The Reptile House replaced a building of 1882-83, which was itself a replacement of the world's first reptile house built in 1849 (see Bird House). It was built on the site of an Ape House of 1901-02, parts of which were incorporated. It was built 1926-27 by Joan Beauchamp Procter, Curator of Reptiles; Sir Edward Guy Dawber, architect; Prestige and Company, builders; George Alexander, sculptor; original landscaping by John Bull, theatrical scene artist; original heating system devised by the General Electric Company. It now houses several species of reptile, including Jamaican boa, Philippine crocodiles, western diamondback rattlesnakes, Annam leaf turtles, Fiji banded iguanas, northern caiman lizards, puff adders, king cobras, tokay geckos, emerald tree boas and Yemen chameleons. In December 2012, a refurbished amphibian section was opened to the public, displaying amphibians such as Chinese giant salamaders, axolotls, caecillians and various types of poison dart frog.
Letter from Edgar Chatterton to Philip Lutley Sclater regarding no longer being able to view the animals behind the cages following reports in the newspapers about the way in which the reptiles were being fed in the reptile house
