Does anyone know anything about this zoo? I understand from a search online that it existed between 1934 and 1959. The zoo was at Cobtree Manor and was owned by Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake,whose hobby it was for over 50 years for keeping wild animals.
Th only thing I know about this place is that I believe some of the original founder stock of Asian Deer/Antelope at Howletts came from there- possibly when it closed, I don't know that for sure though the dates pretty much tally. I am not sure which species were involved but I would think one or more of; Axis Deer, Hog Deer, Blackbuck or Nilgai. I have tried to establish which, if any, species previously but without success.
I was only a very young child when Maidstone Zoo closed; I regret that I never visited it, so I cannot answer from personal experience. However, there is a fairly short book on the subject “The Story of Maidstone Zoo” (Vickie Harris; 1998); I believe that this is currently out of print but I’m sure that copies are available for sale on-line. If you’re really interested in Maidstone Zoo, though, I suggest you look out for the books written by the owner Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake (who was, incidentally, the Mayor of Maidstone twelve times). I know that he wrote • Beasts and Circuses • My Life with Animals and I think that copies of Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake’s books can be found for sale relatively cheaply on-line.
Vickie Harris's book runs to c.130 pages so I would hardly call it brief! Should be available by Inter-Library Loan from any public library - details are: Harris, Vickie The Story of Maidstone Zoo Meresborough Books, Rainham 1994 ISBN 0948193 808
Sorry Tim. I have obliterated most of your post by mistake! No problems, Pertinax, I'll attempt to recreate it The book by Vickie Harris, that I referred to in my earlier post, states that Maidstone Zoo’s nilgai, axis deer and hog deer were acquired by John Aspinall when Maidstone Zoo closed. (This book does not specifically state that Aspinall obtained the blackbuck too – but there were blackbuck in the collection – so I agree with Pertinax it seems likely he had them too.) It’s all relative, but it didn’t take me long to read the book from cover to cover – which is why I described it as “fairly short”.
I can recommend Vickie Harris's book. My copy is well-thumbed - it contains lots of interesting photographs (many show why it was called "the packing case zoo", not that that affected the husbandry standards - by all accounts Sir Garrard was an expert animal keeper). The zoo features in Clinton Keeling's "Where The Lion Trod" too.
