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Belle Vue Zoological Gardens

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Vorlage:For Vorlage:Infobox zoo Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was a large zoo, amusement park, exhibition hall complex and speedway stadium in Belle Vue, Manchester, England. The gardens opened in 1836 and developed into one of the most popular attractions in the north of England. At its peak it occupied Vorlage:Convert and attracted over two million visitors each year,[1] up to 250,000 of whom visited over the Easter weekend.[2] The zoo closed in September 1977, and the amusement park in 1980. The land was sold off in 1982, and the site was finally cleared in 1986.

Commercial history

Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was the brainchild of entrepreneur and part-time gardener,[3] John Jennison. He opened the grounds around his home in Adswood, Stockport,[4] to the public in 1826, from where he and his wife Maria sold fruit and vegetables. He called his establishment the "Strawberry Gardens", later "Jennison's Gardens". Manchester's increasing urban population encouraged the development of a thriving leisure industry, and public parks were popular.[5] In 1828 or 1829, Jennison purchased a neighbouring Vorlage:Convert of land on which he and his wife built an aviary to which they charged admission; its first occupant was a captured thrush.[4] Jennison turned his home into a public house, the Adam and Eve, which he and his wife ran together.[3]

John Jennison, founder of Belle Vue Zoo

In 1835 Jennison was approached by businessman George Gill, who suggested that he lease Belle Vue – a public house in Vorlage:Convert of open land between Kirkmanshulme Lane and Hyde Road – as a more suitable site for his aviary.[6] Jennison took out a mortgage of £300 to pay off the £80 mortgage on the Strawberry Gardens and spent the remainder on a trial six-month lease of the Belle Vue property, in June 1836. In December, Jennison signed a 99-year lease at a rent of £135 per annum, For an extra £100 a year, he leased additional land to extend the western boundary to Redgate Lane, close to Stockport Road, where he made a second entrance. To provide finance for further expansion Jennison re-mortgaged the site, for £800.[7]

Except for their belongings, which fitted on a handcart, all the Jennisons took with them to Belle Vue were two or three birdcages containing parrots and other assorted birds. After moving into their new home, the Jennisons decided that their zoological collection had to be expanded as a matter of priority,[8] and by 1839, the zoo housed elephants, lions, and other exotic African animals.[9]

Admission to the gardens was initially by subscription ticket priced at 10s for a family and 5s for an individual, beyond the means of most workers. There were concerts of "genteel music" and a large outdoor wooden platform where patrons could dance to the music of a quadrille band.[10]

Financial difficulties

Although the zoological gardens thrived in their early years, by 1842 Jennison was in financial difficulties, and on 13 December bankruptcy proceedings were initiated. Problems were caused by Jennison's failure to sell the Strawberry Gardens property, because the Manchester & Birmingham Railway track cut through the land Jennison had leased in December 1836, cutting off the approach from Stockport Road, and by competition from the new Manchester Zoological Gardens at Higher Broughton. Attempts were made to sell Belle Vue, but his creditors allowed Jennison time to try and make a success of the gardens, which he quickly did.[11] By the end of the 1843 season, Jennison was able to repay all his debts.[12] The railway that had been a thorn in his side now proved to be an asset, as a station built in Longsight made it easier for visitors to reach the gardens. One of Jennison's priorities was to entice visitors using scheduled excursion trips to Longsight railway station.

