Priory Park's pirate ship and zip wire, Lady Neville's inclusive play area, the new Merstham Rec: 15 Reigate playgrounds with postcodes, cafes and toilets.

Most families in the borough end up at one of four playgrounds. Priory Park in Reigate, for the Grey Lady pirate ship, the double zip wire and summer splash play. Lady Neville Recreation Ground in Banstead, for one of the most accessible play areas around. Memorial Park in Redhill, with a cafe. And Merstham Recreation Ground, rebuilt for £3 million. Every entry was checked against the council’s own pages on 27 October 2026.

Reigate and Banstead Borough Council looks after 55 children’s play areas, and Horley Town Council runs the two biggest in Horley. We have not tested any of the equipment and nothing here is a review: each entry sets out what the council publishes about the play area, its address, and what else is on site, such as toilets, a cafe or parking. All of them are free. The council’s interactive map of parks and playgrounds shows every one.

Reigate

1. Priory Park

The borough’s best-known playground sits in the council’s park of historic interest, around the Grade I listed Reigate Priory. When the council rebuilt it in 2019, it kept the nautical theme and the Grey Lady, a two-deck ship with sails, a ship’s wheel, a tube slide, a climbing net and hammocks.

The council’s description of the rebuild also lists a four-tower Priory Castle climbing frame, a smaller Priory Gatehouse, a 25-metre double zip wire, nine swings and a carousel roundabout. A sensory zone followed in 2023, and the council’s park page describes the summer splash area.

Dogs must be on a lead in the formal areas.

Address Bell Street, RH2 7RL
Open play area closed every Tue morning for water treatment and maintenance; splash area runs in spring and summer, water off in winter
Parking in the park
Toilets yes
Cafe pavilion cafe run by Creamy and Bites
Ages Priory Castle 4 to 12; Priory Gatehouse 2 to 6
Access carousel roundabout the council says suits children with disabilities
Good for pirate ship, 25-metre double zip wire, splash play, sensory zone, skatepark

2. Woodhatch Recreation Ground

The play area at Woodhatch Recreation Ground was rebuilt in October 2023 as part of the council’s annual replacement programme. The council’s announcement describes natural play features including a spider net, a curly climber and a woodland trim trail, built from recycled and natural materials.

The council’s directory lists the site as open space with a play area. Earlswood Common, with toilets and parking, is about a mile east along Woodhatch Road.

Address Woodhatch Road
Toilets none listed by the council
Cafe none listed by the council
Good for natural play, spider net, curly climber, woodland trim trail, open space

Redhill and Earlswood

3. Memorial Park, Redhill

Memorial Park is the town-centre playground, with a pavilion cafe, toilets and outdoor seating, tennis, a multi-use games area, a sensory garden and parking, according to the council’s park page. The cafe is Florrie’s.

The play area was installed in 2014 and is due to be replaced: the council consulted families in May 2026, is tendering for a contractor this autumn, and says work could start in winter 2026/27, part of £290,595 set aside for the park (our report). Expect the play area to close while that happens.

A new outdoor gym and trim trail for ages 13 and up went in over the summer.

Address London Road, RH1 1JU
Parking yes
Toilets yes
Cafe Florrie's, in the pavilion, with outdoor seating
Hygiene Food Standards Agency, Florrie's 5, given on 30 September 2026
Ages outdoor gym and trim trail for 13 and up
Good for tennis, multi-use games area, sensory garden, outdoor gym, town centre

4. Earlswood Common

Earlswood Common, south of Redhill, has two playgrounds, according to the council’s directory of playgrounds. The common also has a picnic area, toilets and parking around its two lakes, which makes it one of the few places in the borough where a playground, a walk and a picnic sit together.

It is a Local Nature Reserve; the council lists roe deer, foxes, frogs and toads among the wildlife. Dogs must be on a lead in the car park and on the paths around the lakes, and can be off the lead on the rest of the common.

The council publishes a wildlife spotter sheet for children.

Address playgrounds off Common Road and off Pendleton Road
Parking yes
Toilets yes
Good for two playgrounds, picnic area, two lakes, Local Nature Reserve, wildlife spotter sheet

5. Ifold Road play area, Earlswood

The small play area on Ifold Road, Earlswood, was rebuilt in autumn 2023. The council says its new features are made from recycled food packaging, textiles and ocean waste, and include a two-tower multi-play unit and a wheelchair carousel.

The council lists it as a playground only.

