Chester Zoo Enclosures and areas of historical significance: how should they be dealt with?

I would very much agree - however I would point, in Chester's case, to the already-listed Oakfield House and Stables along with the round exhibit currently housing anteaters as a good selection of buildings that would not obstruct potential future builds (as the Cattle house, in my opinion, would) that are of particular significance to the zoo's history.

 

There is no point in preserving a building unless there is clear thinking about why and how it should be preserved. This anteater exhibit is perhaps the best example at Chester at the moment. The round outdoor enclosure with the brick shelter behind it is one of the oldest and least changed of the current exhibits: it used to be the first one that visitors saw when they entered the zoo through what is now the staff entrance, so it certainly has some historic significance, although I don't think anyone would argue that it has architectural merit. It meets SMR's first criterion of a small footprint, but is it inoffensive?
Of course it has been changed enormously over the years. Look at this photo from 1967 that bongorob posted in the Gallery some years ago, when it held sunbears.



For historical accuracy the zoo could restore the exhibit to this condition - but it would be utterly offensive to keep sunbears like this today, or any other species either. So it would have to be an empty exhibit: visitors could look, shudder, and then move on little the wiser. I can't see much point in that.
Alternatively the exhibit could be modernised, trying to retain some of the character of the original exhibit. Ideally the unsightly sloping wire mesh above the wall would be removed, but the trees and vegetation that have grown up over the years could be retained but would need to be pruned to prevent animals from climbing and jumping out and so perhaps only relatively small and mainly terrestrial mammals should be considered, remembering that standards are rising and zoo licensing conditions must be met, perhaps mongooses would still be OK. The third possibility would be a radical renovation, for example adding a centre pole to support a mesh roof with new mesh sides, converting the whole exhibit into an aviary for hardy bird species such as tragopans and/or jays. But would either of these renovated options be better or indeed cheaper than purpose-built, modern exhibits? Unless they clearly would be, why bother?
I quite agree that Chester should acknowledge and celebrate its history, but this could be done in other ways. Maybe old photos, videos and maps with well designed signs and displays are the best way to remember the old exhibits.

Alan

 

The options of either returning an exhibit (where possible) to its original state or modernising it to current husbandry standards are not without merit, but as you so rightly say, the latter rather defeats the purpose of keeping the exhibit in the first place.

If we use the old bear enclosure as the point of discussion, then as a historical exhibit - for humans to enter - it would require very few structural changes and itself could house the old photos and videos you mention, which let's face it have to go somewhere and I'm not sure the idea of a purpose-built "museum of Chester Zoo" will ever fly. An example of how the enclosure could be use, and one I've mentioned before would be to place the history banner on the inside wall (facing inwards) and let people go in the enclosure to read it.

Then there's the attached house, which originally was home to lions. It's already had a lot of work done to it when converted for the anteaters but as the infrastructure is sound with minimal effort it could make for an interesting historic snapshot.

Neither would be offensive to visitors, and if they did shudder at how zoo husbandry has changed why is that a bad thing? It would be a palpable reminder of the progress made in the modern zoo and how our attitudes to animals in captivity have changed, especially as the starting point was within what most of the public now recognise as the country's most progressive zoo and not a Belle Vue style enclosure.

 

It is civilized well informed debates like this that make zoochat such a wonderful, way to spend a rainy day. I don't feel so bad I haven't cleaned the bedrooms yet, at least downstairs sparkles and I have a nice coffee to sip and browse.
thanks guys.

 

Many Chester regulars know each other well, through occasions like the 'Walk and Talks' and other zoo events. We tend to have discussions like this if we bump into each other at zoo, but ZooChat is a very nice alternative and it lets other people join in too