Expansion

The original Helter Skelter Lighthouse built in 1906

An additional Vorlage:Convert of farmland at the western end of the site was incorporated into the gardens in 1843. One of the ponds was enlarged to form a boating lake, which later became the Firework Lake. An island was created in the middle of the lake, which housed a natural history museum. In 1858 another Vorlage:Convert were leased, in the triangle between Kirkmanshulme Lane and Hyde Road, from which clay was extracted to make bricks for the gardens' buildings. The result of the excavations was a large hole that Jennison filled with water, creating the Great Lake.[13] By 1905, Belle Vue consisted of Vorlage:Convert of walled gardens and a further Vorlage:Convert outside its walls.[14]

War years

During the First World War, the gardens were used by the Manchester Regiment for drilling, and a munitions factory complete with railway sidings, was built on the site.[15] During the Second World War, parts of the site were requisitioned by Manchester Corporation and converted into allotments.[16]

Although the Second World War forced the cancellation of many events, and made it difficult to feed all the zoo's animals, it was nevertheless very lucrative for the gardens. Profits steadily increased each year, and the company made several claims for compensation for the requisitioning of their facilities. They were granted £4,000 in 1941 and £7,242 in 1942; in gratitude for the latter, the company presented the Civil Defence Service with a new mobile canteen.[16]

Changes in ownership

The family had considered setting up a limited company to administer the gardens since 1895. Most were in agreement except for Richard, John Jennison Snr's youngest son. After his death in 1919, the remaining family members created John Jennison & Co Ltd with a capital of £253,000, comprising investments and loans totalling £63,000. George Jennison became chairman, secretary, treasurer, and joint managing director with John Jennison Jnr, (John Jennison Snr's great-grandson). John, William, Angelo and Richard Jennison Jnr. obtained sufficient shares to be appointed directors. It was reported to be a "very happy board with few meetings and an entire absence of quarrels".[17]

On 27 November 1924 the Jennisons agreed to sell Belle Vue for £250,000 to Harry George Skipp, from London. Skipp was acting as an intermediary however, and on 6 March 1925 a further agreement was signed between the Jennisons, Skipp, and a new company called Belle Vue (Manchester) Ltd. The agreement was for the new company to take over from 1 January 1925, but the transfer did not take place until 28 March. Under the new managing director, John Henry Iles, the gardens expanded to include what became a world-famous amusement park.[18]

Belle Vue became part of Charles Forte's group of companies in 1963. Although he made some improvements to the zoo, his interests lay in developing the gardens' dining and exhibition facilities.[19]

Zoo

Zoo Superintendents
1925 George Jennison
1933–57 Gerald T. Iles
1957–61 William Wilson
1962–71 Raymond Legge
1971–78 Paul Grayson
 

Jennison's original idea was that the gardens should be primarily a botanical excursion, but it became clear that the public was interested in the animals as an attraction in their own right. The initial collection had consisted of domestic birds with a few exotic parrots, but Jennison probably also acquired those animals that could not be sold after the Manchester Zoological Gardens closed in 1842.[12] By 1856, the Jennisons had added kangaroos, rhinos, lions, bears and gazelles.[20]

In 1871 the zoo acquired four giraffes, and the following year an elephant, Maharajah, was bought for £680 from Wombwell's Menagerie No.1 in Edinburgh. The plan to transport Maharajah from Edinburgh to Manchester by train was abandoned after the elephant destroyed the railway compartment he was to travel in.[20] It was decided that Maharajah and his trainer, Lorenzo Lawrence, should walk to Manchester, a journey completed in 10 days with little incident.[nb 1][21] Lorenzo became the head elephant keeper, staying at Belle Vue for over 40 years.[22] Maharajah provided "elephant rides" to the public for ten years, until his death from pneumonia in 1882. His skeleton was preserved and added to the garden's natural history museum.[23] When the museum was decommissioned in 1941, the skeleton, along with other exhibits, was transferred to the Manchester Museum.[24]

Vorlage:Double image In 1893 a chimpanzee was purchased from another of Wombwell's Travelling Menageries in London. The tame, four-year old chimpanzee, Consul, was dressed in a smoking jacket and cap and puffed on a cob pipe, and frequently accompanied James Jennison to business meetings. Consul proved to be exceptionally popular, but he died of dropsy on 24 November 1894. The Jennisons immediately obtained a replacement, Consul II, who played a violin while riding a tricycle, later graduating to a bicycle.[25]

