We worked during a Bank Holiday weekend to create a perfect new playground for the tots of Fulham. When the children and nursery staff returned to the Little Tugboat Nursery they found a green garden complete with a racing track and new high-quality play equipment, including a custom-made timber traverse wall. As if by magic, this worn out urban garden had blossomed into a bonanza of track games, clambering and creativity.

THE BRIEF

Resurfacing in the city

Little Tugboat Nursery reached out to our expert team of playground designers with a classic makeover request. The artificial grass play surface in the nursery’s rear garden had seen better days and was no longer creating a stimulating place for little minds and bodies to develop. To challenge us further, Little Tugboat is set in a renovated terrace house without rear access. Our construction team could only strike out, with spades and rolls of surface material, during a long weekend when the school was empty. Naturally, health and safety topped the list of priorities at this early years setting.

THE DESIGN

Urban garden design unveiled

We measured up and maximised every inch of space in this garden setting, before producing a design for our client that overflowed with wow factor. In order to re-energise this enclosed nursery play area we would first need to renew the green artificial grass surfaces. Recommended flourishes for the surface included a bold road track design. To create many more hours of fun and games, we decided to pencil in some of our most popular vertical play equipment: namely a custom-made traverse wall with colourful climbing holds and an enormous chalkboard. Vertical spaces would help to expand the playground in new directions, while offering extra dimensions of play.  

THE RESULTS

Fun on the horizon at Little Tugboat

Creative toddlers flock to their brand-new chalkboard, which has become a hub of creative mark-making and colouring in. Meanwhile, the children are scaling new heights and building their confidence by clambering along the Little Tugboat’s bespoke traverse wall, which pops with climbing holds in primary colours. At the heart of the garden is the new track, which unifies the garden’s design. Synthetic grass now carpets the space in vibrant green, which feels both inviting and offers play all year round, come rain or shine. It’s safe to say, this client and the children it serves are over the moon.