The Diana playground, Holland Park and Kensington Memorial Park lead 15 Kensington and Chelsea playgrounds, with ages, toilets, hours and closures for October.

The playgrounds most Kensington families head for are the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, reopened in August after a £3 million renewal; the Holland Park adventure playground; Kensington Memorial Park in North Kensington, with its summer water play; and Avondale Park in Notting Hill. Every entry was checked against the council’s or the Royal Parks’ own pages on 26 October 2026.

We have not reviewed these playgrounds and nothing here is a rating. Each entry sets out what the body that runs the park says about it: the ages the play area is built for, toilets, opening times and closures. Where nobody has said, we have not guessed. All the council parks follow one rule worth knowing before you set off: dogs are not allowed in any park playground.

Kensington, Holland Park and Knightsbridge

Diana Memorial Playground, Kensington Gardens

The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground sits next to Kensington Palace. The Royal Parks says it first opened in 2000 and reopened on 5 August 2026 after a £3 million renewal by the Royal Parks charity. The new layout has a 17m by 12m galleon on a sandy beach with two crow’s nests and a tunnel slide, a treehouse with three towers and a four-metre tunnel slide, an accessible walkway, water play around a crocodile sculpture, and an area for younger children with timber houses and a large sandpit. It is free and staffed whenever open, with a first-aider on duty. Adults are admitted only with children aged 12 or under, and on busy days there is a queue. Scooters, bikes, ball games, alcohol and smoking are not allowed. The Royal Parks says the water play is switched off under the Thames Water hosepipe ban. Hours: 10am to 4.45pm in late October, then 10am to 3.45pm from November to January, with last entry 15 minutes before closing. The playground is inside Black Lion Gate on the Broad Walk, nearest station Queensway.

Holland Park playgrounds, Ilchester Place

The council lists two playgrounds in its largest park, one for under-fives and an adventure playground for ages five to 14, set in the woodland. The under-fives play area is closed for refurbishment from 12 October until the end of November 2026, the council says. The park has a cafe, an outdoor gym and the Ecology Centre. There are disabled toilets at the Stable Yard, which also has a Changing Places toilet, and at the adventure playground. Level entrances are at North Abbotsbury Road, Ilchester Place, Duchess of Bedford Walk and Kensington High Street; the Holland Park Road and Abbotsbury Road South entrances are steep. There is a pay-by-phone car park off Abbotsbury Road with disabled bays. Open 7.30am to dusk. Ilchester Place, W8 6LU, between High Street Kensington and Holland Park stations.

Hyde Park playground, Knightsbridge side

The Royal Parks describes climbing frames, a swing set and a slide, with “a natural feel” meant to get children playing together. It is built for children up to 12 and has a catering kiosk. The Royal Parks pictures it by South Carriage Drive, the Knightsbridge side of the park. It is open during park hours, 5am to midnight, and closed all day on Christmas Day. Free.

North Kensington and Notting Hill

Kensington Memorial Park, St Mark’s Road

A public park since 1926, bought with money from the Kensington War Memorial Committee, the council says. It lists a children’s playground, sports facilities, an outdoor gym, and public toilets with a disabled toilet and a Changing Places toilet. Dogs are not allowed in the playground. The water play area runs in two-hour sessions in the summer months, with the first Sunday session (and the first Tuesday session) reserved for children with special educational needs and disabilities and their families. A kiosk sells hot and cold drinks and snacks in summer. Open 7.30am to dusk. St Mark’s Road, W10, nearest station Ladbroke Grove.

Avondale Park, Walmer Road

Created in 1892 on the site of “the Ocean”, a fetid pool in the notorious Piggeries, and named after the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, the council records. It lists two playgrounds, one for under-fives and one for ages five to 14, alongside public toilets with a disabled toilet, tennis, football and netball, formal gardens and a small wildlife area. Dogs must be on leads throughout. Level entrances on Siddar Road, Walmer Road and Mary Place. Open 7.30am to dusk. Walmer Road, W11, between Latimer Road and Holland Park stations.

Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance, Bosworth Road

The council calls this park “the official launch pad of the Notting Hill Carnival”. Emslie Horniman gave the land to the London County Council in 1911 on condition it stayed a recreation ground forever, and the architect Charles Voysey designed its walled garden, the council says. Facilities listed: a children’s play area, a floodlit all-weather sports area, changing rooms, public toilets and works of contemporary art. A kiosk opens in the summer months. Level entrances on Bosworth Road, Southern Row and Kensal Road. Open 7.30am to dusk. Bosworth Road, W10, nearest station Westbourne Park.

Athlone Gardens, Portobello Road

A park “popular with families, dog walkers and office workers having their lunch”, in the council’s words. It lists a playground for ages five to 12, outdoor table tennis and chess, picnic tables and a fenced dog exercise area. The council plans to enlarge the park over the next few years as neighbouring buildings come down, and is drawing up a masterplan with local groups. Level access at the Portobello Road entrance. Open 7.30am to dusk. Portobello Road and Faraday Road, W10, nearest station Ladbroke Grove.

