New galleon arrives ready for revamp of Diana memorial playground

The centrepiece of a £3 million revamp of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground – a 17 metre-long galleon – has been lifted into place in its new London home.

The wooden ship, built from mountain larch in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, made its maiden voyage, ready for its installation in Kensington Gardens.

Drone footage showed the first half of the structure being carefully lifted by a crane into the royal park where it will serve as a new “full-scale” ship for children to enjoy.

It was brought across the North Sea from Rotterdam in Holland to Tilbury in Essex and then by road to London.

The upgraded play area will feature the galleon, including a tunnel slide, two crow’s nests and a ramped entrance to the main deck for disabled access, as well as a new treehouse, a redesigned water play area and a new under-threes zone.

Built in tribute to the late princess, who was killed in a car crash in 1997, the free playground, next to Diana’s former home, Kensington Palace, first opened in 2000.

The Royal Parks charity said the £3 million was being spent after the previous equipment “reached the end of its life”.

The attraction, which has an average of one million visitors per year, making it the UK’s most visited playground, has been closed for the refurbishment works since last autumn, but is due to reopen in the summer.

Andy Williams, park manager for Kensington Gardens, said: “We are delighted to have the new galleon – the centrepiece of the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground – here in Kensington Gardens.

“Children can be the captain of their own ship and let their imaginations soar when the playground reopens in summer 2026.”

The galleon was constructed in the village of Frasdorf, Germany, by Timberplay and its partners Richter Spielgerate, the same designers who produced the original Peter Pan-themed galleon when the playground first opened.

Royal Parks said the harsh alpine conditions result in extremely slow growth, making the timber stronger and naturally rot-resistant, negating the need for chemically treated wood.