Adrian, how did you guess that I have two anoraks, a green one for the zoos and a blue one for the buses!. The bus ride and indeed the animals were unforgettable, however what two teenage boys and girls got up to later in the grounds of the Lambton estate on a hot summers afternoon, well I will leave that to your imagination. Right back to business, the last guide book I have from Lambton is undated, however it is definitely from the early eighties, late seventies, the animals listed are, lions(African), ASIAN elephants, i.e. duchess and Millie, raccoon dogs,wolves and Barbary sheep(acquired from London zoo), guanaco,llama,eland,bison,Himalayan bears,(not free roaming,in an enclosure in the walk around area), sika deer, fallow deer,wild boar, common zebra white rhino,(one male, two female), ostrich, rhea , crowned crane, macaw, porcupine and spider monkey, although not listed I remember a black swan ,Blacky, who always enjoyed a tit bit. I last visited the park about seven years ago after being at the adjacent garden centre, although there were signs on the gates clearly stating "Private property, no public access" curiosity and nostalgia got the better of me, I could not help myself walking around the place with only my two dogs for company. A Land Rover later arrived and a young man enquired what I was doing on private property with two spaniels on a well known shooting estate, I think he must have accepted my reason for being there as he proceeded to drive me around the park in the Land Rover, albeit on this visit without the animals, yes again kindness from the staff of the Lambton estate. Regarding your family connection with the Chipperfield family, if you require any assistance with this Iwill be pleased to help;I knew several members of this family when I visited circuses and I have a copy of their family tree In David Jamersons excellent book on the history of Chipperfields Circus.