Powis Square, Notting Hill

A small square with two playgrounds, for under-fives and for ages five to 14, and a basketball court, the council says. The council bought it in 1968 after a series of “break-ins” and a march on the Town Hall by local mothers and children wanting somewhere to play. Its hours differ from most council parks: 7.30am to dusk from September to March, and 8am to 8pm from April to August. Level entrances on Powis Square and Colville Terrace. Powis Square, W11, a few minutes from Portobello Road.

Colville Square Gardens, Notting Hill

A playground for children up to six, with toddler swings, a basket swing, a wooden playhouse, a see-saw, a roundabout and a slide, inside timber fencing. After a consultation in autumn 2025, the council said much of the equipment was at the end of its life and planned to rebuild and enlarge the playground in spring 2026. Its park page does not yet say whether the rebuild has finished, so check before a special trip. Locals campaigned for a play area here in the 1960s. Level entrances on Talbot Road and Colville Terrace. Open 7.30am to dusk. Colville Square, W11.

Tavistock Square Gardens and Sunbeam Gardens

Two smaller council squares. Tavistock Square Gardens, on Tavistock Crescent, W11, has a large lawn, a children’s playground and outdoor gym equipment. Sunbeam Gardens, on Shrewsbury Street, W10, near Barlby Road, is a garden square with a playground for ages five to 14, with level entrances on Hillman Drive and Shrewsbury Street. Neither lists toilets. Both are open 7.30am to dusk.

Chelsea, Earl’s Court and West Brompton

St Luke’s Gardens, Sydney Street

The former burial ground of St Luke’s, Chelsea, converted into a public garden in 1881, the council says. The gardens are Grade II listed and the church, with the tallest nave of any London parish church at 60ft, is Grade I. Facilities listed: a playground for ages five to 14, a games area bookable through Chelsea Sports Centre on 020 7352 6985, and public toilets with a disabled toilet. Open 7.30am to dusk. Sydney Street, SW3, about ten minutes’ walk from South Kensington station.

Westfield Park, Uverdale Road

Laid out in 1981 on a Second World War bomb site, which makes it “one of the royal borough’s newest parks”, the council says. It lists two playgrounds, for under-fives and ages five to 14, and public toilets with a disabled toilet and a Changing Places toilet. In a 2024 consultation, more than 80% of 113 respondents backed refurbishing the toilets and more than half wanted a permanent cafe. Level entrances on Uverdale Road and Lots Road. Open 7.30am to dusk. Uverdale Road, SW10, off the King’s Road at World’s End.

Redcliffe Square Gardens, Redcliffe Square

A tree-lined square on the 1860s Gunter estate, given to the borough in 1949 on condition its character was kept, the council says. The council’s park page describes a small play area for younger children, though its facilities list gives the playground’s ages as five to 14. This is one of the parks where dogs are not allowed at all, not just in the playground. Level entrances on Redcliffe Square and Redcliffe Gardens. Open 7.30am to dusk. Redcliffe Square, SW10, nearest stations Earl’s Court and West Brompton.

Ifield Road Playground, West Brompton

A small play area for children up to 11, next to the Earl’s Court Youth Centre, the council says. Level entrance on Ifield Road; no dogs. Open 7.30am to dusk. Ifield Road, SW10, close to Brompton Cemetery and West Brompton station.

Also worth knowing

Cremorne Gardens on Lots Road, SW10, has no playground but does have a water play splashpad, table tennis, an outdoor gym, public toilets and river views. Nearby, the council got planning permission in April 2026 for a new Lots Road open space that will include play, with work expected to start in September 2026. Council parks open at 7.30am, and some gates shut up to 20 minutes before the closing time posted at each entrance.

How we chose

These are the playgrounds Kensington, Chelsea and Notting Hill families search for, plus every council park whose facilities list includes a play area. We picked them from what the people who run them publish, not on taste. The facts come from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s park pages, its park rules and its consultation hub, and from the Royal Parks’ pages for the Diana Memorial Playground and the Hyde Park playground. All were read on 26 October 2026. To report broken play equipment in a council park, call the Parks Service on 020 7361 3000.

Run a park cafe or a Friends group, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@thekensingtonpost.co.uk.

More in Kensington

Frequently asked questions

Is the Diana Memorial Playground open again?

Yes. The Royal Parks says the playground in Kensington Gardens reopened on 5 August 2026 after a £3 million renewal, with a new 17m by 12m galleon, a treehouse with tunnel slides and new water play. It is free. From November to January it opens 10am to 3.45pm, with last entry 15 minutes before closing, and adults are admitted only with children aged 12 or under.

Are dogs allowed in Kensington and Chelsea playgrounds?

No. The council’s park rules bar dogs from all park playgrounds, as well as from Redcliffe Square Gardens and the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park. At the Diana Memorial Playground only registered assistance dogs are let in.

Which Kensington playgrounds have toilets?

On the council’s own pages, Holland Park, Kensington Memorial Park and Westfield Park have public toilets with a disabled toilet and a Changing Places toilet. Avondale Park, St Luke’s Gardens and Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance also list public toilets. The small square playgrounds, such as Powis Square, Colville Square and Sunbeam Gardens, list none.