Helmingham estate reveals plans for new woodland adventure playground

A new adventure playground is set to open this summer at the Helmingham estate.

Woven into a four-acre wood in the grounds, Guildenacre will be an immersive new play experience featuring four themed areas, designed and created by playground designers CAP.CO (Creating Adventurous Places). 

Children of all ages can embark on an adventure into nature as they step into a world where a glimmer of gold hints at tales untold and join four special guardians who protect the forest with the help of the magical Whispering Oak Tree. 

Each of the playground areas is themed around one of the guardian animals and their habitat – whether that’s burrowing into the ground or soaring high up into the trees.

Alongside adventurous play, there’s also an educational aspect with different themed activities, including stamp stations, to complete an accompanying trail sheet. 

Edward Tollemache, the custodian of Helmingham and co-founder of Guildenacre with his wife Sophie said: “This meticulously considered new addition to the Helmingham Estate will be an exciting mix of challenge, discovery and intrigue for all its visitors, both young and the young at heart.

“Inspired by the estate’s beautiful surroundings and the animals you would expect to find in the neighbouring habitats, you will see references to our family’s coat of arms in the form of a magical flying Pegasus which we hope our visitors will enjoy discovering too.” 

With unmistakable badger stripes covering the top of the turrets, the first play area to discover will be Flint’s Hollow, home to Flint the Badger – full of tunnels, burrows and two-storey lookout  spots.

Children can weave up to the highest point and soar back down through a covered, twisty slide. 

Woven high up into the trees is Eira the Owl’s Canopy Keep, where you can journey up the wooden walkway or climb the rope ladder to the deck to scour the skies or send secret messages  to your fellow explorers with the Keep’s talking tubes. 

The largest of the structures is the Elderglade, looked after by Atlas the Stag, where children can enjoy climbing walls, tunnels, ladders, multi-level walkways, bridges and several slides to race down. 

Featuring an adrenaline-fuelled zip line and another designed for younger explorers, as well as a racing slide, ground-level play trails and balance beams, Vex the Vixen’s, the Ember Den, is the fourth area within Guildenacre which encourages explorative play and is ideal for older children.  

All four play areas will be linked with bark pathways as well as a den building zone for children to build their own dens and hideouts. There will also be refreshments and toilets within the wood itself.  

Celia Deeley, the estates director for Helmingham, said: “Construction of the playground is being carefully managed to cause minimal disruption to the estate’s woodland, to preserve habitats and to ensure that ancient trees are undamaged during the build.  

“We’ll be using estate materials as much as possible and have chosen a wood-themed design to complement and blend into the surroundings, so that our visitors feel even more immersed in nature.” 

Alongside the adventure playground, Helmingham will be creating refreshment and retail facilities at the Grade II listed Wades Barn which will be the entry point for visitors as they get ready to embark on their magical experience at Guildenacre.   

The new adventure playground’s build schedule, which also includes a separate car park, will continue throughout the start of 2026 ahead of the planned opening this summer. 

For more information, visit the website: www.guildenacre.co.uk