A new 12-metre-high wooden galleon is being built for the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens as part of a £3million refurbishment.
Due to reopen in summer 2026, the refurbishment is being funded by The Royal Parks charity through a mix of public and private donations.
Some of the larger pieces in the Peter Pan-inspired playground have come to the end of their life after decades of adventures and play, including the iconic ship, which led to the multi-million-pound makeover.
Kesington Gardens park manager Andy Williams said: “The galleon is undeniably the centrepiece of the playground, moored right in the centre of its own beach.
“It’s a very popular feature of the playground but sadly it had come to the end of its life and needed a full replacement.
“We wanted to bring back a very similar type of galleon, but with improved accessibility and more interactive features that will make this ship even more fun to play on [and] children of all abilities can play together.”
The refurbished galleon will include new features such as a tunnel slide, two crow’s nests, and ramped access to the main deck.
Other changes will include a new treehouse, a redesigned water play area and a refreshed under-three’s area.
The Galleon is being built in Germany by specialist playground manufacturers using sustainably sourced timber and is being delivered by Timberplay and its partners Richter Spielgeräte, who designed and produced the original Galleon back in 2000.
The free-to-enter playground opened in 2000 and receives on average one million visitors a year, making it one of the most popular playgrounds in the world.
Feature image: Free to use from Unsplash/Nicholas Musilli
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