United Kingdom Thorney Wildlife Park .Thorney Nr Wisbech , Cambridgeshire (1968- 1978)Approx

[zoowhosewho]

This establishment was opened in 1968 / 69 by Fred Chapman along with Bobby and Tommy Roberts (Roberts Circus) ... The collection kept here included Elephant , Giraffe , Bactarian Camels , Llamas , Red Kangaroo . Lions ,Leopards, Tigers , Bears , Polar Bears ,Hyena , Pumas , Rhesus Monkeys , Pig Tailed Macaques , Coatis , Raccoons , Exotic Birds , Wallabies and domestic farm animals ....In 1970 it was reported as being on 60 acres and still expanding.... By 1976 and 1977 books state that the Acreage was 45 acres ... The Zoo was closed during Winter ..... In 1971 there was a fire in a part of the House that was overwintering Monkeys and 3 Monkeys perished in the fire ... By 1978 approx the Wildlife Park had closed down

Images first is Fred Chapman 2nd is a guide from the Wildlife Park

 

[Andrew Swales]

Thorney village is on the A47 a few miles east of Peterborough and nearer to the city than to Wisbech, so this is one of my 'locals'... The Wildlife Park was set in the grounds of Thorney Abbey, a very pleasant site, and the wall which formed the backs of the old bear and big cat cages can still be seen across the meadows from the main road. Much of the site is visible on 'Google Earth'.

I was taken by my parents on only one occasion that I can remember, so they must have not rated it enough for a second visit. We were regulars at Peakirk, Stagsden, Norfolk, Cromer etc.

Many of the animals at Thorney were sourced from Roberts Brothers Circus which had its winter quarters at Polebrook (halfway between us and Oundle) where the Roberts had a farm, where Elephants and Llamas could be seen grazing in the fields. This was the era of circus families opening wildlife parks...

My memories of Thorney are of a single Giraffe, a single young (chained) Elephant and lots of Bears; Asiatics, Brown and Polar.

It was average for its day, not really bad like Wellingborough or Cromer, probably better than Colchester - and did fairly well.

Years later, I was told by 'Kitty' Roberts that the family pulled the plug because they lived remotely at Polebrook, too far away to be in direct control by being on site all the time, and could not control the pilfering of cash by employees at the Park.

I have guide-books, posters and some merchandise in storage.

 

[FBBird]

Thorney village is on the A47 a few miles east of Peterborough, so this is one of my 'locals'... The Wildlife Park was set in the grounds of Thorney Abbey, and the backs of the old bear cages can still be seen across the meadows from the main road. Much of the site is visible on 'Google Earth'.

I was taken by my parents on only one occasion that I can remember, so they must have not rated it enough for a second visit. We were regulars at Peakirk, Stagsden, Norfolk, Cromer etc.

Many of the animals at Thorney were sourced from Roberts Brothers Circus which had its winter quarters at Polebrook (halfway between us and Oundle) where the Roberts had a farm, where Elephants and Llamas could be seen grazing in the fields. This was the era of circus families opening wildlife parks...

My memories of Thorney are of a single Giraffe, a single young (chained) Elephant and lots of Bears; Asiatics, Brown and Polar.

It was average for its day, not really bad like Wellingborough or Cromer, probably better than Colchester - and did fairly well.

I was told by 'Kitty' Roberts that the family pulled the plug because they lived remotely at Polebrook, too far away to be in direct control by being on site all the time, and could not control the pilfering of cash by employees at the Park.

I have guide-books, posters and some merchandise in storage.

I only visited Cromer Zoo once, late 60s/early 70s, remember a single young elephant, inadequately housed, pair of Griffon Vultures in a smallish aviary with an Egyptian Vulture, Puma in a weldmesh run with sleeping box, maybe a single pelican in with a few penguins, and CLOUDS of white pigeons all over the place. Not impressed, but interested you describe it as 'really bad'.

 

[Andrew Swales]

I only visited Cromer Zoo once, late 60s/early 70s, remember a single young elephant, inadequately housed, pair of Griffon Vultures in a smallish aviary with an Egyptian Vulture, Puma in a weldmesh run with sleeping box, maybe a single pelican in with a few penguins, and CLOUDS of white pigeons all over the place. Not impressed, but interested you describe it as 'really bad'.

My 'really bads' would probably be Cromer (Zoo), Wellingborough, Guilsborough, Pheonix Birdland at Cowbit - all locally, Robin Hill on the Isle of White and Limburgse Zoo, Ghent, BE. Dont remember anything the size of an elephant at Cromer, so maybe my visit(s) were later in its life? Oh, Yolande Surcouf's Basildon Zoo was close, perhaps..! - although her heart was in the right place and its problems were probably a matter of ignorance and not exploitation.

