History of zoo education in british zoos - Call for help

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ZooChronicles

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I have been researching the history of zoo education in zoos worldwide (which is still very much in its infancy due to the shear amount of research involved) for a while now. I have decided however that I am going to concentrate on British zoos for the time being with a hope of presenting a paper on the topic at the 2013 EAZA educators conference.

I am trying to pin point the first British zoos to place information signs on their enclosures, or information leaflets that provided the first educational information relating to the animal shown.

If anyone can help in anyway I would be most grateful.
 
Exeter Change Menagerie published its first guidebooks in the 1790s. I have reproductions of a couple of them. I know of no earlier ones from within the UK.
 
Unfortunately they are not in digital format. But in hard format they are available from:

Delineation of Curious Foreign Beasts and Birds, in Their Natural Colours; Which Are to Be Seen Alive at the Great Room Over Exeter Change, and at the Lyceum, in the Strand. by N. Burt, of the Naval and Drawing Academy, ... : Paperback : N Burt : 978

and

A Brief Description of the Principal Foreign Animals & Birds, Now Exhibiting at the Grand Menagerie, Over Exeter-'Change, the Property of Mr. Gilbert Pidcock, Chiefly Extracted from the Works of Buffon and Goldsmith, ... by T. Garner. : Paperbac

The zoological Society of London was publishing guidebooks in its first year (1828). I have an original from 1832 which is the twelth edition.

And of course the Tower Menagerie also published the equivalent of a guidebook in 1829 (Edward Turner Bennett) of which I have an original copy.
 
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