Food for the animals became difficult to obtain during the First World War, but for the most part the gardens carried on as usual. Following the declaration of peace, several monkeys originally destined for government experiments with poison gas were acquired, as was a hippo, a dromedary camel and a zebra. In 1921 and 1922 the zoo obtained two animals who became great favourites. Lil, an Indian elephant, arrived in 1921 accompanied by her British Malayan handler, Phil Fernandez. Phil and Lil provided entertainment, advertising, and elephant rides for 35 years. Frank, a brown bear, arrived in 1922. By the time of his death, 40 years later, he was known as the "Father of the Zoo".[17]

Open-air cages installed in the Monkey House resulted in a drastic improvement in the life expectancy of its residents,[17] but the potential for expansion and improvement after the First World War was limited by the post-war economy. Rising labour costs and minimal profits resulted in the gardens' increasing dilapidation.[17] The zoo began to be neglected after the sale of Belle Vue in 1925, but it was rejuvenated by the appointment of Gerald Iles as zoo superintendent in 1933. A new Gibbon Cage and Monkey Mountain were created and the Reptile House was extended.[26]

On the outbreak of war in 1939, the animal keepers were issued with rifles, to deal with any dangerous animals who might escape if the gardens were bombed. A night shift was also introduced, to watch over the animals 24 hours a day. A list of dangerous animals that was drawn up included 13 lions, 6 tigers, 2 leopards, 1 cheetah, 2 tigons, 3 other small cats, and several bears. Although the zoo's administrators succeeded in convincing the local authorities that any danger from the animals was minimal, primarily because the perimeter walls were so high, the keepers were replaced in their sharp-shooting role by soldiers who patrolled the grounds armed with tommy guns.[27]

Stocks were increased by animals transferred from other zoos that had been forced to close. Initially the zoo was given favourable food rationing quotas, but certain foods became unavailable and the price of others increased dramatically.[27] Bananas were impossible to obtain and the supply of fish was problematic. As a result, the keepers were forced to experiment. The sealions became casualties of the food shortage when their keepers attempted to feed them strips of beef soaked in cod liver oil. Although they seemed to thrive on this diet, their digestive systems were unable to cope with the unusual food, and they eventually died of stomach ulcers. The lion's new diet was green-coloured horsemeat, and the monkeys were fed on boiled potatoes. The birds of paradise, (lack of millett), and the penguins, (lack of fish), were unable to adapt to their make-do diet and died. Vegetables were not in short supply however, as the garden staff grew lettuce, cabbage, and carrots in the kitchen gardens.[27]

Wartime interruptions in the supply of gas for heating resulted in the deaths of all the zoo's tropical fish and several other animals, including a lioness called Pearl and her litter of cubs.[28] Although Manchester was heavily bombed during the Blitz, the gardens received only minor damage. The scenic railway was hit by an incendiary bomb and the Reptile House was damaged by shell splinters from ack-ack guns, which also caused the death of a bull bison.[28]

Iles remained as zoo superintendent until 1957, and proved to be a good publicist for the zoo, taking part in radio and television programmes such as Children's Hour.[29] He also left a legacy of animal care in as natural an environment as possible. A new attraction was introduced in 1963, a Chimps' Tea Party, which proved to be very popular. The zoo's last superintendent, Peter Grayson, took over in 1971, but by then the new owners of Belle Vue had lost interest in the zoo, and closure seemed imminent.[30]

Closure

News that Belle Vue Zoological Gardens would close on 11 September 1977 was announced on BBC Radio at 10:00 am on 4 August 1977. The 24 keepers were informed an hour before the news report went on air. The reason given was that the company could no longer afford to cover losses of about £100,000 per year. Shortly before the closure, a number of non-poisonous reptiles were stolen from the Reptile House, only one of which, a Vorlage:Convert python, was recovered.[31]

