Play KX
2018–
Play KX is an ongoing free to access play project based near King’s Cross run by Assemble Play. Set up with the support of the King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership in 2018, Play KX serves the communities that use the area to the north of King’s Cross Station and beyond.
©️ Julie Jafinthebox
In the summertime it largely takes place in Lewis Cubitt Park and in the winter it moves around between Central Saint Martins’ ‘Crossing’, the Handyside Canopy and other nearby covered or sheltered spaces.
Assemble Play is a part of Assemble made up of small team of Playworkers led by Penny Wilson, author of the Playwork Primer.
The Playworkers aim to create an environment where visiting children can play freely with behaviour that is freely chosen, personally directed, and intrinsically motivated.
The Play KX sessions do not rely on fixed play infrastructure, like in playgrounds, but use ‘loose parts’, a term coined by Simon Nicholson and which in Penny’s words are ‘anything that can be moved around, carried, rolled, lifted, piled on top of one another, or combined to create interesting and novel structures and experiences.’
PlayKX is currently not actively running sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However if you are interested in the work of Assemble Play and the Play KX project you can follow them on instagram here.