Blackbrook Zoo (Closed) Blackbrook in administration

Nisha

Nisha

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Blackbrook has been placed in administration and a buyer is being sought for the park asap :(

A Staffordshire zoo is up for sale after being placed in administration.

Blackbrook Zoological Park, in Winkhill near Leek, is home to more than 200 species of birds.

But after struggling to attract visitors, it is now in the hands of Newcastle-under-Lyme-based Barringtons Corporate Recovery.

Barringtons managing director Phil Wood said he was hopeful most of the workers would keep their jobs if a buyer could be found.

"If no-one comes forward then ultimately it will have to close, the stock will have to be dispersed and we will sell it as some land," he said.

Mr Wood said the zoo had been run as "a hobby" in the past, relying on the support of a wealthy benefactor.

He said he was confident the 30-acre site could be a success if investment could be found.

"It does need a bit of money spent on it but with some common sense and a bit of business acumen it can be made to look a lot better," he added.
BBC News - Blackbrook Zoological Park put into administration
 
Last edited:
What sort of collection does Blackbrook have, is it exclusively birds or are there a few other species too? Is it the best bird collection in the UK?
 
Largely birds, with a small but choice herp collection too. Despite having gone through a bad few years, with financial trouble and a number of losses, I'd still call it the best bird collection in the UK by some way.
 
What sort of chance does it have of being saved?

Could it become viable fairly easily (more marketing, adding some family favourites - lemurs, meerkats, otters, wallabies, petting zoo area?) or is competition or other factors going to prevent it ever being successful?
 
It actually had quite a few lemurs a year or two back, but bad weather killed them all off - they have been cutting their mammalian collection down to the bone of late in an attempt to focus on the core of the collection.

The main issue is the fact the collection is found in rural moorland in the middle of nowhere, and at a rather high altitude, and as a result suffers badly every winter and receives little passing trade. The winter 2012-13 was actually harsh enough that the resulting flooding, erosion and ice-damage led the collection to be closed for close to 6 months.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
I'd still call it the best bird collection in the UK by some way.
Click to expand...

Five years ago it was by a clear margin, nowadays I'm not sure it's as clear cut (if it still is, I'd argue it's only just and no longer, "by some way")-still, by far, the best for water fowl but lacking a little variety outside of that.

That said, the situation is a great shame as species-wise they've still got some nice bits and some of the buildings and enclosures are very well done (they have never sorted out the labeling though which, in my opinion, is a basic requisite for a zoo).
 
TeaLovingDave said:
The main issue is the fact the collection is found in rural moorland in the middle of nowhere, and at a rather high altitude, and as a result suffers badly every winter and receives little passing trade. The winter 2012-13 was actually harsh enough that the resulting flooding, erosion and ice-damage led the collection to be closed for close to 6 months.
Click to expand...

Absolutely spot on! The location does the place no favours whatsoever. I'm convinced if it had been in a tourist-type location in the South (but not too close to competitors) it would have thrived -look at Seaview Wildlife Encounter on the Isle of Wight, a fairly ordinary collection displayed acceptably but nothing particularly outstanding, it trundles on and on.
 
Very sad news , though not surprising . The price seems cheap , presumably because it is in liquidation and they want a quick sale . You would be lucky to buy a small flat in much of London for the asking price !

Does anybody know what happened to all the pelicans thay had until recently ?
 
Shorts said:
Five years ago it was by a clear margin, nowadays I'm not sure it's as clear cut (if it still is, I'd argue it's only just and no longer, "by some way")-still, by far, the best for water fowl but lacking a little variety outside of that.
Click to expand...

You may be right, although I am struggling to think of any collection which competes with it in this regard other than Slimbridge, which is even more waterfowl-focused than Blackbrook is.

I supposed one problem with this question is that when considered as a whole, collections like Chester and London which hold a good bird collection spread out among everything else are hard to equally compare with a very bird oriented collection such as Blackbrook. The former two could well have bird collections rivaling the latter, but it is difficult to compare them.

Shorts said:
Absolutely spot on! The location does the place no favours whatsoever. I'm convinced if it had been in a tourist-type location in the South (but not too close to competitors) it would have thrived
Click to expand...

Or indeed pretty much anywhere in the northeast, considering the lack of any real zoological competition over much of the area despite a lot of mainline rail connections. Imagine Blackbrook transplanted to somewhere like Northallerton (North Yorkshire) or Alnwick (Northumberland) - both are towns in the middle of rather picturesque countryside which receive a large amount of tourism already, and most importantly have direct rail connections from places like London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester!
 
Bele said:
Very sad news , though not surprising . The price seems cheap , presumably because it is in liquidation and they want a quick sale . You would be lucky to buy a small flat in much of London for the asking price !

Does anybody know what happened to all the pelicans thay had until recently ?
Click to expand...

Some were moved to other collections, that is all I know. On my last visit they seemed to have just 2 Dalmatian pelicans.

About 2 years ago they had eggs of the brown pelicans.
 
To echo what's been said before, I am terribly sad but utterly unsurprised. Apart from the heroic optimism of placing a bird collection miles away from anywhere apart from the UK's biggest theme park, I must say in all honesty that nowhere in the UK has ever struck me as being so utterly uncommercial.

On my first visit the entrance was open but the till was untended, together with the adjacent shop. My companion and I could have been well into the zoo, fluffy penguins in thieving paws, and I doubt if anybody would have been the wiser. And for a large park in a chilly location to offer no other hot food than the (admittedly delicious) local oatcakes, with as much seating available outside as indoors, just showed an inability to take on board some hard facts about how to maximise revenue, IMHO.

I really hope that the park survives as it is (zoologically speaking!), but I will also be rather surprised.
 
Last edited:
IanRRobinson said:
And for a large park in a chilly location to offer no other hot food than the (admittedly delicious) local oatcakes, with as much seating available outside as indoors, just showed an inability to take on board some hard facts about how to maximise revenue, IMHO.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with your appraisal of the oatcakes! They were a highlight of my visit to the place too.

Also agree with all that is said about its location. I went in the summer, a couple of years back. I left Sussex in glorious sunshine. By the time I got to Blackbrook, freezing rain was reducing visibility to about ten feet. Hence my enjoyment of a hot oatcake!
 
A short statement from Blackbrook regarding the weeks events:

Just to update all our lovely Facebook followers. Although we are now in administration, we are still open to the public and it's business as usual. We're hoping that the administrator can find a buyer or investor to take the park forward and secure it's long term future for the people of Staffordshire and beyond. Thank you again to everyone for their fabulous support and all we ask is that you come and visit us to show potential buyers what this place means to you all. The Blackbrook Team
 
Does anybody else wonder if Chester might be willing to step in? Would a chance to convert Blackbrook into a boreal/montane park like HWP be of interest, perhaps?
 
60 inquiries have been made about buying Blackbrook... hopefully one of them will turn into the buyer the park needs

More than 60 people have inquired about buying a Staffordshire zoo that is in administration.

Blackbrook Zoological Park, in Winkhill near Leek, was put in the hands of administrators earlier this month - leaving seven jobs at risk.

It is now in the hands of Newcastle-under-Lyme-based Barringtons Corporate Recovery.

Managing director Phil Wood said people who already own UK tourist attractions in the north and south had inquired.

He said he was hopeful the seven jobs would be saved if a buyer could be found.

The 30-acre zoo, which features penguins, storks, flamingos and cassowaries, has struggled to attract visitors.

Offers in the region of £300,000 and £350,000 are being sought.

BBC News - Blackbrook Zoological Park attracts 60 purchase inquiries
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top