Address: Kensington Gardens, Broad Walk, London W2 4RU, United Kingdom
Phone: +443000612001
Rating: 4.7
based on 310 reviews.
Playground Design & Facilities
Pros:
"Themed after Peter Pan with sections for different age groups including percussion instruments, a wooden playset, slide, swings, teepees, small wooden huts, and a large pirate ship."
"The toilet facility was clean and there were more than one nappy changing tables, which is actually rare!"
"Simply the best free children playground i've ever seen. It's a kid's paradise with indian tents, real size pirate ship to climb and play on, sand arenas, swings and lots of other facilities."
"Great range of elements. Big sand area with large pirate ship for climbing. Separate climbing area with bridges and slides. Swings area. Play houses. Musical area. Teepees."
"Different play areas for kids to enjoy including an awesome pirate ship, water feature (bring a change of clothes), swings, play structure with slides, teepees, and an area with musical elements!"
"The playground features a pirate ship, a castle and a variety of play elements that inspire children's imagination and play."
"The diversity of play areas/structures is amazing - from a musical area, to a sandy pirate ship, to a teepee area, to slides/swings etc."
Cons:
"Many wasps!! 😭"
"The pirate ship is temporarily closed due to covid."
"The only thing to be mindful of is that as the playground is so big with many sections it can be easy to lose little ones and hard to find them again if they are that way inclined!"
"More attention to access requirements such as paved paths to all the climbing frames, swings, etc. rather than everything being deep sand, would vastly improve this playground."
"However, I was shocked at the lack of safety for some parts of the structures. While I was there 3 kids fell from a climbing structure and had to be carried out by their parents."
"This playground can be really stressful if your kids want to head in different directions (theres v limited visibility)."
"Sand is incredibly difficult for wheelchairs to traverse."
Security & Safety
Pros:
"All guarded and protected by a fence."
"I've never felt so safe and secure in a park, guard doesn't let kids out of gate without and adult, and also adults are Not allowed to enter unless accompanied by a child."
"The security entrance door is perfect for keeping children in and safe."
"Entry only with a child. Guards spot lone adults. A gate keeper makes sure you leave with the same kids you arrived with."
"The playground is fenced in and there is security at the gate to make sure no individual adult enters the playground."
"Really nice and safe, fully enclosed and the gate is monitored so no suspicious lurkers."
"The entrance is guarded, and you can only get in with a child, so there is a certain level of security."
Cons:
"The gate keeper wasn’t so friendly when we got there late and were told very coldly it’d be closed soon."
"However, my children and I were so abused by one member of staff at closing time."
"The female security guard there was very unfriendly."
"Plus the lady in the cafe is super unfriendly and won’t even smile."
"It is very crowded and no access unless you are go with kids. Staff on the gate were rude and unhelpful, would not answer basic questions about the park."
"Also had an issue going through the gate. It seems nothing has improved at all. The same problems I faced with my first son I now face with my second and his dog."
"The cafe is very very limited if anyone has any allergies or intolerances."
Accessibility & Location
Pros:
"This huge playground in Kensington Gardens is a walking distance from High Street Kensington or Bayswater tube station."
"Accessible by queens way or nottinghill station."
"Short walk from Queensway tube central line."
"Location wise, it sits on the corner of Hyde park so also very convenient for visitors."
"Easy access from Queensway Station."
"It’s near the Kensington Palace. Closest underground is Queensway."
"Close to Queensway tube."
Cons:
"Once in the park the sign pointed right so followed it and it took us the longest way round!?"
"No service personnel could give me clear direction. It wasn't clearly marked on local map."
"Lovely playground for children but the entrance is not clearly signposted."
"Got all the way to London with eight children to go the princess memorial fountain only too find it was closed."
"The only drawback was the water feature, which wasn't very watery at all... in fact the water was off from the main fountain."
"It is illusionary to keep an eye on your kids on this playground (especially if there is more than one)."
"The park seems to be designed under a 'colonising' theme."
Cafe & Amenities
Pros:
"There's a public bathroom with moveable baby changing stations. And there's a cafe at the front."
"Cafe offers great pizza and drinks with plenty seating just outside of playground."
"Best of all they had spotlessly clean toilets at kids heights."
"The toilets are also nearby and have far more cubicles than most park toilets have and are also a lot cleaner and well kept than more park toilets."
"There is a cafe with coffee, waffles, ice cream, cakes, and sandwiches accessible from both inside and outside the playground."
"There's also a concession stand with quality stone fired pizza, sandwiches, ice cream (soft serve, popsicles, and the real stuff), and coffee, etc."
"Also a great cafe serving quality ice-cream."
Cons:
"Bring a picnic as the cafe is pricy."
"There are toilets inside the park and a overpriced snack hut (£2 for a mini milk lolly)."
"There is kiosk selling food and we paid £3.30 for an ice-cream cone with a Flake which is not bad comparing to other places in London."
"Overly expensive cafe— W2 prices I guess."
"The queue for the coffee shop takes forever too."
"If there's one facility I don't recommend it's the so-called 'truly Italian' coffee and ice cream stall next to the entrance. Utterly disappointing."
"Cafe in the park with all the normal drinks and snacks at above average prices."
General Experience & Atmosphere
Pros:
"Great day out for the kids! its Free! I've never felt so safe and secure in a park."
"The overall atmospheric style and natural beauty of the playground make it the perfect place for the whole family to relax and play."
"The whole place was clean and tidy and most important very kid friendly!"
"An absolutely fantastic playground for all ages. It's enchanting."
"Lots of different activities for kids of different age available."
"The children and me had a fantastic time."
"Princess Diana Memorial Playground is awesome especially in the summer when the water is on and children can paddle in the little streams and play with water and sand."
Cons:
"The sandy area war super crowded unfortunately."
"However, it gets really busy on weekends, bank holidays and school breaks."
"It seems to be very crowded, so I would recommend to visit very early in the morning to avoid crowds."
"Quite a noticeable number of parents don't behave that well themselves, like littering and smoking and it's quite a sad thing to see."
"There could be a lot of teenagers at the playground and lots of kids running and pushing ruthlessly due to lack of parental guidance."