Abbey Park Winning Design – Wicksteed

Presented as Design 9 during the consultation, the winning proposal brings together castle towers, dragons, a Sword in the Stone and a wide range of inclusive play features. It marks an exciting step towards creating a distinctive destination play area inspired by Glastonbury’s myths, legends and landscape.

The Council has allocated £200,000 towards the redevelopment, with the aim of creating a welcoming space where children can explore, develop their skills and enjoy imaginative adventures alongside their friends and families.

A voice for the community

Residents were invited to explore all nine designs on the Council’s website, with visualisations, layout plans and full proposals available to help people consider the options. An exhibition at Glastonbury Town Hall on Wednesday 30 September also offered an opportunity to view the designs in person.

The consultation invited people to share their preferences and comment on the features they felt would create the best play space for the town. Public feedback accounted for 30% of the overall evaluation, giving the community a substantial role in the selection.

Alongside this feedback, proposals were assessed for design quality and understanding of the brief, inclusion and accessibility, play value, and value for money. These considerations covered everything from imaginative play and the use of space to durability, maintenance and the needs of children with different abilities.

Why this design?

Wicksteed achieved the highest score for design quality and understanding of the brief, receiving 23 out of a possible 25 points across the five criteria in this category.

The assessment awarded maximum marks for creating a distinctive play destination rooted in Glastonbury’s identity, for the way the equipment and supporting features complement one another, and for meeting the specification for materials, surfaces and colours.

The Arthurian theme runs throughout the proposal, connecting the castle, dragons and Sword in the Stone with opportunities for storytelling and imaginative play. The layout also brings together active play, sensory experiences and places for families to gather, while responding to the park’s landscape and historic setting.

Inclusion was another clear strength. Wicksteed received maximum marks for accessible routes and meaningful participation for children with mobility difficulties, and for enabling children of different ages and physical abilities to play alongside one another. Its sensory provision was also rated positively.

Together with its consultation score, these results highlight the proposal’s strengths in delivering a distinctive and accessible play environment for Glastonbury.

An adventure inspired by Glastonbury

At the heart of the design is Camelot Castle, a bespoke play structure offering towers, bridges, slides and climbing challenges. A smaller fortress provides opportunities for younger children, while the larger stronghold offers more demanding activities as children develop their confidence and skills.

A wheelchair-accessible ramp leads to a shared platform with interactive features, helping children with different abilities participate in the castle’s imaginative world. Ground-level activities and quieter seating spaces add further choices.

The Sword in the Stone climbing rock extends the Arthurian adventure, alongside dragon-themed play equipment and a Knight’s Agility Trail for balancing and movement.

The proposal also includes a choice of swings, a wheelchair-accessible Crown Carousel, an inclusive in-ground trampoline, sensory and musical features, and a communication panel. Seating and inclusive picnic facilities provide places for families and carers to rest, supervise and spend time together.

Existing football and basketball facilities will remain, supporting the wider range of recreation already available at Abbey Park.

What happens next?

The selected proposal will now move into final design refinement ahead of installation, which is planned for March and April 2027.

The Council thanks everyone who viewed the designs, attended the exhibition and submitted feedback, and all nine companies that contributed proposals. You can still view the other proposals here.

Explore the winning design in the close-up gallery below and download Wicksteed’s proposal to discover more about the plans for Abbey Park.

Project milestones