ZSL London Zoo London Zoo questions...........

L

leiclad20

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
hi everyone,

does anyone know what the education centre in the far north western corner of london zoo is actually used for (and dont say 'education!!')?? Is it only used by school groups, and if so, how often? is it conference facilities? is this where the 'huxley lecture theatre and bartlett room are located? does anyone know how frequently this building used?

what im alluding to is, could this building be redeveloped as an exhibit, eg tropical house, conservation/education centre open to public, amphibian house etc?

are there any long term plans for this corner of the zoo? I have always felt its a bit under used, the snowdon avaiary could hold small monkeys and more birds for example, or could be at least used for animals from one specific region.

any thoughts?
 
Well considering that every schoolchild in london is entitled to a free visit to the zoo I'd imagine that its classrooms/lecture theatres are pretty much in constant use, at least a couple of hours each day if not a lot more. Plus there are probably offices there.

I think the lecture theatres you mention though are actually in the building opposite the east service gate. the one with the library and stuff.
 
leiclad20 said:
does anyone know what the education centre in the far north western corner of london zoo is actually used for (and dont say 'education!!')?? Is it only used by school groups, and if so, how often?
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In the days when I was a fairly frequent visitor to the Zoo, I never once saw any sign of life (!) around this building. Perhaps I wasn't around at the right time of day or maybe things have changed now.
 
Pertinax said:
In the days when I was a fairly frequent visitor to the Zoo, I never once saw any sign of life (!) around this building. Perhaps I wasn't around at the right time of day or maybe things have changed now.
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I was in there a couple of months ago. It's house the eduction team and also is used for talks etc with school groups. It tends to be used quite a lot.
 
Yes, the education centre is in constant use. There are offices for the education staff and other people too. There is a lecture theatre which is used all morning every school day for visiting schools (as is the discovery centre behind the Rainforest), and also for other functions, such as training volunteers. It certainly can't be spared for more animal exhibits! London Zoo's education programme is extremely valuable, as I know from witnessing the astonishing lack of knowledge some children exhibit (not all I hasten to add!).

The Huxley and Bartlett rooms are in the Victorian building opposite the east service gate.

I love the idea of putting other animals in the Snowdon aviary! But it would be a nightmare to work out who wouldn't eat who. It's bad enough in the Rainforest where the trumpeter birds have been removed (as far as I know) because of their sharp beaks. And remember the Snowdon aviary isn't heated, it's an outdoor aviary, not many tropical birds or animals would be happy there; it does already house lots of birds, and the squirrel monkeys have a walkthrough of their own.

I do however think the little aviaries along the north side of the zoo are undervisited and perhaps need perking up a bit. The poor zoo can only renovate one thing at a time and it's penguins next, and then hopefully tigers. Not only because of funds, but also because visitors aren't happy when more than one bit is closed. One of the most frequent complaints (not that the zoo gets too many) is "the exhibit we came all this way to see is closed for renovation"!
 
volvox said:
I do however think the little aviaries along the north side of the zoo are undervisited and perhaps need perking up a bit. The poor zoo can only renovate one thing at a time and it's penguins next, and then hopefully tigers. Not only because of funds, but also because visitors aren't happy when more than one bit is closed. One of the most frequent complaints (not that the zoo gets too many) is "the exhibit we came all this way to see is closed for renovation"!
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I recall at the last Fellow's AGM it was mentioned that these aviaries may be going and the site redeveloped - the birds seem likely to go to Whipsnade.

The next big project is the new penguins exhibit and then, funding allowing, the tigers. There is also some renovation going on in the first gallery of the aquarium with tanks being relined and reglazed for a new theme for this area. With the aquarium at Sliver Keys not going ahead it is nice to see ZSL putting money into the aquarium.

What many don't understand is that I believe the Snowdon Aviary was only originally designed to be a temporary exhibit - but then some clown listed it. Staff sometime refer to it as Sowdon's Folly - for obvious reasons.
 
leiclad20 said:
are there any long term plans for this corner of the zoo? I have always felt its a bit under used, the snowdon avaiary could hold small monkeys and more birds for example, or could be at least used for animals from one specific region.

any thoughts?
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I can only imagine the amount of chaos the little beggars could cause for the poor keepers trying to get small monkeys down from the top of the Snowdon Folly! Bad enough getting the birds in for a health check without monkeys giving them the run around hehe ;)
 
... and to be even more pedantic – with myself! – the Huxley lecture theatre and Bartlett room aren't in the 1910 building but in the 1960s building to the left of it. Note to self: think before you post...
 
volvox said:
... and to be even more pedantic – with myself! – the Huxley lecture theatre and Bartlett room aren't in the 1910 building but in the 1960s building to the left of it. Note to self: think before you post...
Click to expand...

Agreed; I meant that the building that houses the main Zoological Society offices (and the library) dates from 1910 so is not a Victorian building.
 
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