Address Ifold Road, Earlswood
Parking none of its own; Earlswood station is a short walk away
Toilets none
Access wheelchair carousel
Good for two-tower multi-play unit, recycled materials, small play area

Merstham

6. Merstham Recreation Ground

Merstham Rec reopened in May 2025 after a £3 million refurbishment. The council says the play area has equipment for climbing, sliding, swinging and balancing, with natural and sensory elements, and meets Plan Inclusive Play Areas (PiPA) accreditation.

There is also a parkour course, the first in the borough, an outdoor gym, two table tennis tables and a picnic area. In May 2026 the council let the new pavilion’s kiosk to Creamy and Bites, who run the Priory Park cafe.

Check their social pages for current hours.

Address Weldon Way, off Albury Road, RH1 3QB
Toilets in the new pavilion
Cafe pavilion kiosk run by Creamy and Bites, expected to open from 8.30am until sunset
Ages parkour course for over-12s
Access PiPA accredited play area; new paths the council says make it easier to get around with wheelchairs and buggies
Good for inclusive play, parkour course, outdoor gym, two table tennis tables, picnic area

Banstead and Nork

7. Lady Neville Recreation Ground

Lady Neville Recreation Ground, off Banstead High Street, had its play area rebuilt in spring 2023 with 65 play features made largely from ocean waste and recycled food packaging, colour-coded so children can see which is which. The council’s page lists a toddler zone, a high play tower with bridges, nets and slides, and a second, accessible tower; when it was built the council called it “one of the most inclusive anywhere in the country”.

A 20 by 10 metre scooter zone with road markings and a mini roundabout sits by the tennis courts. The land was given to the parish in 1925 by Miss Edith Neville.

Address Avenue Road, off Banstead High Street, SM7 2PF
Toilets yes
Cafe yes
Access play tower with a wheelchair ramp, inclusive carousel, multi seesaw
Good for 65 play features, toddler zone, scooter zone, tennis courts free with no booking

8. Nork Park

Nork Park is a large park with woodland, an arboretum and wide views. The council’s page lists playgrounds, a picnic area, football pitches and a community centre.

It is the space for a run-around and a picnic rather than a destination play area. Each summer the local community holds Music in the Park, an open-air afternoon festival.

Address Nork Way, SM7 1JG; also reachable from The Drive
Toilets none listed by the council
Cafe none listed by the council
Good for playgrounds, picnic area, woodland, arboretum, football pitches, Music in the Park each summer

9. Beecholme Recreation Ground

The play area at Beecholme Recreation Ground was chosen for new equipment in the council’s 2026 replacement programme, after Hogden Bottom in Kingswood. The council’s announcement lists new climbing frames with hanging bars, a balance bridge and slides, plus accessible equipment.

It is a neighbourhood play area with a football pitch and open space. Woodmansterne Recreation Ground on Woodmansterne Street (SM7 3NL), upgraded in 2025, is the next nearest.

Address Osier Way, Banstead, SM7 1LL
Toilets none listed by the council
Cafe none listed by the council
Access accessible roundabout, accessible swing, ramped play frame, sensory panels
Good for climbing frames, balance bridge, slides, football pitch, open space

Tadworth, Kingswood and Walton

10. Preston Park, Tadworth

Preston Park has a playground and a skatepark. The council spent £150,000 rebuilding the skatepark in 2023 for skateboards, scooters, bikes and wheelchair motocross.

The council’s skatepark page lists 4ft and 6ft quarter pipes, a funbox with flat and curved banks, two launch ramps and two grind rails, with a separate warm-up area and seating. That makes it a good choice for families with a toddler and an older child on a scooter.

Tattenham Way Recreation Ground, nearby, also has a playground, a skatepark and parking.

Address Merland Rise, Tadworth
Good for playground, skatepark, scooters and bikes, wheelchair motocross, seating

11. Hogden Bottom, Kingswood

The Hogden Bottom play area in Kingswood was the first of the council’s 2026 rebuilds and was due to reopen by the end of January. The council lists stepping stones and a balance bridge in sustainably grown Robinia wood, climbing frames with hanging bars and slides, an accessible swing and a sign language communication panel.

For a bigger outing, Kingswood Recreation Ground on Buckland Road, Lower Kingswood, has a playground with woodland, multi-sports courts and bowls.

Address Kingswood
Access accessible swing, sign language communication panel
Good for Robinia wood stepping stones, balance bridge, climbing frames, slides

12. Howard Close Recreation Ground, Walton-on-the-Hill

The playground at Howard Close, Walton-on-the-Hill, was rebuilt in October 2023. The council says its new features are designed to be inclusive.

