New Galleon gets the finishing touches before it sets sail to Kensington Gardens in London

The Royal Parks charity visited Bavaria in Germany to see the final touches being applied to the new Galleon that will take pride of place in the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, when it reopens in the summer of 2026.

The playground is currently undergoing a £3million renewal by The Royal Parks charity which will include a new Galleon, new Treehouse, a redesigned water play area and a refreshed under three’s area.

The new 12-metre-high Galleon will have exciting new features such as a tunnel slide, two crow’s nests, and ramped access to the main deck.

The full-scale wooden ship is being manufactured in Frasdorf, Germany and is predominately made from mountain larch wood. This wood has been drawn from sustainably managed forests in the Bavarian Alps, where the harsh alpine conditions result in extremely slow growth. This means the timber is stronger, naturally rot-resistant and there is no need for chemical treatments

The Galleon is being delivered by Timberplay and its partners Richter Spielgeräte, which also 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. After decades of adventures and play some of the larger pieces in the Peter Pan-inspired playground, such as the Galleon, had come to the end of its life.

Andy Williams, Park Manager for Kensington Gardens, said:

“The Galleon is undeniably the centrepiece of the playground, moored right in the centre of its own beach. It’s where children climb the rigging, explore the deck below, and pretend to sail. 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. This new life-size ship will have a tunnel slide, two crow’s nests and lots of fun elements such as a play kitchen, a musical fence, a hammock and a play telescope. It will also provide wheelchair accessible spaces so that children of all abilities can play together.”

Paul Collings, Managing Director at Timberplay said:

“The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground is undoubtedly one of the most famous playgrounds in the world — a destination play space that brings children together from across the globe, united in their desire to play. Timberplay was immensely proud to have worked on the original space 25 years ago, and watching its reputation and popularity grow has been very gratifying. This new Galleon and Treehouse will reinforce the space as a benchmark for public play, delighting millions of children for years to come.”

The playground renewal is funded by The Royal Parks charity, and through a mix of private and public donations. The charity is welcoming donations for the playground.