Many of our custom play structures are meticulously handcrafted from hardwood grown in the UK, ensuring years of imaginative and open-ended play for both children and adults.
Sweet chestnut, a timber renowned for its exceptional durability, is used for our play structures and sourced from a sustainably managed, local woodland. This timber not only promises longevity but also supports environmental sustainability. In testing, it outperforms treated softwood in terms of durability, making it an ideal choice for outdoor play equipment.
The sweet chestnut we use, known scientifically as Castanea sativa, is harvested from a local, very well-managed, estate woodland. Their sweet chestnut forest has been supplying long, stable and durable timber for the last 600 years using traditional coppicing methods, and we take great pride in being able to trace the exact origin of each piece of timber with a grid reference supplied by the estate.
Sweet chestnut is celebrated for its durability, lasting up to 25 years and matching yew and oak in terms of resistance to rot, and far surpassing pressure-treated softwoods. The chestnut is coppiced in winter when the sap is low, allowing the wood to dry naturally before any fungus can develop. The high tannin content and minimal sapwood make it more resistant to rot compared to other timbers. To extend the lifespan of our hardwood, we employ natural open-air drying techniques both in the woodland and at the workshop.
For play structure purposes, we also finish all our sweet chestnut equipment with a natural UV-protection oil that is completely safe for children and wildlife. This oil adds additional weather and dirt resistance, and importantly, minimises wood expansion and contraction, which can be a concern in timber play structures.
