Play Equipment News

Sale Offer on classic children's playhouse

2011-02-14T09:44:00.002Z

When it's gone it's gone!

We have a special offer on the classic children's playhouse - the Tudor Cottage. Modelled on the original Flights of Fantasy playhouse, this brand new playhouse is on offer for £20,000*. Additional furniture and kitchens can be supplied at additional cost.

To order, and for more information, please email us or telephone +44 (0) 1553 760597.

*Excludes VAT, delivery and installation

A recession busting Swiss Chalet children's playhouse...made in Norfolk

2011-01-11T21:17:00.001Z

Over twenty years ago Russell Bowlby designed and constructed a children's size Tudor play house for his son, Jamie. Now in the past 10 years, Russell has realised his dream building theme play equipment and has built Flights of Fantasy into a thriving, successful company. Amongst some of their achievements are exhibiting and winning trophies at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show, successfully selling a children's playhouse to the Dragons Den Peter Jones and recently installing a grand playground at Hatfield House in Greater London. The entrepreneur is now working on his latest design to be delivered to a family living in the foothills of the Swiss Alps in time for Christmas.

Flights of Fantasy continue the growth of their exquisite playhouse portfolio with a magnificent Swiss Chalet. The children's playhouse is a Christmas present of a lifetime for the families children and includes a kitchenette, fold away bunk beds, a feature table and chairs, a fold away sofa and lots of storage.

Russell flew out to Switzerland for a site visit and to meet the client. A million miles from the industrial estate in King’s Lynn, the playhouse will be located in the grounds of an extensive cottage overlooking the picturesque Swiss Alps.

“The house is a complex structure and will have to withstand some very cold temperatures. The chalet has taken just 5 weeks to construct with a further 10 days work required for internal and external fixtures, fittings and decorations. We’re extremely proud of our playhouses and know that we are the only company in the world producing children's playhouses with such quality and detail. Knowing they are all designed and hand made in Norfolk makes them extra special.” mentions Russell Bowlby.

Russell adds “Like our last playhouse, Ariana, we’ve tried to be clever with the internal space by installing foldaway bunk beds and seating allowing children to create and arrange
their own space.”

Since the playhouse was installed in December 2010, the playhouse has attracted a great deal of interest and has appeared in The Sun, The Times and The Daily Express. The Swiss Chalet spec will appear on the Flights of Fantasy website soon.

Stunning new Hatfield House children's playground

2011-01-06T09:58:00.000Z

View our latest children's playground at Hatfield House. It is both unqiue and inspiring. The centrepiece is a copy of the Renaissance style house itself, and is over 10 metres (33 feet) long.

Designed for 3-15 year olds, the children's play area fits sympathetically into the old chalk quarry which has been fully landscaped. Hatfield House is painted and distressed, giving an air of stately weathering and dignified age - and is surrounded by a varied range of untreated heavy Oak structures which will grey down to give a mellow rural adventure play setting.

In a sensitive area, where the character of the environs of an important building needs to be preserved, our designs offer huge scope for taste and individuality. Click here to see more pictures of Hatfield House children's playground.

Alternative & Themed Children's Play Equipment

2010-08-30T11:53:00.001+01:00

Pirates of the high seas, cowboys and Indians, castles and keeps or a woodland adventure… Some things, including even the most well-worn of play themes, never go out of fashion. And, whether you’re a parent who wants to create a themed play area at home or a leisure industry professional planning a childrens play area, one thing is for sure – choosing the right theme will ensure you keep little (and not so little) ones happy and full of fresh-air fuelled fun.

Of course, for many visitor attractions, play equipment and play areas take their cue from the main attraction itself. In recent years, Flights of Fantasy has designed and handbuilt play equipment in the form of a lighthouse for the RSPB’s Newport Reserve – an actual replica of the famous River Usk lighthouse – a castle, complete with turrets, watchtower and portcullis for the National Trust’s Croft Castle and a playhouse sized Hatfield House.

However, miniature versions of real properties and historic landmarks – although thoroughly charming and often a huge draw in themselves – are by no means exclusive to the leisure and heritage sector. Giving the kids their own childrens playhouse modelled on your home seems to be a growing trend with Flights of Fantasy customers and to date, we’ve scaled down a magnificent Victorian Gothic house, a magical Polish chalet and a number of chocolate box country cottages that have all been accessorised with a range of play items including slides, scramble nets, poles, swings and see-saws.