 

[FBBird]

My 'really bads' would probably be Cromer (Zoo), Wellingborough, Guilsborough, Pheonix Birdland at Cowbit - all locally, Robin Hill on the Isle of White and Limburgse Zoo, Ghent, BE. Dont remember anything the size of an elephant at Cromer, so maybe my visit(s) were later in its life?

I've heard bad things about Wellingborough, Guilsborough, and Limburg. Never heard of that Phoenix Birdland -- interested....
The Elephant was less than half grown, about half way down the zoo towards the lions and puma.

 

[Andrew Swales]

I've heard bad things about Wellingborough, Guilsborough, and Limburg. Never heard of that Phoenix Birdland -- interested....
The Elephant was less than half grown, about half way down the zoo towards the lions and puma.

Cowbit is a tiny village between Peterborough and Spalding. Pheonix Tropical Birdland opened and closed very quickly. I drove to it by car, so it must have been late 70s or early 80s (?). There was a raft of 'bird farms' then, selling cage-birds. Pheonix was down there with the worst of those, but it charged an entry fee and I don't remember prices on the cages. Word locally was that Geoff Capes (local celebrity strongman, shot-putter and Worlds strongest man, AND famous budgerigar breeder and exhibitor) had an 'interest' in Pheonix...

 

[FBBird]

Cowbit is a tiny village between Peterborough and Spalding. Pheonix Tropical Birdland opened and closed very quickly. I drove to it by car, so it must have been late 70s or early 80s (?). There was a raft of 'bird farms' then, selling cage-birds. Pheonix was down there with the worst of those, but it charged an entry fee and I don't remember prices on the cages. Word locally was that Geoff Capes (local celebrity strongman, shot-putter and Worlds strongest man, AND famous budgerigar breeder and exhibitor) had an 'interest' in Pheonix...

Interesting -- all those 'bird farms' are gone with large scale imports. Clearly they weren't 'farming' much! With the exception of Keston who bred a lot of birds as well as importing.

 

[zoowhosewho]

[QUOTE="

I have guide-books, posters and some merchandise in storage.[/QUOTE]

Were there many guide books produced for this Park that you are aware of ?

 

[zoowhosewho]

Thorney village is on the A47 a few miles east of Peterborough and nearer to the city than to Wisbech, so this is one of my 'locals'... The Wildlife Park was set in the grounds of Thorney Abbey, a very pleasant site, and the wall which formed the backs of the old bear and big cat cages can still be seen across the meadows from the main road. Much of the site is visible on 'Google Earth'.

I was taken by my parents on only one occasion that I can remember, so they must have not rated it enough for a second visit. We were regulars at Peakirk, Stagsden, Norfolk, Cromer etc.

Many of the animals at Thorney were sourced from Roberts Brothers Circus which had its winter quarters at Polebrook (halfway between us and Oundle) where the Roberts had a farm, where Elephants and Llamas could be seen grazing in the fields. This was the era of circus families opening wildlife parks...

My memories of Thorney are of a single Giraffe, a single young (chained) Elephant and lots of Bears; Asiatics, Brown and Polar.

It was average for its day, not really bad like Wellingborough or Cromer, probably better than Colchester - and did fairly well.

Years later, I was told by 'Kitty' Roberts that the family pulled the plug because they lived remotely at Polebrook, too far away to be in direct control by being on site all the time, and could not control the pilfering of cash by employees at the Park.

I have guide-books, posters and some merchandise in storage.

Do you know how many Guide Books were produced ?

 

[Andrew Swales]

[QUOTE="

I have guide-books, posters and some merchandise in storage.

Were there many guide books produced for this Park that you are aware of ?[/QUOTE]

I have only seen the one you've shown and a portrait white one with two pictures on the front. I bought one of these personally on my visit and cut it up for a school project! - but have since found another good one on eBay. I'm sure the serious guide collectors will know if there were others.

 

[Andrew Swales]

Were there many guide books produced for this Park that you are aware of ?

I have only seen the one you've shown and a portrait white one with two pictures on the front. I bought one of these personally on my visit and cut it up for a school project! - but have since found another good one on eBay. I'm sure the serious guide collectors will know if there were others.[/QUOTE]

A quick Google brings up some of the links I found before.

This one shows some general views today, the remains of the elephant house, elephant chains and penguin pool - from a PETA viewpoint!
Thorney wildlife park- now my house

A piece on the East Anglian Film Archive -
East Anglian Film Archive: An A-Z of East Anglian Villages: Thorney, 1975

Also -
Thorney Wildlife Park - PETERBOROUGH IMAGES ARCHIVE

Sorry, I cant work out how to insert pictures into this text, as you have.

 

[MRJ]

I have only seen the one you've shown and a portrait white one with two pictures on the front. I bought one of these personally on my visit and cut it up for a school project! - but have since found another good one on eBay. I'm sure the serious guide collectors will know if there were others.