Mere Pond on Walton Street, the village’s ornamental pond, is nearby and listed by the council as having disabled access.

Address Howard Close, Walton-on-the-Hill
Access tipi carousel, wide accessible steps, hand holds
Good for inclusive play, football pitch, Mere Pond nearby

Horley

13. Horley Recreation Ground

Horley Recreation Ground is run by Horley Town Council, which describes it as “a popular and well used public recreation ground” of about 6.6 acres. The town council’s page lists a children’s playground, a skatepark, tennis, a multi-use games area, tarmac paths and the Memorial Gardens.

The cafe is Wilfs In The Park. The town council has resurfaced the play area and planted a hedge to help drain it, and says more drainage work is planned, so the grass can be wet in winter.

Address Brighton Road, RH6 8SS
Parking car park off Brighton Road, 2.1 metre height barrier
Cafe Wilfs In The Park
Hygiene Food Standards Agency, Wilfs In The Park 3, given on 14 July 2025
Access tarmac paths
Good for children's playground, skatepark, tennis, multi-use games area, Memorial Gardens

14. Court Lodge Fields

Court Lodge Fields is Horley Town Council’s other playground: a 14-acre recreation ground with five football pitches, the Innes Pavilion, mini football and basketball, according to the town council. The town council pointed families here when the Horley Recreation Ground playground closed for work.

Westvale Park and The Acres, Horley’s newer estates, have more than a dozen small play areas of their own, listed on the town council’s parks page.

Address off Thornton Close, RH6 8RJ
Parking car park
Access pedestrian access from Manor Drive, behind Church Road cemetery and from the Six Bells car park
Good for playground, five football pitches, Innes Pavilion, mini football, basketball

Beyond the swings

15. The Narnia trail, Banstead Woods

For children who have done every playground, Banstead Woods has a free Narnia trail: the council’s leaflet leads through a wardrobe door hung with coats to a carved Aslan. The woods are a council Local Nature Reserve and paths can be muddy in winter.

Our walks guide has the longer routes from the same car park, and Box Hill’s natural play trail.

Address starts from Holly Lane car park, CR5 3NR
Parking free car park, 1.9 metre height barrier
Toilets none on site
Cafe none on site
Access Chipstead station is about 500 metres away; paths can be muddy in winter
Good for free Narnia trail, wardrobe door, carved Aslan, Local Nature Reserve

Other play areas

The council’s directory lists many smaller playgrounds we have not written up, among them Chipstead Meads and Lakers Rise in Chipstead, Battlebridge Recreation Ground and Brook Road in Merstham, Colesmead, Fairfax Avenue and Green Way in Redhill, Hartswood Avenue, South Park and Lonesome Lane in Reigate, Petridgewood Common and Salfords Recreation Ground, Maple Way in Hooley and Woodmansterne Recreation Ground. The council’s directory of playgrounds has the full list. To report broken equipment, email greenspaces@reigate-banstead.gov.uk, or Horley Town Council for its own sites.

How we chose

These are the playgrounds families search for, chosen on what can be checked: size, what the council says is there, recent rebuilds, and whether there are toilets, a cafe and parking. Every fact comes from Reigate and Banstead Borough Council’s park pages, directory and announcements, or from Horley Town Council’s parks pages. Food hygiene ratings come from the Food Standards Agency. We have not visited the play areas for this guide.

For more ideas, see things to do in Reigate, what’s on in Reigate this month, October half-term in Reigate and our guides to walks near Reigate, Reigate cafes and brunch. Local businesses are in our Reigate business directory.

Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@reigatenews.co.uk.

Frequently asked questions

Which Reigate playground has splash play?

Priory Park on Bell Street (RH2 7RL). The council says its play area has a sensory area and a splash area, with the water turned on in spring and summer and off in winter. The play area is closed every Tuesday morning for water treatment and maintenance.

Which playgrounds near Reigate are best for children with disabilities?

Lady Neville Recreation Ground in Banstead has a play tower with a wheelchair ramp, an inclusive carousel and a multi seesaw. The new Merstham Recreation Ground play area meets Plan Inclusive Play Areas accreditation. Ifold Road in Earlswood has a wheelchair carousel, and Priory Park has a carousel roundabout the council says suits children with disabilities.

Which Reigate area playgrounds have a cafe and toilets?

Priory Park (Creamy and Bites in the pavilion), Memorial Park in Redhill (Florrie’s), Lady Neville Recreation Ground in Banstead and Horley Recreation Ground (Wilfs In The Park). Earlswood Common has toilets and parking, and Merstham Rec’s new pavilion has toilets and a kiosk.