A 15-year-old elephant, Ellie May, had acquired an undeserved reputation for being dangerous, which made her extremely difficult to sell. Her food costs became difficult to justify, but Grayson refused to have her put down. Although Grayson left the zoo in January 1978, he returned frequently to care for Ellie May, the last animal left at the zoo. In February Rotterdam Zoo agreed to take her, and plans made to transport the elephant to the Netherlands. Ellie May refused to budge however, and overnight developed pneumonia and heart failure. Grayson and veterinary surgeon, David Taylor, felt that she would not recover, and decided to call in a marksman to euthanise her.[32]

Public reaction to the zoo's closure was one of relative indifference, with only a few minor protests. The doors remained open to visitors at a discounted admission price until early November, a little beyond the official closing date, by which time most of the animals had been sold for an estimated £100,000.[31]

Fireworks

After a trip to London to visit the Great Exhibition, Jennison's ideas for Belle Vue became more ambitious. He decided to implement large, scheduled "fantastic" firework displays employing a scenic artist, George Danson, to design and create a Vorlage:Convert canvas backdrop.[33] The displays took place on an island in the middle of the Firework Lake, which also housed a small natural history museum.[34] In keeping with Jennison's desire for self-sufficiency, the fireworks were made by Belle Vue.[35]

The first display took place on 2 May 1842, designed by "Signor Pietro". The theme for the early displays was "battle enactment", which proved to be popular with the paying public and resulted in Belle Vue becoming an all-day entertainment venue.[33] The firework displays incorporated real people and real weapons, some of which, 1866-vintage Snyder rifles, were issued to members of the local Home Guard during the Second World War.[27] The displays continued throughout the First World War, except that the use of rockets was prohibited under the Defence of the Realm Act. Reflecting contemporary events, the theme for the 1915 display was "The Battle of the Marne"; in 1916 it was "The War in Flanders", during which one spectator got so caught up in the action that he waded across the lake to join in with the "fighting".[15] Anticipating the outbreak of the Second World War, the theme for the 1933 display was "Air Raid on London".[27]

The last grand firework display took place in 1956, on the theme of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men.[36]

Funfair

Guide book cover, 1933. Belle Vue printed all their guides in their own printing shop.

Under the Jennisons the main priorities for Belle Vue were the zoological and botanical gardens; amusements were provided merely as a distraction. Iles believed that expansion of the rides and the fun aspect of the park was the way forward, and added the dodgems, the Caterpillar, the Ghost Train, Jack & Jill, the Flying Sea Planes. The Scenic Railway, a replacement for the Figure 8 Toboggan, was purchased in 1925 but not fully functional until 1927. It proved to be one of Belle Vue's most popular rides and remained in use until 1975.[37]

The Bobs rollercoaster, was arguably the most popular ride, so named because it cost a bob for admission. It had an Vorlage:Convert drop at a 45 degree angle, down which the cars travelled at Vorlage:Convert.[38] It was built by Harry Traver and designed by Fred Church and Tom Prior,[39] who had to develop a series of engineering innovations to make the ride possible. The Bobs' distinctive white-painted wooden superstructure became an imposing element of the Belle Vue skyline.[38]

Belle Vue Circus

George Lockhart
Ringmaster

The annual Belle Vue Christmas Circus became a major attraction, but it did not have an auspicious beginning. The first Christmas circus, in 1922, was not a success. In 1929 the zoo superintendent, Gerald Iles, made a deal to use Blackpool Tower Company acts and equipment at Belle Vue. One of the first to arrive was ringmaster George Lockhart.[40] Lockhart, known as "the prince of ringmasters",[41] became synonymous with Belle Vue Circus, and his face was used on many advertising posters. Iles included some of the Belle Vue zoo's animals in the circus, in a feature called Noah's Ark.[42]

The 1939–1940 performance season was disrupted by the Second World War, initially limited to three weeks before being extended by an additional week. The circus lighting was also problematic for the blackout rules of the day, but the difficulties were overcome by the use of low-level strip lights illuminating the travel ways between the Kings Hall and the Hyde Road entrance, and by allowing buses to pick-up and drop off at the door of the Hall.[27]

