Background

Created initially out of a campaign to save the historic buildings of Livingstone Mill from demolition in the late 1960’s, Almond Valley has grown to become a much loved attraction within the Lothian’s and beyond.

Over the years Almond Valley has developed to offer families a wide range of activities to enjoy. These range from animals, a petting zoo and the shale oil museum, all supported by a series of indoor and outdoor play offerings. The site has been cleverly designed to incorporate play across the entire estate, from small scale playful interventions and interaction points, to larger scale play zones like the new undercover paraffin works play area, giving visitors something new to discover on every visit. Our brief for the site was to create a new and exciting outdoor play structure to cater for adventurous children of all ages.

Mining the history

Within the brief, there was a brilliant narrative of the drovers and their cattle travelling south to trade their livestock. We always look to the history, the stories, the flora and fauna of an area to help feed into the design of the play we create.

The design was inspired by Almond Valley’s herd of Highland cows which are located in the field opposite the new play area. With the design we created, visitors are encouraged to play around these amazing animals, interacting with them in a new and interesting way.
The drovers of the British isles accompanied livestock either on foot or horseback, traveling large distances across Scotland, Wales and rural England. The word “drover” is used for those engaged in long distance trade – distances which could cover much of the length of Britain, tracing back to as early as the 14th century and was a prominent source of trade across the UK throughout the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

The Highland drovers set out to gather the cattle and sheep they would go on to care for over several months, walking them through hundreds of miles of wild terrain to the great livestock trysts of central Scotland and beyond.

Image Every evening these traders and their cattle would camp up along the drovers roads, often at the site of abandoned or ruined tower houses and fortified structures. It is these tales that form the basis for the new play experience at Almond Valley.

Naturally playing with history

The central play structure was designed to reflect those grand and fortified towers from centuries ago. Having fallen into ruin we have built the play to look aged by time and the harshness of the elements. The structure has been designed and built with a range of interesting and natural timber species and variations to create the impression of weathering and dilapidation.

Alongside the structure and play elements, the ground floor of the building is open to the field, allowing the cows to roam freely within the base of the structure whilst providing them with shelter and allowing visitors to really connect with and play right alongside these majestic animals.

Maximising play value for all abilities

Within the structure itself there is a playful maze of ladders, nets, tunnels and secret rooms, across multiple levels. The back of the structure creates a large face where slides can shoot off from different levels and into the woodland behind. Access in to the first floor of the structure is via a long walkway, accessible to all. On the first level a loop would allow wheelchairs and children of all abilities to move through the structure, with a range of sensory and physical play options throughout.

The higher levels are accessed by a range of adventurous play features branching off in all directions. The ramp returning back into the woodland is a weaving walkway through the trees, with a variety of nets, climbing walls and ladders to gain access back up from the forest floor behind, allowing you to start adventuring all over again.

Almond Valley

Almond Valley has a mission "to preserve and interpret the history and environment of West Lothian and make this heritage accessible, engaging, and enjoyed by all."

The site is home to a nationally important collection from Scotland's shale oil industry, and other collections that illustrate many aspects of West Lothian's life and heritage.

Where the museum is different to others is that play is embedded throughout. Play is a great way to learn and set within woods and greenery, it blends neatly into its surroundings. There are acres of space to let off steam and many play features that are unique to the site.

This last point is just one of the reasons we love the site and the mission of Almond Valley quite so much.

You can see more and book your tickets here.