I fear you are right, probably an indoor soft play area and cafe for the adults
ZSL London Zoo London Zoo News 2023
- Thread starter Kalaw
- Start date
Please don't be so reasonable, it is the ZSL we are talking about, so anything but doom and gloom doesn't do
Indoor Crazy Golf anyone? ZSL have previous!
In all seriousness though, wouldn’t the structural age of the building prevent it from being converted to soft play, or limit its function? Is it listed? Or is it destined to be yet another example of ZSL short term planning?
Yes, one of the ideas as discussed before is to take there Vets in Action half-term event they have run for a number of years now (kids dress up as vets and do pretend exams on soft toys), expand it and make it permanent. Similar to the whole Little City/KidZania role play events you see around the country now days just Zoo focused. Dress up as a vet, keeper, role play etc. Talk of using an external company to do it rather than in-house.
In fact shortly after COVID there was talk of creating a soft-play centre within the Prince Albert Suite (top of the main restaurant), it didn't come to anything. But certainly there is a keenness to create a indoor play space. Ideal to uplift membership of young families coming in for a few hours.
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Surely learning about the history of zoo development could count as a 'fun for the whole family' experience? =[
Judging from the success of the soft play at Whipsnade, ZSL apparently think not!
As someone with a 6 year old and a wife that indulges my zoo fandom, but does not love zoos the way I do.....I can say that a Zoo Museum would be budgeted about 5 minutes of time, if they even did not skip it entirely. But a soft play area would be huge - if not the highlight of the zoo for my son.
I would love a Zoo Museum, but that love does not extend broadly, unfortunately.
I mean getting some children (and even some adults!) interested in a live animal unless its dancing around is sometimes a chanllege enough.
Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
Oh dear, an education opportunity missed!
And ,with ZSL soon to approach its Bicentennial, rather quite depressing.
I wonder if Sir Stamford had visions of a giant ball pit in the grounds of Regents Park all those years ago.
ralphthestick
Well-Known Member
Probably not, but I'm sure he would also have a thing or two to say about non-fellows being granted access to the grounds, enclosures larger than 4 meters a side, women being employed as zookeepers, and the existence of the okapi.
I don't know when the first female keepers were employed, but ZSL had female fellows from the very beginning which was quite progressive for the time.
Tetradactyla
Active Member
Possibly sacrilegious, as a “zoo enthusiast”, but I have to admit that a zoo museum would be only marginally more interesting to me than a children’s soft play!
I would still prefer the museum though, for the simple reason that the acoustics in the reptile house didn’t exactly lend themselves to big crowds before - so unless ZSL make some alterations with that in mind, they’re likely to create a children’s soft play that could also double as a torture chamber for enemy combatants
I would still prefer the museum though, for the simple reason that the acoustics in the reptile house didn’t exactly lend themselves to big crowds before - so unless ZSL make some alterations with that in mind, they’re likely to create a children’s soft play that could also double as a torture chamber for enemy combatants
Female keepers were first employed in 1941 following staff shortages (London Zoo during World War Two | London Zoo) however I think there were female Curators such as Joan Procter.
Joan Procter became Curator of Reptiles in 1923.
I recall one interesting case of a zoo removing a soft-play...
I think it was around 2011 when Marwell [then known as Marwell Wildlife] installed a soft play into their Ark Gift Shop.
For reasons of which I am unaware... the shop was redeveloped circa 2015[?]... and the soft play disappeared; though to my knowledge the shop now has a small coffee area.
I think it was around 2011 when Marwell [then known as Marwell Wildlife] installed a soft play into their Ark Gift Shop.
For reasons of which I am unaware... the shop was redeveloped circa 2015[?]... and the soft play disappeared; though to my knowledge the shop now has a small coffee area.
The "problem" with soft play areas is, by their very nature, that they are noisy.. At Marwell the café in the gift shop was in fact opened at the same time as the soft play. While parents drinking coffee while their children play alongside sounds a good area, it was not and the soft play was removed to make way for an art exhibition space and then the café seating area was extended to how it is today. Elsewhere, in zoos at least, soft play is best inside in areas where it cannot significantly disturb either animals or visitors. At ZSL London, with the closure of the Aquarium, the old Reptile House is the first significant building that visitors encounter, so hopefully ZSL will not go down that route as first and last impressions are very important to visitors' impressions.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
A real shame, in my opinion, if such a historic and beautiful building is to be converted to a soft play. I can imagine, however, that younger children with an interest in animals might like the idea of running about in a ball pit knowing that once upon a time, a crocodile or anaconda inhabited that same space (I certainly would have done when I was younger, and perhaps younger family members of mine might find similar joy), but that is the only upside really.
I will refrain from criticising this further until we have absolute confirmation as to what it will be, as the suggestion by others upthread that 'family fun,' could just be a way of hinting at something enjoyable, when the reality is that they have no idea what to do with it just yet, is very plausible indeed. But I will say this; I have made the argument elsewhere relating to ZSL that the individual easiest way to improve the zoo and its collection without spending too much money would be to follow the example of, say, Magdeburg or Colchester, where every large building has a few smaller species tucked away in the corners, in thoughtfully designed terrariums. The Cassons and the Reptile House don't need an extensive redevelopment to remain genuine and interesting - a children's area is fine, but just add a small mammal or reptile or fish in the corner for that little bit of extra appeal. I don't get why ZSL don't just try to do that, instead of devoting huge amounts of space that they don't have to just a few species, or in some cases, no captive animals entirely...
I will refrain from criticising this further until we have absolute confirmation as to what it will be, as the suggestion by others upthread that 'family fun,' could just be a way of hinting at something enjoyable, when the reality is that they have no idea what to do with it just yet, is very plausible indeed. But I will say this; I have made the argument elsewhere relating to ZSL that the individual easiest way to improve the zoo and its collection without spending too much money would be to follow the example of, say, Magdeburg or Colchester, where every large building has a few smaller species tucked away in the corners, in thoughtfully designed terrariums. The Cassons and the Reptile House don't need an extensive redevelopment to remain genuine and interesting - a children's area is fine, but just add a small mammal or reptile or fish in the corner for that little bit of extra appeal. I don't get why ZSL don't just try to do that, instead of devoting huge amounts of space that they don't have to just a few species, or in some cases, no captive animals entirely...