Lion Salt Works is the last remaining open pan salt works in Cheshire, closed in 1986 and today preserved as a museum. The site was awarded £10 million towards a comprehensive restoration plan as it was considered one of Britain’s newest heritage attractions.
Our client had a specific vision that they wanted to see come to life—the Lion Salt Works old chimneys and their character captured as a play piece that could be explored by children.
The bespoke design brief allowed us to adapt and develop an FHS lighthouse design into the new play chimney, enabling us to work to a short lead time as well as guaranteeing the compliance to the EN1176 standards. It was important to our client that we worked closely on the historical detailing and so we focused very carefully on the brick textures that we had examined from the remaining chimney in the detailed site survey. The next stage was to add the playful elements to the design to capture the imaginations of the children visiting with their families. These included features like the waved slide for dynamic play as well as an access net and steps to provide more challenging opportunities and have a wider appeal across the ages.
