As many British Naturism readers and Naturists worldwide will no doubt know, Spielplatz has been long established in the UK, having been founded in the late 1920s, along with Sunfolk (now British Naturism Sunfolk), Five Acres and Gardenia (sadly sold off a number of years ago), in a quiet, wooded corner of Hertfordshire bordering the villages of Bricket Wood and Park Street, just south of St Albans. Little could anyone then imagine that in the future it would occupy a position just off junction 21A of the future M25!

When Charles Macaskie and his wife Dorothy purchased the property they took an enormous personal leap of faith believing, inspired by Naturist movements in Germany and France, that they might fulful their wish to live healthier, happier lives as Natursts in Britain by creating a retreat of their own where their vision of a different lifestyle, free of clothing requirements and in harmony with nature, might be acheived.

Current residents can only wonder at what a Herculean task this must have been for them, not only transforming a 12 acre winderness into their personal family home but also creating a resort open to others – always with a concern to respect and retain the beauty of the wooded environment that had attracted them to this place.

Fortunately, they were joined early on in this work by other like minded Naturists who, believing in the promise of Spielplatz, devoted much time and effort to assist in the development of the property. Clearing brush, laying in a water supply, establishing roads, creating camping spaces, establishing sewerage, constructing Chalet cabins for guests, digging and creating a pool, later adding more facilities including electric power and telephone lines, are not the sort of things that we tend to think about, but they all must be done, and by the mid1940s Spielplatz had become the go to place for many free spirits, open minded intellectuals, film and television people, glamour models, photographers, and champions of an alternative lifestyle. It was not unusual to find a hundred or more visitors on site during any sunny Summer’s day. This heyday period which extended from the 1950s to well into the 1960s, brought Spielplatz to worldwide attention in Naturist circles and beyond, and was much recorded in pictures.

Charles and Dorothy’s daughter Iseult Richardson was born in 1932 at Spielplatz, growing up and playing here as a Naturist, experiencing all the excitement and the activities of this place throught her entire life. Later, she and her sister Cosette took over the running of the resort and together they devoted themselves to maintaining the established traditions of open advocacy for the Naturist lifestyle, respect for nature and reputation of Spielplatz as a family friendly haven for visitors throughtout the 1970s to the early part of this century.

Beverly Kelly, Iseult’s daughter, who was also born and raised at Spielplatz, returned in 2009 to live here once again. She was appointed to the Board of Directors when her mother and aunt handed over their management responsibilities. There followed a period of some turmoil when various individuals took it upon themselves to administer the estate and Spielplatz came close to losing its identity as a Naturist resort altogether. In the same way as several other Naturist places have been threatened, unscrupulous plans were taking shape to sell the desireable property for development – notwithstanding the presence of over 40 families then in residence! Fortunately for Spielplatz, Beverly and other vigilant Directors grasped the seriousness of the threats and succesfully managed to put an end to them.

Cosette passed away in early 2023 and very sadly Iseult herself, still a resident at Spielplatz till very near the end, also passed away in late 2024. Cosette’s son, Alex Martin still resides at White Cottage in the original Macaskie family home.

Owing to Beverly’s management, things began to turn around. Her determination to establish legal status for Spielplatz home owners led, after much effort and with the very great assistance of the then Administrator, David Piper and others, to the creation of leases for individual homes, paving the way for modern ownership and resale of individual chalet properties. This achievement signalled a significant breakthrough for both current and future residents.

Grant Kelly, Beverly’s brother, returned to Spielplatz and has now assumed the role of Administrator. Together, Beverly and Grant, aided by a Board of Directors and with contributions from other staff and Residents, have made numerous significant improvements to the fabric of the estate. Our internal road has been resurfaced, new buildings have been commissioned and others renovated. Trees have been planted, new gardens established and the grounds are being very well maintained.