Longleat has a long history of entertaining the British public. It set up shop back in 1966 and was the very first drive-through safari park outside of Africa. But it’s not just about watching wild animals at Longleat, although that is a pretty big deal. There’s a lot of other stuff to keep kids busy here too. Rides, mazes and play areas are all part of the magic of Longleat.
Longleat had already installed a huge yurt to house the new soft play solution they were looking for. That meant the structure would need to fit inside a circular area with a pitched roof. It wasn’t going to be a simple, straightforward job. The yurt sits within an outdoor play area, which is famously castle-themed. The new soft play area would need to fit in with the theme and give children the opportunity to have a great time while they work off some energy.
We visited Longleat to better understand the limitations of the yurt and work out how to make the most of the area we had to work with. Then, we created technical drawings to show how our design would fit in such an unusual space. Using stitched artwork on the floor pads and vinyl printed walls and blocks, we made the entire structure resemble a castle set in a forest. There’s even a climbing wall to help children reach the princess!
The frame features three levels that reach as high as 3.5m. With spider webs, slides, spinners, rollers and loads more, every level gives children the chance to exercise, engage and seriously enjoy this part of their adventure at Longleat.
The Longleat team were surprised and impressed at how easily we could make the new structure fit in with their well-loved theme. They were also relieved at how quickly we could do the design and installation. It only took a week to install ahead of the Easter holidays! Thing is, I think we were just as excited as they were.
