Ustigate have had the pleasure of working with Newmarket Town Council since 1998, following their instruction to install a single above ground feature and four water jets at Memorial Gardens. Due to the popularity of the aquatic play at the park, in August 2018 Newmarket Town Council submitted a planning application to refurbish the park which included doubling the size of the area and more than doubling the amount of features! In September 2018, with planning permission in place, Newmarket Town Council embarked upon a tender process to materialise their Newmarket Splashpad vision and in October 2018 Ustigate were delighted to be invited back to enhance the Memorial Gardens in all of the ways they had designed and described.

The overall park brief was to create an imaginative, fun and safe place with open access for all, with inspiring play opportunities and experiences for a range of age groups and abilities. The playground design needed to encompass the local character and heritage of the site, whilst retaining a natural scheme sympathetic to its surroundings.

Public Consultation

Local children brought forward strong ideas of castles, mythical creatures, imaginative play and activity at different levels.

April 2019

Tucked behind the King Edward VII Memorial Hall, you will now find the Memorial Gardens play area complete with a newly installed timber framed castle, swings, slides and an interactive and inclusive water play area. Newamrket Splashpad comprises of eleven water jets, with three foot actuators and an inclusive bollard to keep all children entertained with a choice of go-to destinations to activate a sequence. To meet all the special requests that Newmarket Town Council received at consultation and to entertain our Memorial Garden visitors to the max, our design consists of a combination of products that spray water at different levels. There are water features that spray single shoots of water vertically into the air and water features that spray arched streams of water in a variety of directions. There are thick and thin ribbons of water in attendance, and a single, shapely fountain to represent the single tall feature that stood in place before. Ustigate’s works included an upgrade to the plant room to operate the aquatic play under a flow through system. Natural elements and materials were utilised to create a natural and cohesive scheme that would appeal inclusively to every park visitor.

The 2019 Memorial Gardens makes Newmarket a better place to live and visit, and a fun and pleasant place to be.

Memorial Gardens History

Newmarket’s association with royalty and horse racing dates back to the 17th century as well as the site itself, which was once owned by King Edward VII. The gardens were kindly donated to Newmarket residents by Sir Ernest Cassell in 1911.