What a horrid little place. Thank goodness it is gone. No thought of enrichment for the animals. And that polar bear looked as if it was one good charge away from escape.

 

[Andrew Swales]

What a horrid little place. Thank goodness it is gone. No thought of enrichment for the animals. And that polar bear looked as if it was one good charge away from escape.

You are quite right - but any institution can only be judged by the standards and expectations of its time, and none of todays zoos (or any other institutions) could be judged by future standards many generations hence. This footage was taken in 1975 and I would guess that there is not much film of small zoos anywhere, taken 45 years ago. Some major well-respected parks today were little better at the time, worse even - and we are all very grateful they they did not go too...

By comparison - Wellingborough Zoo in 1965.

This piece of film shows just how popular zoos were at the time, among visitors who had never heard of the word 'enrichment'. A Polar Bear shows around 18 seconds in. I remember Wellingborough's Polars, housed in a circus training ring security fence (not a full one as it was much smaller diameter), troweled concrete floor, no roof, a tiny pool much smaller than Thorney's and a pile of white bread loaves for food.

As I said, my parents cannot have rated either Thorney or Wellingborough as I can only remember one visit to each, but both were very popular and provided what was expected by the public at the time.

 

[MRJ]

You are quite right - but any institution can only be judged by the standards and expectations of its time, and none of todays zoos (or any other institutions) could be judged by future standards many generations hence. This footage was taken in 1975 and I would guess that there is not much film of small zoos anywhere, taken 45 years ago. Some major well-respected parks today were little better at the time, worse even - and we are all very grateful they they did not go too...

Yes you are right of course, Melbourne Zoo still had their awful bear pits although they had done away with their big cat and ape cages by that time. Not that what replaced the ape cages were a lot better, unfortunately. The thing is I can't imagine Thorney would ever have had the finances to improve so closure was the best option.

 

[Andrew Swales]

Yes you are right of course, Melbourne Zoo still had their awful bear pits although they had done away with their big cat and ape cages by that time. Not that what replaced the ape cages were a lot better, unfortunately. The thing is I can't imagine Thorney would ever have had the finances to improve so closure was the best option.

I think for much of that period zoos did very well and were very popular. Many were a licence to print cash. From what I was told Thorney was perfectly viable, the problem being an unbalanced partnership between the Roberts and Chapman, and much of the funds being unaccountable. I doubt though that either of the owners would have been able (or prepared) to change with the times and evolve alongside visitor expectations. This is what ultimately killed the worst local zoos in our area - Wellingborough, Thorney, Basildon, Guilsborough, Southam. The better ones of the same era or later, and same area, did so - and are well loved today...

 

[MRJ]

I think for much of that period zoos did very well and were very popular. Many were a licence to print cash. From what I was told Thorney was perfectly viable, the problem being an unbalanced partnership between the Roberts and Chapman, and much of the funds being unaccountable. I doubt though that either of the owners would have been able (or prepared) to change with the times and evolve alongside visitor expectations. This is what ultimately killed the worst local zoos in our area - Wellingborough, Thorney, Basildon, Guilsborough, Southam. The better ones of the same era or later, and same area, did so - and are well loved today...

I never got to the UK until 1996 so missed this era. It is interesting that the market of the time could support so many, and not just so they survived but thrived.

 

[Zoo guide books]

Thorney published 3 guides that I know of. Wellingborough did the same nunber.

 

[Zoo guide books]

Do you know how many Guide Books were produced ?

Three that I know of.

 

[Zoo guide books]

You are quite right - but any institution can only be judged by the standards and expectations of its time, and none of todays zoos (or any other institutions) could be judged by future standards many generations hence. This footage was taken in 1975 and I would guess that there is not much film of small zoos anywhere, taken 45 years ago. Some major well-respected parks today were little better at the time, worse even - and we are all very grateful they they did not go too...

By comparison - Wellingborough Zoo in 1965.

This piece of film shows just how popular zoos were at the time, among visitors who had never heard of the word 'enrichment'. A Polar Bear shows around 18 seconds in. I remember Wellingborough's Polars, housed in a circus training ring security fence (not a full one as it was much smaller diameter), troweled concrete floor, no roof, a tiny pool much smaller than Thorney's and a pile of white bread loaves for food.

As I said, my parents cannot have rated either Thorney or Wellingborough as I can only remember one visit to each, but both were very popular and provided what was expected by the public at the time.

I was told a story when I visited the Wellingbough History Centre of the young lad who would help deliver milk with his dad and was given access to the polar bear enclosure.

 

[Andrew Swales]

I was told a story when I visited the Wellingbough History Centre of the young lad who would help deliver milk with his dad and was given access to the polar bear enclosure.

The town of Wellingborough does seem to have 're-discovered' its zoo to some degree. Maybe because it was so central in the town, and was so much earlier than most of the other local zoos? This year there have been displays of material and anecdotes at the town museum.