peak of work on the site as we enter the last month of construction - and their impressions of the design and build quality were great.

The site has certainly progressed over the last few weeks - the photos below show the new boulder path up to the slide, the tree house roof starting to come together, and the tree stump seating area in situ on the low side of the playscape.


The double width slide and boulder scramble


Treehouse taking shape


Decking, swing and tree stump seating area

Work Underway on Treehouse

Subcontractors Hillan and Hunter have been beavering away on the bespoke timber features at Lyme Park over the past few weeks. The timber walkway is looking absolutely great, and they have now turned their attentions to the large timber treehouse.

The treehouse will be one of the star features of the playscape - accessible to all, with a great sense of height as the ground slopes away under one side. It will feature a timber shingle roof and scramble nets to provide an alternative way up and down for the more adventurous.

The photos show the latest progress and the form of the treehouse starting to take shape.

What a Difference a Week Makes!

A site visit to Crow Wood today showed just how much progress the contractors have made on site. The timber walkway on the low side of the site is now all but complete, with beautifully tapered timbers snaking around the edge of the playscape. The pod swing area has a distinct look of completion thanks to a green carpet of turf covering the encasing mound.

The slide has now been installed, and work will continue to construct a seating area adjacent to the slide platform. The badger sett is starting to take shape - you can see the tunnels in situ as the contractors begin to build up the earth around them.

The pyramid walkways look absolutely great and are almost complete following their dramatic lift into site by helicopter. Attention will now turn to the new access pathways and the treehouse, so check back for more images!

Progress Update

The build is really coming on well this week - good weather is certainly helping out so long may it continue. The National Trust volunteers have made a start on dismantling the boundary dry stone wall to allow for the new double width gate. Excavations to start work on resurfacing old pathways and creating new ones will shortly commence, and the excavated material will be re-used on site rather than being taken to landfill.

Site Progress

Photo by Groundwork Cheshire

The project team came together for a site meeting on Friday to review progress. Since the towers were installed by helicopter, work has moved on with good pace as the contractors now have good access to the entire site and can work around the main tower features.

As the photographs demonstrate, the swing frames are in and the boulders, sandpits and decking are starting to take shape. The towers are stunning, and the project staff were lucky enough to have their first sneak peak of the view from up inside the towers!

Work on the tree house will commence this week, so check back for more news and photos.

Brookside Primary School Help Out

Pupils from Brookside Primary School had a great day out at Lyme Park yesterday, and gave the playscape project team a helping hand.

Brookside students got involved in the project by making new bird boxes that will go into the playscape to encourage more wildlife to use the space so that children will be able to see birds up close whilst playing in the woodland.

The pupils then explored the Lyme Park gardens before planting wildflower seeds.