A locally-sourced 8-foot holed stone framing the Bath skyline is now in place at Kensington Meadows in Bath as part of a scheme to enhance the open space.

The installation of the granite monolith comes ahead of work starting this summer to improve the play area with natural play features including a wooden climbing frame and slide, a willow tunnel and an agility trail.

There will also be new play mounds with balance beams and junior football goals.

The Kensington Meadows Improvement Scheme is being carried out by Bath & North East Somerset Council following a community consultation held in 2018 about how people wanted to develop the green space for the future.

Wildflower meadows and new tree planting have already been established to create new biodiverse habitats where there was previously only grass.

The £60,000 play improvement project is being funded by the council, which includes a further £10,000 grant from the Government's Pocket Parks Programme having been secured by the London Road Partnership and Friends of Kensington Meadows working with the council. The monolith has been funded by Section 106 property developer contributions.

Councillor David Wood, cabinet member for Neighbourhood Services, said: "This Westcountry-sourced stone has made a striking addition to this beautiful open space and has been positioned so that the hole frames the Bath Skyline. The unusual feature and the natural improvements to the play area will encourage people to visit and enjoy Kensington Meadows for many years to come. I'm also pleased that the ecology of the area is being improved with wildflowers and new trees, helping towards our climate and ecological emergency goals.

"Thank you to the community groups who have helped us to form our plans and to secure the Government funding. I look forward to seeing the finished project later this year."

The existing play area will be closed when work starts and will reopen once the planting at the site has established.

Kensington Meadows was once home to a Georgian pleasure garden, Grosvenor Gardens. Visit the Kensington Meadows webpage to read more about the project and the history of the site.