I rather like SMR's suggestions for the round exhibit, although I suppose they could not come about until that area of the zoo is redeveloped.
I wasn't really suggesting a 'museum of Chester Zoo'; I was thinking about things like the family parties near the giant otter pool where you often overhear someone asking "weren't the sea lions kept here?"
Perhaps next year the zoo could put up small 'blue plaques' in the locations of former exhibits, for example on the toilet block between the Roman garden and June's Pavilion the wording could be 'The Site of the Indian Elephant House 1949 to 1962' (or whatever the dates were). They wouldn't need to be large and there wouldn't need to be a large number of them. They wouldn't need to be blue of course, but they ought to be distinctive, they could even have a nice serif font .
These could be complemented by a dozen or so larger posters in various locations around the zoo - they would need to be positioned carefully to avoid disrupting the theming of the exhibits. For example on the stretch of the wall of Europe on the Edge which used to be part of the polar bear dens, next the plaque about the polar bears, there could be a poster with the heading 'Tigers at Chester Zoo'. It could say that the tigers are now in the new Islands section, but they used to live opposite and give the dates and photos of the enclosure in 1960 and 2010 (for example). It could also mention that Siberian tigers were kept on the site of the Bat House and possibly add something extra, such as the numbers of cubs raised. I would think that there could be about a dozen of these posters dealing with the larger animals, for example one about bears on the fake rock wall at the bongo end of spectacled bear enclosure, one about rhinos on the path between the rhinos and the Tsavo aviary and so on.
This would need some work and some expenditure, but I think it could enrich the experience of visitors by showing how the zoo has grown and developed through the years.

Alan

 

This forum needs a 'like' button.

 

Colchester introduced plaques for their 50th anniversary, similar to Gentle Lemur's suggestion, identifying sites of former enclosures & the species held there, there are several photos of them in the gallery.
Whipsnade have similar 'heritage' signs.
I think these would be an excellent addition at Chester.

 

Have you had rain? It stopped here around 8 a.m. and has been sunny all day.

Needless to say I'd preserve just about all old zoo buildings and keep them as exhibits to boot. I remember the Zebroids from the early 1970s when they were in the farthest of the newer paddocks beyond the Pachyderm House. I have to confess to liking hybrids, whether mammals or birds (especially macaws). A zoo full of them would be just my kind of place - no wonder I am out of step with the modern world.

 

I find hybrids interesting, though not sure if I 'like' them. Just as you don't like Gorillas, I really don't like hybrid Macaws though- I find them very unappealing compared to the true parent species. We beg to differ of course..

I think Gentle Lemur should be put in post (real or honorary) to deal with Chester's historic aspects.

 

Yes it rained most of the day PA, at about 3 it was so dark we had all the lights on and it was Peeing down, Just before the garage rang to say my van had failed it's MOT exactly the same reasons as last year too another £200.............. bloody awful day really, thank goodness for zoochat.

 

The bridge was built in 1957 and gave access to the ankole cattle enclosure, the site now occupied by the Indian rhinos, blackbuck and deer.

 

That's not a good day - hope today was better (lovely sunshine all day again here). I've just discovered I received an email later yesterday from my "Parrot Penfriend" in Kent - she says the weather was awful all day. I think we were lucky to get it out of the way early.

 

Some I am not too keen on, but Harlequins, Jubilees and Rubies I like very much. The Ruby Macaws at Welsh Mountain must be my favourite current zoo animals which is odd in a way as they look more like Scarlets than Green-wings and the Scarlet is probably my least favourite large macaw.

 

I am surprised that it was as early as that. I don't think it was built when I first visited, which must have been earlier than I thought - perhaps it was in 1957. My memory is that the zoo ended at the beaver pool, but of course I didn't see the beaver .

Alan

 

The beaver would be in the Shropshire Union Canal.

I have a scan of the catalogue from the auction at which George Mottershead purchased a number of critical areas of land, including the first triangular area on the other side of flag lane. To try and describe the lot, the area extends to the zoo boundary along the edge of the car park and comprises the elephant enclosure, Monkey Islands, rhino enclosures and the wetland and stork aviaries (the zoo ended at this point and the paddocks which are now sitatunga, hunting dogs, scimitar-horned oryx, bears and zebra were purchased at a later date).

The sale by auction of "A Grandly Situated Field" of 21½ acres from the trustees of Mr. Harold Cheers and Mrs. Cheers, took place on Thursday 20th June 1946 at the Bowling Green Hotel, Chester. Mottershead purchased the land for £2,400, and wrote in pencil the winning amount on his copy of the catalogue.