In between, our craftsmen have brought numerous other themes to life – steam engines, wildlife and ships have all passed through the Flights of Fantasy workshops. But then, at Flights of Fantasy, anything is possible – just as it is in play. And the only boundaries we know are your children’s imagination!

New Hatfield House Children's Playground

2010-08-30T10:00:00.000+01:00

Flights of Fantasy are in the finishing stages of completing an exclusive, bespoke children's playground at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire. The play area was designed to be sympathetic to the surroundings and the main feature is a replica 'Hatfield House'. We'll have images of the playground once finished...we think you'll be impressed!
Russell Bowlby

New Furniture on Order!

2010-08-20T08:26:00.000+01:00

We took an order today from a family in the Far East for two pirate ship beds and two treasure chests. The beds have been modified to include reading lights, extra storage and trunkle beds for sleepovers!
The chests are great as either toy boxes or blanket boxes. They've been designed as dark, black chests with a hint of paradise illustrated on the front.
The pirate ship beds are really fun and they offer children so much fun whilst remaining practicle for parents.
Russell Bowlby
Flights of Fantasy Theme Play Equipment Limited

Childrens Playhouses this summer

2010-08-20T08:05:00.000+01:00

In this modern age of futuristic theme parks and technology-driven toys, we can sometimes forget just how important good old-fashioned, outside play time is to our children. However, anyone who has attempted to keep their children occupied for the length of the summer holidays will know that, in reality, a blend of sliding, swinging and scrambling – preferably in the fresh air – is hard to beat. As is giving children a place that is safe, but that can be truly considered their own. Add a dollop of imagination – of the type only a child’s mind can muster – and you have a recipe for entertainment that will last all summer long.
Consider a children's playhouse - roses rambling around the door, hand built wooden furniture, character features, a superior design and build… Oh, and of course, a flag replete with the family coat of arms. Surely everyone dreams of their first home being just like this? Well, if your child’s ‘first home’ is from the portfolio of castles, cottages and even pirate ships designed and custom crafted by luxury childrens playhouse specialists Flights of Fantasy, it really could be a leg up onto the property ladder they’ll never forget and entertaining your children through the summer will no longer be a problem.
Based in west Norfolk, Flights of Fantasy is a child’s dream come true. Whatever their whim, the Flights of Fantasy team will be able to design and construct a playhouse with attention paid to even the tiniest detail. A faithfully accurate Tudor cottage – right down to higgledy-piggledy, moss encrusted rood tiles? No problem. A medieval hall, complete with turreted entrance and secret lookouts? Of course. What about a few extras? Sliding poles, scramble nets, ladders, swings? Well, naturally – after all, no proper playhouse would be complete without these.

Playgrounds at visitor attractions

2010-07-31T16:18:00.006+01:00

It could be argued that children's playgrounds and play equipment are a vital key in helping visitor attractions maintaining a loyal customer base. Every year, the UK attracts over sixty million holidaymakers. And for many, it will be those visitor attractions geared up for children and younger visitors that will prove the most popular – after all, most families know that if their children can be kept entertained, intrigued and busy – preferably in the open air, then everyone, yes, even Mum, can enjoy the getaway.

So what are the ingredients of the perfect family attraction? Of the families we asked, easy access – including plentiful parking – stimulating activities for a range of ages and good, often organic food and refreshments came high on the list of priorities. But above all, it was the quality of the play areas and play equipment – themed and otherwise – that really clinched each family’s decision to visit a particular attraction.

Zip wires, sliding poles, rope ladders, hidey holes and scramble nets… As far as children are concerned, the more of these a park or playground can boast, the merrier. And if – like Co Donegal’s Rockhill Park – those must-have pieces of play equipment can be themed to provoke even more creative play, the better. The latter made a Flights of Fantasy pirate ship the focal point of its beach-based children’s playground, whilst the RSPB’s Newport Wetlands Reserve also stayed ‘in character’ by commissioning Flights of Fantasy to create a lighthouse playhouse and themed play area.
Both of these attractions have received a unanimous thumbs-up from children and parents alike – with the team at the Newport Wetlands Reserve even attributing increased visitor numbers to their children’s play area – proof indeed, that a carefully considered playground with well constructed play equipment will ensure families return again and again, year in, year out.

Playground Equipment Special Offer

2010-01-26T11:41:00.011Z

'Runaway playground train' on special offer...save £10,000. The locomotive is an ex-display item constructed from timber and steel. It includes a climbing wall, ladder and engine tunnel. It is an ideal centre piece for school playgrounds and themed play areas.

Click here to enquire...