Windsor Safari Park:Reasons for Closure

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Panthera1981

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Hello everyone!

Those of you with long memories might be able to help me here!

What were the reasons for Windsor Safari Park closing? I believe one was management blowing all the money on a mock African village.

Also, did it have a future and,if so, what could/should it have been like?

Thanks
 
Panthera1981 said:
Hello everyone!

Those of you with long memories might be able to help me here!

What were the reasons for Windsor Safari Park closing? I believe one was management blowing all the money on a mock African village.

Also, did it have a future and,if so, what could/should it have been like?

Thanks
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From Wikipedia:

In the early 1990s Themes International suffered serious financial problems, specifically for Windsor Safari Park; traditional sources of funding had ceased and visitor numbers proved somewhat cool. The situation was exacerbated by the building of an expensive new Egyptian-themed entrance courtyard and similarly themed market streets.

The park entered receivership in January 1992 and closed shortly afterwards, the expensive new developments left largely unused. The park was purchased soon afterwards by the Lego Group, who intended to create a Legoland theme park similar to the existing Legoland in Billund, Denmark. The resulting Legoland Windsor opened in 1996.

The dolphins were relocated to Dolfinarium Harderwijk in the Netherlands.

The only attraction that remains from the Safari Park days (aside from the mansion) is the 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) funicular railway, now known as the Hill Train, that links The Beginning area of the park with Land Of The Vikings.
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I visited Windsor just once, in 1972. Bizarrely, on a visit to Legoland with my kids about 2-3 years ago, from the recesses of my memory I noticed that the lane markings for the entrance off the main road were just as I'd remembered.:confused:
 
I visited once. The most memorable thing for me was seeing wild Hawfinches at close quarters(on the ground). First proper view of this bird.:)
 
Certainly according to staff and I believe the media at the time, it was the parent company that was in financial trouble, the safari park was actually profitable, but it was on a site that would generate a significant sum, hence the closure, which was virtually overnight, and eventual sale to Lego.
 
hedigerfan said:
Certainly according to staff and I believe the media at the time, it was the parent company that was in financial trouble, the safari park was actually profitable, but it was on a site that would generate a significant sum, hence the closure, which was virtually overnight, and eventual sale to Lego.
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That is right, Windsor Safari Park itself was the unfortunate casualty of the parent companies financial problems. However another big issue was the fact they they were told that they had to completely refurbish and enlarge the dolphin/killer whale facilities to comply with new legislation at the time but they were unable or unwilling to spend the required money to achieve this. So that problem was also another big deciding factor in the decision to close the park.
 
Nanook said:
That is right, Windsor Safari Park itself was the unfortunate casualty of the parent companies financial problems.
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Worth noting it was also the only Safari Park that has ever been sited close to London. Chessington does now has a safari-style 'African' exhibit but it is hardly on a similar level.
 
It is also worth mentioning that when the safari park was originally opened by the Smart family they purchased the entire estate themselves from the owner of Dodge trucks. The Smart brothers each had their own penthouses in the estate mansion where big stars of the day like Erther Kit and Diana Dors were entertained. The Smarts, at the time, also owned their large circus winter quarters at nearby Winkfield, as their circus was still travelling at the time when the safari park opened.
 
Animal Friendly said:
The Smarts, at the time, also owned their large circus winter quarters at nearby Winkfield, as their circus was still travelling at the time when the safari park opened.
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I remember visiting Winkfield as a small child. Anything remotely connected with zoos & animals was on my radar.
 
Pertinax said:
I remember visiting Winkfield as a small child. Anything remotely connected with zoos & animals was on my radar.
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They had a children's zoo open at Winkfield before they opened the safari park. Smarts also at one time owned a small zoo in Guernsey. They also had plans at one time to purchase the airfield at Blackpool with the intention of opening a theme park there, they however pulled out of this and the site later became Blackpool Zoo. An ex employee of their circus who I knew later worked for Smarts at Windsor Safari Park in the pay box, the amount of money they could take on a good day was staggering, the pound notes were taken from the pay boxes in plastic bin bags!
 
Animal Friendly said:
the amount of money they could take on a good day was staggering, the pound notes were taken from the pay boxes in plastic bin bags!
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It must have been a goldmine in the summer months at least. Location-wise being so close to London they had an edge over the more provincial Safari Parks too.
 
Pertinax said:
It must have been a goldmine in the summer months at least. Location-wise being so close to London they had an edge over the more provincial Safari Parks too.
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Plus it was "all for them", unlike their former rival Jimmy Chipperfield who had to share the takings with the respective land owners of his safari parks, although I understand that he did own the West Midlands Safari Park outright himself when it first opened. Mr. Ronnie Smart did express interest in buying back Windsor when it was for sale by its last owners, obviously, this did not happen.
 
Pertinax said:
I remember visiting Winkfield as a small child. Anything remotely connected with zoos & animals was on my radar.
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Yes it was actually called "Winkfield Zoo" whilst it existed, though as you say it was not on the same scale as most zoos we know.
I have an old newspaper advert about it somewhere and I have seen a postcard with "Winkfield Zoo" on the building in the background.
 
when windsor was available for sale there were severalbuyers that wanted it and keep it as a safari park but unfortunately they were all outbid by legoland
 
Nanook said:
Yes it was actually called "Winkfield Zoo" whilst it existed, though as you say it was not on the same scale as most zoos we know.
I have an old newspaper advert about it somewhere and I have seen a postcard with "Winkfield Zoo" on the building in the background.
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It was also their winter training ground for the Circus animals. I can definately remember seeing the Lions being run from their(very small) cages into a training ring and you then had a very close-up view for free(or virtually, admission was very cheap) of a circus act in progress. Many people disapprove of animal acts in circuses nowadays( myself included) but at least having the public there during training sessions, at least some of the time, indicated they had nothing to hide re their training methods. Same went for their Elephants too.
 
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