I love this photo. Two of London Zoo's most iconic structures in the snow.
Is that pole to the left of the elephant house (Casson Pavilion? I'm forever getting the names of the buildings at London Zoo wrong) the support tower for the new tiger exhibit?
Nothing at all although there is some signage up about the architectural heritage of the structure and how times change. Personally I don’t think a smallish zoo like London can afford to have things like that lying around – it just looks like an empty enclosure. Someone on here suggested moving it to Tate Modern and if that is possible I would say it’s a very good idea.
I don't think that's fair, like it or not this is a structure of significance as an influential piece of early modernist architecture. I would like it to be moved if it isn't going to be used but I am glad that it has been preserved.
London is transforming itself with major new exhibits every couple of years, it is far from being a museum of old zoos. Its unique architectural heritage can sometimes be seen as a hindrance but increasingly, creative solutions are being found.
I think it definitely has it's place and I love it. I'm way too young to remember animals being kept in anything like this but I loved seeing this particular example of historic zoo architecture on my visit to London Zoo. Melbourne Zoo has a similar exhibit along its central path that sits empty but gets a lot of attention from visitors because it is so far removed from what we are used to in a modern zoo.
