A NEW children’s adventure playground is expected to open at Raby Castle in time for Easter.
Work began on the bespoke play area late last year and forms part of a wider development programme aimed at making the castle a prime visitor attraction.
It is to feature three-storey play towers, high-level walkways, climbing walls and several ground-level play trails and slides.
It is to include a purpose-built area for toddlers, with mini-turrets and lookout decks – located next to a new split-level cafe.
The wider scheme at Raby Castle, known as The Rising, will include the significant restoration and renovation of several historical buildings on the estate, the creation of a new cafe and events space as well as a visitor hub and landscaped areas. Work on the two-year construction programme started with the new 300-space car park to service the new attractions.
The Rising’s project director, Claire Jones, said: “This carefully considered new addition to Raby Castle has been inspired by the historical architectural elements in the castle such as The Neville Gateway, but also the many stories associated with the estate, particularly the Rising of The North.”
Raby Estate owner Lord Barnard added: “We have now entered the construction phase of this ambitious project, which will deliver wonderful spaces for families to enjoy and to further establish Raby Castle as a must-see visitor destination. This new playground will provide a truly magical space for children and families to enjoy.
“We have spent the last four years planning the development, which promises to put Raby Castle on the map for visitors to the area, as well as providing a beautiful place for the local community to enjoy, all year round.”
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
