Closed zoos in the westcountry

Hi Mary thanks for your response I would love to know:

The location of the former site

Species list

Description of the site etc

Dispersal of animals-where they went if known. Do you remember a bear called honey? I think she ended up at Dartmoor?

Many thanks I look forward to any information you can provide

JACKS ZOO
 
Remember going to Poole Park Zoo, it had species like sun bittern and crowned pigeon,Exmouth had Tayra, but don't forget Merley Bird Gardens near Wimborne or The West Country Wildlife Park at Cricket St Thomas, which have also closed!
 
There is quite a lot of information about Exmouth Zoo and Poole Zoo in my new book, "Animals in the Blood: The Ken Smith Story".
 
Thanks. It's taken me a long time but it's all been worth it. I hope everyone gets as much pleasure from it as I've enjoyed researching and writing it.
 
My father jointly owned Pine Valley Wildlife Park in the very early 70s - I can remember living there in a caravan as a very young child and have some photos and old leaflets. If you are interested, I can post some pictures? Clare
 
Any information and/or images you can provide would be very much appreciated!
 
mary@campervans said:
Lorna's Mini Zoo, Gunnislake, Cornwall

Hi Jack, I used to work at Lorna's Mini Zoo in Cornwall. What do you want to know? I don't have any photographs but I can remember quite a lot!
kind regards
Mary
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Hi Mary, I have recently purchased the site on the Calstock road and would love any info you have about the zoo please
 
mary@campervans said:
Lorna's Mini Zoo, Gunnislake, Cornwall

Hi Jack, I used to work at Lorna's Mini Zoo in Cornwall. What do you want to know? I don't have any photographs but I can remember quite a lot!
kind regards
Mary
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Hi Mary ,
I have recently purchased the land where Lornas mini zoo was sitednit sure if you will receive this but would love some info :)
Kind regards
Mark
 
BidefordBound said:
Bideford Zoo

The now closed Bideford Zoo was sited in what is now a road called Rowe Close, postcode EX39 5XX. The site is now filled with mostly relatively recentlt built properties. Although there are a couple of olders ones, at the back of the site amongst trees and another on the way through the Close, which is being turned into two properties I believe and has been for some time. Here's a Google map in satellite view of the site...

:: MAP ::

It's not a large site for a Zoo, we've walked the dog round Rowe Close a few times because we're looking to buy a property there. I've not seen anything of the old enclosures on the new estate that's there, but then I've not examined it extensively, and of course you can't exactly go wandering round people gardens.

I found this info on another website:

"Bideford Zoo was built by Mrs K. Tottenham and opened on the 29th May 1966. The original inhabitants included sea lions, bears and raccoons. It finally closed on the 17th October 1970. Most animals were rehomed in a Midlands zoo. You can still see remnants of some of the enclosures at the site. The site has now been bulldozed for a new housing estate."

There's a slideshow of some folks visiting the old Zoo site in 2008 here:

07-12-08 Visit Bideford Old Zoo site
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Thanks for this information - the link to the slideshow is unfortunately no longer working but if anyone has any photos of the old Bideford Zoo I'd love to see them. I just got off the phone with Bob Hands who bought the zoo from Mrs K Tottenham around 1968 or 69, funnily enough he just told me that Dave Flowers (who later went to Poole Park Zoo) was working there at that time. They remained friends and Bob says Dave called him "a few years ago" (I suspect at least 10 years ago, Bob is 82 years old now) and was living in Spain. After selling Bideford Bob went on to open up the now-closed Basildon Zoo around 1972, I worked with him in the 1990's by which time he had sold Basildon on to the Surcouf family but still worked there to lend a hand. Another funny element from this conversation chain - there is a mention of Honey the bear, perhaps the last bear to be kept at the Noak Hill pub named "The Bear" which was sent to live out her days at Linton Zoo in the 1970's - Bob also helped with this animal after receiving a call for help from the local brewery as the cage was rusting and needed to be repaired but had no holding facility for the bear! Certainly very different times back then!
 
zoospud said:
Dear All

Thanks for the updates.

The map is fascinating and Penscynor is a big miss from our list.

I am currently finishing indexing the Bartlett Society archive / library. The task has taken several of us hundreds of hours however we are almost complete.

Then we can revisit your information / our records / your questions and get the master closure listing improved.

Regards, Paul M.
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Paul
On a previous thread about visits to closed collections, others have been mentioned which are not included on the Bartlett Society lists. Melchbourne Bird Gardens in Bedordshire, Brambles Pheasantries at Houghton near Huntingdon, Smallborough Waterfowl in Norfolk, and I missed a postcard on eBay for a zoo at Wroxham in Norfolk. I wasn't prepared to pay £40 for it and the listing was taken down very quickly.
 
ZooNews2024 said:
Paul
On a previous thread about visits to closed collections, others have been mentioned which are not included on the Bartlett Society lists. Melchbourne Bird Gardens in Bedordshire, Brambles Pheasantries at Houghton near Huntingdon, Smallborough Waterfowl in Norfolk, and I missed a postcard on eBay for a zoo at Wroxham in Norfolk. I wasn't prepared to pay £40 for it and the listing was taken down very quickly.
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Paul hasn't been around on ZC for quite some time - although he is still active within the Bartlett Society. As such I've made a note of the collections you've cited and will ensure the information reaches him or one of the other individuals with edit access to that page of the website :)
 
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