Bespoke Commercial Playground Equipment
for Leisure and Tourism

We create bespoke indoor and outdoor playgrounds for household names worldwide.

Families rarely remember a day out as a list of attractions. They remember the moments in between. The unexpected climb. The race across a bridge. The place the children did not want to leave.

That is where well-designed play can make a real difference.

TouchWood creates bespoke indoor and outdoor play spaces with commercial playground equipment designed around the character of each destination. We work with theme parks, zoos, farm parks, museums, aquariums, historic houses, heritage estates and other visitor attractions throughout the UK.

Rather than choosing standard equipment from a catalogue, we design around your site, visitors and setting to create a distinctive play space where children can climb, explore and play as part of the wider visitor experience.

Commercial Playground Equipment Designed Around Your Attraction

The difference between a play area that gets used and one that gets remembered often comes down to how well it fits its surroundings.

At a zoo, a play space might pick up on the forms, movement or environment of the animals nearby. At a farm park, familiar rural structures can become something to climb, crawl through and explore. Within a historic setting, the architecture or landscape may shape the forms and materials used.

The same principle applies across museums, aquariums, gardens and visitor attractions. The play space should feel as though it belongs there.

Because our commercial playground equipment is bespoke, the design can respond directly to the setting, audience and practical demands of the site.

That matters for attractions with a strong identity. Generic equipment can feel disconnected from everything around it. A considered play environment becomes part of the visit and gives families something distinctive to experience, photograph and remember.

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Come and look around some of our bespoke playgrounds

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A new playscape inspired by nature

A new playscape inspired by nature
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Enhancing Festyland’s Viking Village with a bespoke aerial walkway

Enhancing Festyland’s Viking Village with a bespoke aerial walkway.
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Creating legend-inspired play at Leonardslee Gardens

Creating legend-inspired play at Leonardslee Gardens
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Playground Design, Manufacture and Installation

A successful project is not only about what the finished space looks like.

We coordinate with clients and other contractors where required and manufacture as much as practical at our woodyard before arriving on site. This helps reduce disruption and allows more of the work to happen away from busy visitor areas.

Where possible, installation can also be planned around quieter periods, seasonal closures or wider development programmes.

Safety is considered throughout the process. We work with independent play safety inspectors and RoSPA, with designs and completed installations assessed against relevant BS EN1176 and BS EN1177 requirements.

Play Solutions for Trusts, Charities and Funded Attractions

Some projects have more voices around the table.

Trusts, charities, public bodies and funded organisations may need to balance visitor expectations with stakeholder input, planning requirements, sensitive landscapes or longer approval processes.

That calls for a different kind of flexibility.

Our bespoke approach allows each scheme to respond to those practical constraints while still delivering strong play value and a distinctive experience.

Since 2002, we have created play environments for organisations with very different sites, audiences and ambitions.

Our teams have also created bespoke play spaces for schools, parks & public spaces and retail environments, bringing the same site-specific approach to different settings and audiences.

Some of the clients we’ve worked with...

Indoor and Outdoor Play Spaces for Visitor Attractions

A family may arrive intending to spend ten minutes in the play area and still be there half an hour later.

That is the value of getting the space right.

A strong play offer gives children somewhere to burn off energy, explore independently and return to throughout the day. For parents, it creates a natural pause in the visit. For the attraction, it can encourage longer dwell times, increase spending and make the overall experience feel more complete.

Every concept is shaped around the available space, expected visitor flow and character of the destination.

Natural materials play an important role in much of our work. Timber, sand and water, texture and movement create opportunities for different types of play, while helping the space sit naturally within gardens, woodland, heritage landscapes and themed environments.

Commercial Play Spaces That Work for Visitors and Operators

What looks effortless to the visitor usually takes careful planning behind the scenes.

A child sees somewhere to climb. An operator sees sightlines, capacity, circulation, supervision and the relationship between the play area and the rest of the site.

Both perspectives matter.

We consider how people enter and leave the space, how busy it may become, how different ages might use it and how the commercial playground equipment connects with surrounding paths, cafés, seating and attractions.

Thinking about those details early can make the finished space easier to manage and more enjoyable to use.

It also helps ensure the play offer supports the wider visitor journey, rather than feeling like a separate area added as an afterthought.

For your free consultation, talk to the team on 0117 963 8222 or email enquiries@touchwoodplay.com today.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, we design bespoke commercial playground equipment around your site, audience and setting. This could mean responding to woodland, coastal or heritage surroundings, or developing a play space around the theme and character of a visitor attraction.

Nature play, climbing features and other play elements can all be considered as part of the design, helping the finished space feel connected to its surroundings rather than added as a standalone installation.

We work with independent play safety inspectors and RoSPA to assess designs and completed installations against the relevant BS EN1176 and BS EN1177 standards.

Safety is considered throughout design and construction, followed by an on-site inspection at handover. Clients receive a detailed compliance report once the play space is complete.

Yes. Following installation, we provide an inspection and maintenance manual to help you plan ongoing checks and care.

We also offer an aftercare service and can arrange annual play safety inspections and routine maintenance where required. Regular inspection and maintenance help protect the safety, condition and working life of commercial playground equipment.

Yes, our team works with organisations across the UK, Europe and further afield, designing and delivering bespoke play spaces for a range of environments.

You can explore previous projects in our leisure and tourism case studies to see examples of the attractions and organisations we have worked with.

Our typical projects take around three to six months from design through to installation. The programme varies according to the scale and complexity of the scheme and the level of bespoke design required.

For visitor attractions, we can also look at how installation fits around quieter periods, seasonal closures or wider development work. We manufacture as much as practical at our woodyard before arriving on site, helping to reduce installation time and disruption.

Yes. A site visit allows our team to understand the space, take measurements and photographs, discuss your objectives and identify practical considerations before developing the initial concept.

For larger visitor attractions, we can also provide more detailed input on areas including:

  • Masterplanning and guest flow
  • Age-appropriate play areas
  • Existing play and recreation facilities
  • Safety and structural considerations
  • Architectural plans and layouts
  • Bespoke features and complex structures

This allows practical, operational and play requirements to be considered early in the project. You can also read more about our design process.

Yes, our equipment comes with a warranty, with the applicable period depending on the materials and type of timber used.

We inspect materials before construction and provide a support manual explaining how to care for the finished play space. With appropriate inspection and maintenance, high-quality timber play equipment can provide many years of use.

Our first playground, built in 2002, remains in use today.

It depends on the size, location and complexity of the project, as well as requirements set by the local planning authority.

Smaller installations within existing recreational areas may not always require permission. Larger structures, significant landscaping and schemes within heritage or environmentally sensitive settings are more likely to need planning consent.

Our experts can work with clients and local authorities to establish the requirements for a project and provide detailed designs and supporting documentation where a planning application is needed.

Playgrounds that amaze, engage and excite

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Create a playground that’s uniquely yours.

Our concept design team can quickly help you explore pricing, themes and play value on a call – submit your email address and our team will get in touch.

Our designs are bespoke and no two are the same. We can quickly come up with some ideas to support your business.