Activity Playgrounds; Activity Games; Adventure Playgrounds

Robert Sergent-Fairley is one of England’s most experiencedLondon Landscape Designers in the Design and Construction of Children’s Activity Playgrounds and Childrens Activity Games.

Robert’s highly popular team of Professional Craftsmen have won many awards for their Outstanding Childrens Activity Playgrounds which they have filled with their exquisitely hand crafted Childrens Activity Games.

Robert’s main criteria for a Childrens Adventure Playground is that “It should be safe, inviting, exciting and natural”.

Robert has an abhorrence for steel and plastic modular structures. All his creations are hand designed and hand constructed from natural timbers (all from Sustainable Sources).

To further enhance the Beauty, the Magic and the Charm of his London Activity Playgrounds, Robert personally supervises the Planting of all forms of Child Friendly Plants. These can range from large lush exotic bamboos to soft traditional Camellias and charming flower groupings.

General Activity Games and Adventure Items

Climbing Frames: Their Climbing Frames vary in style and in size according to children’s ages. Their Climbing Frames can either stand on their own or form part of a larger unit such as a Child Play Platform. One of their exciting Adventure Activities is to suspend a Jungle Bridge from a Tree House Play Platform whereby it terminates on a Climbing Frame.

Play Beams Their play beams are constructed from 4 x 4 treated posts with an overhead 6 x 2 treated beam; each vertical post has 2 additional posts bolted onto each side; the whole is then set in concrete. This method of utilising triple vertical posts (they call it Their Rocket) allows excellent stability to the whole play beam structure; it obviates the necessity of protruding brace posts on either side of the vertical posts. Galvanised play hooks are screwed into the underside of the play beam and the various interchangeable play items hang off the play hooks.

Swings: Their swings have wooden seats with rot resistant ropes which are fed through small pieces of galvanised chains; these are looped over the play hooks of the play beam. Each swing height can easily be changed by raising or lowering the chain links on the play hooks.

Toddler Swing: Their toddler swing seat has the appearance of a small chair, without legs. It is variable in height and hangs from the overhead swing beam.

Tyre Swings: Their tyre swings are constructed from either a vertical tyre or from a horizontal tyre; the whole is supported by ropes which hang from the play beam play hooks.

Trapeze Bars: Their trapeze bars are rounded wooden dowels which hang from rot resistant ropes, which are fed through galvanised chain links to hang from the play beam.

Acrobat Rings: Their acrobat (or gymnasium) rings have adjustable ropes which hang from the play hooks

Button Swing Seat: Their button seat is a small smoothed piece of wood with the rope through the centre; this is turn hangs from the overhead beam

Knotted Ropes: Their knotted ropes are thick, durable and manufactured from rot resistant material. They generally hang these over the edge of a play platform from an overhead beam structure, attached to the platform. They can however hang independently from a play beam

Firemans Pole: Their Fireman’s Poles are steel and are generally positioned at the edge of a platform or a verandah.

Slide: Their slides have a polished steel base with carefully smoothed wooden sides. The average slide is 8 feet long and runs off a platform or verandah (generally 5 feet high). Slides are available in any length up to 24 feet; however, a longer slide necessitates a higher starting platform. They construct the slides so that the finishing point is raised off ground level; thus children land on their feet and not on their spines!

Jungle Bridges: Their jungle Bridges have robust rope netting on both sides with a central planed timber walkway. These bridges can be any length from 10 feet (3 metres) upwards; generally they suspend them from a Tree House verandah across a space to another platform (which often leads to a slide or fireman’s pole). Double or treble Jungle Bridges can easily be constructed if space permits.

Scramble Nets (Cargo Nets): Their nets are robustly constructed from rot resistant rope and can be any width or height required. An average size is 5 feet by 5 feet with the scramble net positioned vertically onto the side of a platform or verandah. The whole is completed with overhead hanging knotted ropes.

An exciting variation to this theme is to construct a horizontal frame (at platform height) and to suspend the cargo net between the frame (horizontally).

Another alternative is to hang a double length cargo net over a low play beam and secure the ends to ground level wooden beams at an angle of 45 degrees. This forms an exciting ‘up and over’ netting which again can be enhanced with overhead knotted ropes.

Monkey Bars: Their Monkey Bars vary in length, according to the space available; generally 7 feet is adequate. They normally construct 2 sets of Monkey bars at different heights, alongside each other (this enables children of varying ages to participate in the action). Both sets are reached by vertical ladders at either end and both sets can easily be varied in height by the removal and replacing of the locking bolts.

Climbing Wall: Their average climbing wall is from 4 feet to 8 feet wide and between 5 feet and 12 feet high. A selection of mis-shaped wooden blocks are bolted onto the wooden back board; these provide foot holds and hand holds for intrepid little Pirates. The climbing wall can be set at any angle but normally they construct it at a slight degree off the vertical. Overhead knotted ropes add to the excitement on this activity item

Rope Ladders: Their rope ladders can be hung from any platform or Tree House and provide exciting alternatives to standard access and exit routes. These ladders vary in length from 8 feet to 50 feet.

Pirate Boat: Their Pirate Boat has the appearance of a Gondola Boat; these have been popular since mediaeval times at country fairs. Two children sit at either end of the suspended boat and pull on overhead ropes against each other.

Secret Ladders and Secret Staircases: They generally construct these to provide access to a platform via a trap door or a hole in the floor or the wall.

Drawbridges: They construct these on a simple pulley system; normally these bridges are short and span a gap of no more than 4 or 5 feet; larger ones with full cranking wheels (across gulleys or moats) are easily constructed.

Rock Hurling Catapults: These extremely popular items are only suitable for very large gardens, owing to their immense length and the 24 oxen required to pull them into position.

Provisions Box: This is a simple but vital addition to the various play structures. A small wooden box is attached to a rope which hangs from an overhead pulley system. Food, drink and provisions are placed in the box which is then raised to the higher level.

Sand Pits: Their sand pits vary in size (according to space available); generally, a small sand pit will suffice, constructed part in ground and part out; a small seating edge around permits easier play and the whole has a removable light wooden cover.

Planting: Although they cannot classify ‘planting’ as an activity item or a play item, it is as much an integral part of the play areas as the play items themselves. As landscapers, they aim to blend each play structure into the surrounding scenery as much for the aesthetic viewing as for the benefit of the children’s enjoyment. Most projects require additional plants to those already in situ; they normally recommend large leaved evergreen shrubs, sometimes with a variety of exciting architectural plants such as Palms, Mimosas, Eucalypts, Bamboos, Grasses and Ferns. They also supply play bark chips around the play structures and the plants as well as automatic micro-irrigation systems.

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