A NEW FOREST peer has vowed to slide down a zip wire when a new £500,000 play park opens tomorrow.

Lord Montagu will attend the official opening of Little Beaulieu, which has been built in the grounds of the National Motor Museum.

Attractions include a zip wire - and the 58-year-old peer will be among the first to try it out.

Little Beaulieu is a small wooden palace which draws on the heritage of Palace House - Lord Montagu’s ancestral home - and neighbouring Beaulieu Abbey.

Daily Echo:

The fantasy play area is crammed with quirky features and secret passageways.

Visitors will be able to slide through grand fireplaces, peek out from behind portraits and crawl through a trick bookcase to explore every nook and cranny of the new attraction, which boasts turrets and a clock tower.

Little Beaulieu also includes a secret staircase, a giant spiral tube and a fireman’s pole.

Children can tackle the rope maze room, then follow the treetop boardwalk to the observation tower to get a bird’s-eye view at the monorail as it rumbles past.

Daily Echo:

Part of Little Beaulieu is reserved for younger tots who want to play in a sand pit as well as trying out a wooden play bus modelled on a full-sized vehicle which drives visitors around the award-winning attraction.

A Beaulieu spokesperson said: Packed with hands-on activities, Little Beaulieu is inspired by the real history of Beaulieu.

"From the charming towers and half-timbered entrances that reflect Palace House to the arches of the abbey ruins, it is unique."

Little Beaulieu has been brought to life by CAP.Co Adventure Play, which has completed projects at other historic venues including Castle Howard and Leeds Castle.

The new attraction has been built on the site of a previous play area.