Research
"I love to look at how children have played outdoors throughout history, and to explore how these insights can inform and inspire our approaches to children's play and engagement today."
For many centuries, children have been playing in the outdoors, from gardens to forests to street corners.
So why do we know so little about these children from history, and why are we still struggling with approaches to children and outdoor heritage today?
I love nothing more than to be reading childish diaries of jolly days out, or peering over sepia photographs of children on see-saws.
And the good news is, this research has a practical application too!
Why waste endless resources trying to dream up new-fangled ways to interest children in the historic outdoors, when so often the answer is there in the past?!
I love to look at how children have played outdoors throughout history, and to explore how these insights can inform and inspire our approaches to children’s play and engagement today.
What I offer:
Research into children in history at your site, and strategies on how to incorporate this into your visitor experience.
Publication-ready accounts of children at your site, written either for children or for adults and perfect as a ‘way in’ to your site’s history. These can be presented in other forms too, such as talks or storytelling.
Here are some of the research projects I have done:
Wicksteed Park
I was play consultant for the Wicksteed Park Conservation Management Plan, 2012 (Sarah Couch Historic Landscapes).
Over the years, I have carried out substantial research into Charles Wicksteed and Wicksteed Park, as one of the most influential sites in the world relating to children’s play.
This research helped inform a successful Heritage Lottery Fund application and delivery of the project. For several years I was a Trustee of the Wicksteed Charitable Trust.
Wicksteed Leisure
I was commissioned by Wicksteed Leisure to write an article to celebrate their centenary that looked at the remarkable history of Wicksteed Playgrounds and its founder, Charles Wicksteed, and how he and the company influenced the growth of children’s play to remain one of the most creative and innovative outdoor play equipment designers in 2018.
Children in National Trust gardens
I produced a research report for the National Trust on ways in which children played historically in their parks and gardens, and how this could be used to inspire visitor experiences today.
Royal Parks
I was commissioned by the Royal Parks Agency to produce a research report on the ‘History of Children’s Play in the Royal Parks’ to help shape the Royal Parks’ Play Strategy.
History of playgrounds
My fascination with the history of playgrounds began in 2009 when I was commissioned by English Heritage to produce a research report on the history of playgrounds in public parks.
This interest has grown faster than a small boy who eats his vegetables, and now I am writing my book Playgrounds: An Affectionate History.
Lectures and writing
- Giggles in the Garden: how children have played through the history of our parks and gardens
- Giant Strides and Grazed Knees: a history of playgrounds
- Playful Landscapes
- Children in Gardens Today
- Playgrounds: Fabulous or Fob Off?
These lectures can be as serious or as light as you like, but I’m at my happiest when clients ask for them to be interactive!
My book Playgrounds: An Affectionate History will be published soon.
I come from a conservation background, but always keep an open and pragmatic mind about the need for historic parks and gardens to change to meet the demands of the modern world.
If you need proof of my sense of humour, do please read this article comparing a modern theme park design to a Capability Brown landscape:
Historic gardens review article on children's gardening
The following is an article I wrote for Historic Gardens Review on how efforts to encourage children to garden is nothing new:
