Awst Anhygoel | Outstanding August : Summer Holidays @ Dinefwr

In the house we have costumes to try on, games and puzzles, trails and colouring. In the gardens we have a giant chess set, croquet and hula-hoops. And beyond the gardens there’s the natural playground of our nearly 900-acres of parkland. The inner courtyard is rich with history, the arched tunnel leads into a space which would have been alive with activity – laundering, mending, and processing and preserving food. We have taken inspiration from these historic occupations by filling the courtyard with objects and materials to encourage and inspire play.

There will be an area for water play with the buckets and washboards from a typical Monday washday in Wales; the old drying room will be hung with a maze of sheets to make playhouses and dens in; there will be an area for teens to lounge; and wattle hurdles, once designed to pen sheep, which can be made into houses, castles, tunnels and race tracks. And of course, for slightly older users of the courtyard there will be seating around our beautiful tree and some delicious coffee and snacks from our pop up Courtyard Cafe. As this is an experiment for this summer, we will be asking for your feedback in a dedicated space which will also house a children's bookshop with a quiet area for reading and drawing.