Our History

2015 – We launched our fantastic new website

2015 – We opened our Global Distribution Centre

2014 – Exciting redesign of our Little Hamlets, Jukebox Selection and Mountain Towers called ‘Plus’.

2014 – We won an award at the Insider’s North West International Trade Awards for our export success.

2014 – We were chosen as one of the businesses to participate in the UK Trade & Investment’s ‘Exporting is GREAT’ national campaign, which featured in The Financial Times and The Spectator.

2013 – We launched Playdale Garden – high-quality climbing frames and swings for the home – www.playdalegarden.co.uk

2012 – We launched Playdale Direct – an online shop for playground equipment and spare parts – www.playdaledirect.co.uk

2011 – We introduced the Wellness concept and extensive new Schools & Nurseries range

2010 – We added focused resource to expand in the global market, 20 years after our first adventure in Romania.

2010 – We created a flagship play area, Wallace Park in Lisburn, which was the biggest play area in Europe. We also launched our new schools and nurseries website the same year.

2009 – We launched our new City Adventure Trail, Jungle Climbers and dynamic play equipment.

2008 – New website and new logo. We changed our logo in 2008 to show a step forward and to signify that the company wasn’t just timber-based.

2008:140 Employees

2007 – 2 innovative Walkers Parks were opened by Gary Lineker.

2007 – We launched the world’s first electronic playground equipment with its own website – i.play.

2006: 120 Employees

2005 – Our Playground Inspectors achieve RPII – Register of Play Inspectors International

2003 – We launched our City stainless steel playground equipment

2000: 100 Employees

1998 – We became the UK Agent for Agoraspace

1996 – Famous Mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington opens our new factory.

1992: 50 Employees

1991 – Heal the World playground built for an orphanage in Bucharest, Romania, which was opened by Michael Jackson. Our first export adventure!

1989 – Jack Croasdale meets the Princess Royal at the opening of the Horse Guard Parade Play Area, Hyde Park.

1981 – The original classic Adventure Trail was designed and launched.

1978 – Playdale Playgrounds was born! The playground at Leven Valley Playing Fields in Haverthwaite was old and needed to be replaced. Jack Croasdale was building the new community centre at the time and asked his son John to get some playground equipment brochures. Once they saw that some of the equipment was constructed from timber logs, they decided to make their own.

In 1978 they built three other playgrounds and in 1983 they finished the old timber business to focus solely on building playground equipment

Old Factory Yard

1978: 4 Employees

1925 – Hauling timber from the lake at Lakeside.
These trees would be taken to the Haverthwaite Station yard by horse and cart where they would be loaded onto bigger wagons, before being taken to the sawmill. In the 1970’s, wagons were fitted with cranes to load the timber in the wood straight onto the wagon.

1923 – George Croasdale and his brother James are seen in this photograph loading an 8 ton oak ‘butt’ onto a cart using the ‘three legs’ system. This took place in a field called the ‘Shamles’ which was opposite the farm behind Woodcroft House and Pump Cottage – right next to our current offices and factory.

1920 – George Croasdale Jnr outside the Devonshire Arms (now ‘The Pig and Whistle’) in Cartmel in 1920.