Whipsnade Zoo

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  • Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell (ZSL Secretary 1903-1935) was inspired by a visit to the Bronx Zoological Park to create a park in Britain as a conservation centre. Hall Farm, a derelict farm on the Dunstable Downs, 30 miles (48 km) to the north of London was purchased by the Zoological Society of London in 1926 for £13,480 12s 10d, The site was fenced, roads built and trees planted. The first animals arrived at the park in 1928, including two Lady Amherst's pheasants, a golden pheasant and five red junglefowl. Others soon followed, including muntjac, llama, wombats and skunks. Whipsnade Park Zoo opened on Sunday 23 May 1931. It was the first open zoo in Europe to be easily accessible to the visiting public. The collection of animals was boosted in 1932 by the purchase of a collection from a defunct travelling menagerie and some of the larger animals walked to the zoo from Dunstable station. During the Second World War, the zoo acted as a refuge for animals evacuated from London Zoo. During 1940, 41 bombs fell on the park with little damage to the zoo structure. Some of the ponds in the park are the remains of bomb craters from this period.

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      Whipsnade Zoo

      Whipsnade Zoo

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      Whipsnade Zoo

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        Whipsnade Zoo

          26 Archival description results for Whipsnade Zoo

          25 results directly related Exclude narrower terms
          Evacuation list
          WAR/2/1/61 · Item · c.1939
          Part of Second world war

          List of staff and their families wishing to be evacuated to Whipsnade Zoo
          Evacuation List
          WAR/1/15 · Item · 8 Oct 1940
          Part of Second world war

          List of staff and others who would have to be evacuated to Whipsnade in case Regent's Park were closed
          Further War Emergency Measures
          WAR/1/19 · Item · 29 May 1940
          Part of Second world war

          Further war emergency measures for London Zoo due to diminished attendance, closure of the Gardens, and evacuation of clerical staff to Whipsnade