The new visitor centre replaces facilities – community room, shop, restaurant and exhibition areas – formerly housed in buildings which have now been redeveloped to provide a cycle centre; the centre also aims to improve and develop the forest as a regional centre of excellence for sustainable economic activity.
LocationYorkshire
ArchitectWhite Design Associates
ClientThe Forestry Commission
Project TypePublic Space
CollectionsMass Timber
Structural EngineerHalcrow
Main ContractorMillers Construction
Timber SpeciesLarch
Timber ElementsGlulam timber frame, Pre-fabricated walls, floor cladding, roof cladding




Dalby Forest is managed by the Forestry Commission and is the largest forest in Yorkshire. It receives around 300,000 visits per year making it a key visitor attraction in Ryedale and the North York Moors National Park.
The facilities for visitors at Dalby have developed organically over the last 40 years; initially, in the 1960s, a ‘forest drive’ was opened to create a through route for visitors on their way to the east coast, subsequently a ‘museum’ was opened at Dalby village, followed by the creation of a new lake, waymarked trails, WCs and picnic areas. This has been in addition to the main economic use of the forest as a timber resource.
In the last few years the emphasis has changed; visitor revenues now exceed those from timber and the forest is pivotal to local tourism. The new visitor centre replaces facilities – community room, shop, restaurant and exhibition areas – formerly housed in buildings which have now been redeveloped to provide a cycle centre; the centre also aims to improve and develop the forest as a regional centre of excellence for sustainable economic activity.