Showfield

We were successful in winning the public tender for Frome’s Showfield Play Area and was awarded the role of Designer and Principle Contractor in May 2023. Our client was Frome Town Council and the site constitutes Frome’s largest public play space and measures 2850m2. Our design aimed to create a natural playscape to encourage children to return to their natural state as curious investigators and enable them to have adventures and explore the new landscape.

Throughout the design process we met with various representatives of community groups for consultation. We also integrated the principles of the carefully written Frome Play Strategy, which highlighted the importance of community and a sense of belonging. This aspect inspired the inclusion of the long communal table within the design, which provides a space for large gatherings for local groups, families and friends.

Children and adults playing on a playground with slides, swings, and a sandpit in a grassy park during daytime.

Four children playing on and around large tree logs in a grassy outdoor area on a sunny day.

Four children sitting on a blue swing at a playground on a sunny day with trees and grass in the background.

Children and adults having a picnic outdoors on a sunny day, sitting on benches and the grass in a park.

A woman with blonde hair wearing a leopard print jacket is pushing a child in a black swing on a playground, while a young girl with short hair and a colorful shirt is happily swinging in a child swing.

Children playing on a wooden climbing structure at a playground with parents sitting on the grass, surrounded by green trees and houses in the background on a sunny day.

It was paramount the playground was inclusive to every age, gender and ability. This influenced the addition of items such as the triple-bay swings which provided a variety of seating types, including a large chair swing appropriate for those with physical disabilities, as well as a seat suitable for both a carer and a young child to sit on together. Next to the swings an accessible trampoline is found, with sloping sides that provide easy access for wheelchair users.

A large sandpit incorporates a wide slide, a sand-tower with various tools for manipulating sand such as pulleys, buckets and a raised sand tray for wheelchair users to enjoy from the integrated boardwalk. A stage area provides a non-programmed space which encourages community usage, whether that be through meet-ups, performance or classes, both formal and informal, for small and big groups alike.

Seating and shelter was a big consideration, along with the communal picnic bench, there are benches positioned along the paths and a dedicated shelter with seating overlooking the site. Three hammocks create a playful hangout spot and informal seating is integrated into the landscape through boulders, logs and the grassy embankment.

A young girl playing a xylophone with large metallic tubes outdoors, standing on a textured ground near a wooden fence with a grassy field and trees in the background.

Children's outdoor playground with wooden structures, slide, and sandy surface, surrounded by grass and trees.

Three young girls playing on a wooden outdoor playground with green ropes and logs on a sunny day.

Three girls sitting on a large rock in a park on a sunny day, with trees, grass, a playground swing, and residential buildings in the background.

A young girl with a ponytail, wearing a colorful floral sweatshirt and yellow pants, standing on a round playground masterpiece in an outdoor park with lush green trees and houses in the background.

A small wooden shelter with a corrugated metal roof and partially open sides, situated in a grassy field with a fence and green hills in the background.

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Young boy smiling and playing on a swing in a wooded backyard.