Margam Country Park

Margam Park’s new washrooms needed to be durable, easy to maintain and impress their visitors.

Margam Country Park in Wales is owned and administered by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. The estate containing a Tudor Gothic Mansion was once owned by the Mansel Talbot family in the 1800s. The 850 acre country park is rich in history, with evidence of over 4,000 years of continuous habitation and use by man. This means it has exceptional historic value, with some of the country’s finest architectural treasures. Paired with its natural beauty, wildlife and many activities and facilities, the Margam Country Park has evolved into a popular attraction which is visited by 350,000 people per year, including locals and tourists alike.

Neath Port Talbot Council came to Bushboard Washrooms for the refurbishment of the public washrooms. The main concern for this project was ensuring that the toilets were able to withstand the high traffic the park receives each year. As Alison Lloyd, the Commercial Officer at Margam Country Park, explained “visitors often judge a site on the quality of the loos”, this meant opting for a robust washroom range which offered a modern, high quality finish that will remain presentable at all times.

Initially designed for secondary schools with the key focus on privacy, our HiZone for Schools toilet cubicle at standard height was decided as the perfect specification for the country park’s needs. Alison put emphasis on requiring an “indestructible build”, the cubicles pilasters and partitions are fixed to the floor in aluminium channels which creates a strong foundation. The toilet cubicles were manufactured in Solid Grade Laminate which has a compact core making it a highly durable material. It is also impervious to water which makes it easy to clean as the panels do not need to be dried meticulously afterwards to prevent damage.

The design of the public washroom was carefully considered. The council wanted to cater for everyone who would visit their park, with additions such as child height basins, family changing areas and enlarged toilet cubicles with grab rails for ambulant/disabled users. In particular, the park recognised parents with their children would regularly visit the park. They designed a superloo style room to utilise space, this was larger than a typical toilet cubicle which gave users more room to manoeuvre within the washroom space.

Ease of cleaning was fundamental to the project because of the high traffic the toilet cubicles will endure. Our own brand SanCeram’s Langley WCs and urinals were chosen which both offer a smooth and rimless design to eliminate dirt traps, it also suited the “clean lines” Alison was looking for. Margam Park had sanitaryware and brassware ready plumbed which meant that that it arrived pre-fitted to panels assembled onto a rigid steel frame, this saved both time and money. Being a refurbishment project it meant the washrooms did not have to stay closed to the public for a long period of time.

Vanity units were also supplied as Ready Plumbed Modules and designed to hit the parks public washroom brief. Solid Surface Counter Top vanity units are ideal for busy washroom environments as they are easy to maintain. Alison wanted to make sure that the washroom had ‘clean lines to clean’, so integrated inset wash hand basins were supplied which have a flush design leaving no dirt traps for a hygienic hand wash station whilst also creating a seamless, high-end overall look.

Alison told us that the colours were “chosen to fit with the Country Park, a wood feel and green panels to make it bold and stand out”. Lime Green and Bleached Oak laminates paired with Apple Solid Surface colours from our standard range complemented the mansion scenes within the washroom perfectly. Overall the review of the new washrooms at Margam Park were “ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! We opened in time for the Early May Bank Holiday and feedback from public was great and staff love the clean lines and bright colours.”