UPDATE: 11/11/2020
Dear parents, families and friends of the playground,
We are working hard to make sure that the children of Islington still get access to excellent play opportunities whilst they manage a second lockdown. After School Provision has closed and the playground is open as an Outdoor Playground only throughout the lockdown period. To keep the children safe we have a maximum capacity of 30 children on site at any one time, there is regular hand washing and social distancing in place. All food and drink are banned on site during the lockdown and we are asking that all parents remind children that they must keep their distance from others whilst on the playground. Please also make sure your children are dressed for playing outside – it is getting colder! The playground operates on a one in/ one out basis and we are very sorry that we cannot allow more children in. We hope you understand the restrictions imposed by the government and will abide by the lockdown rules. We hope to reopen as the adventure playgrounds you know and love very soon.
Keep safe.
Crumbles Castle is overlooks Bingfield Park. as you enter the playground you will find yourself transported out of the city and into a nature-filled wonderland with hidden swings and secret places to climb and explore.
Crumbles Castle provides an exciting and safe space for children to jump, climb, run and enjoy playing out, meet neighbours and friends and explore the world of their imagination.
Islington Play Association has worked closely with Islington Council to extend the playground and to adapt an empty building on the park into a welcoming space for young people that now houses offices and a play space.
History:
The Crumbles’ was the name given to the local Beaconsfield Buildings which were regarded as the worst slums in Islington and demolished in 1971. Soon after, the Bemerton Adventure Playground Committee asked architecture students from Regent Street Polytechnic to design what we know today as Crumbles Castle. Cobbles from the old buried courtyards of Crumbles’ tenements and the market site on York Way can be found in the tower and walls of the castle. Local children and their parents helped build the castle between 1968 and 1971; it was recognised that ‘building’ was an extension of the children’s play throughout that time. Crumbles Castle Adventure Playground has welcomed generations of Islington’s children to play.
