Old elephant house

Thanks so much, ashely-h!
An incredibly sad but also extremely historically interesting picture.

That's ok, it is interesting, shame they couldn't use the water at the front.

The house is still there, just below the lemur enclosure, but it's been empty since the elephants were moved to the new complex across the park. I think it's a listed building and the ZSL is faced with the problem of finding something to do with it. I hope they can.

Alan

Did anyone ever fall in the moat? I can imagine it likely given everyone leaning over to feed the eles.

The ZSl website says that there is a new butterfly garden to the left of the lemur enclosure, which to me means that the elephant house will be the backdrop of the garden...

Someone mentioned turning it into a nocturnal exhibit for aye-aye, I like the sound of that, seems a good plan especially with the dome design.

I can actually remember going in this House to see the elephants. I do not remember a watermoat though- I think by the time of my visits it was a dry moat. Also I believe they had added rails around the front part of each circular bay which are still there now.

One Asian female was named 'Mangal Peary,' another was an orphan from Ceylon/Sri Lanka, she may have been 'Valli.' The keeper would stand with an elephant on the lawn outside and she would collect pennies with her trunk from the visitors and slip them into his pocket.

This house is another Lubetkin design so bound to have a preservation order on it.

Yes it's preserved, hence why it's still standing I wonder what the will do with it in the long run.

Very interesting photo we often wondered how the structure could possibly work as an elephant house! Not sure it does work but I suppose it did at the time given the conditions for animals at that time!!

I wonder what we call adequate or even good enclosure design now. Will be looked back on in 50 years with disgust?