For the 1967–1968 season, to celebrate his 39th consecutive year, the circus was temporarily renamed the "George Lockhart Celebration Circus".[43] Lockhart was the ringmaster for 43 years, until his retirement in 1970 at the age of 90. His replacement, Danish-born Nelly Jane, held the job for two years before being replaced by Norman Barrett, the last ringmaster. Another of the circus stalwarts was resident band leader, Fred Bonelli, who started his career as a trumpet player for Barnum and Bailey's circus band;[43] he led various Belle Vue circus bands for 40 years.[44]

Many of the acts featured animals, such as Dolas the lion tamer, Thorson Kohrmann and his Farmyard Friends, Willi Mullens Caucasian Cavalry & Ponies, Miss Wendy's Performing Pigeons and Harry Belli's Horse Riding Tiger – to say nothing of the Dog![45] Although the animal acts were considered to be the crowd pullers, there was also the usual collection of acrobats, strongmen and clowns, the most popular of whom was Jacko the Clown (real name Robert George John Francis Fossett), accompanied by his partner Little Billy Merchant.[46]

It is generally considered by fans of the circus that the end came with the closure of the Kings Hall, the traditional venue for the circus, although for several years after its closure the circus performed in the car park and in a marquee on wasteland on the other side of Hyde Road, directly opposite the gardens' main gates.[47]

Speedway

Speedway racing in 1963

One of the activities that became synonymous with Belle Vue was motorcycle speedway (known at the time as dirt track racing), which was introduced on 28 July 1928 in the recently built greyhound racing arena; by March 1929 it was proving to be very popular. Iles, after buying a controlling interest in the North Manchester Motor Club (NMMC), decided to move the track to build a purpose-built stadium, contracted to provide the NMMC with racing facilities for five years. The new stadium opened on 23 March 1929. At the time this was the largest purpose-built speedway stadium in the country, possibly in the world. Eventually it became the first home of the Belle Vue Aces.

As the speedway bikes ran on wood alcohol (known as dope), they were unaffected by fuel rationing during the Second World War, and racing was able to continue, although many other attractions in the gardens were forced to close.[27]

Closure

Gardens and amusement park

Datei:Belle-Vue-Water-Chute-ad-1950s.jpg
A 1950's advert for the Belle Vue Zoo water chute ride

When the zoo closed, the company announced that the gardens and amusement park would be expanded with "new active leisure pursuits". By 1978 the site was named "Belle Vue Leisure Park" and the Tropical River House was converted to a skateboard arena in an attempt to cash in on the new craze from America. A few months later the arena was moved to an area outside the New Elizabethan exhibition hall. It turned out to be bad investment as demand was now virtually nil.[48] In 1977 the closure of the London Festival Gardens in Battersea, London prompted the company to buy the "Jetstream" ride which was installed but did not open until a year later.[49]

Other attractions closed at about the same time included the boating on Firework Lake, the Lighthouse Bar, MiniLand and the miniature railway. One of the locomotives, named "Joan", formerly of the Rhyl Miniature Railway, was leased to Sir William McAlpine, an enthusiast of miniature trains. Sir Charles Forte presented the Bassett-Lowke locomotive "Prince Charles" to the Eskdale (Cumbria) Trust, who restored the engine and changed its name to "Synolda", its original name when running on the Sand Hutton Miniature Railway.[49]

In 1979 the amusement park was leased to the main concessionaire, Alf Wadbrooke, although by then the park was only open at weekends during the summer season. The long-promised restoration of the scenic railway had not happened and the water chute had closed. In August 1980, Wadbrooke was given notice to close down the park by 26 October 1980 and to have all his equipment removed by February 1981.[50]

Exhibition halls

The opening of the G-Mex centre in 1986 dealt a severe blow to the viability of Belle Vue's exhibition halls. The site was sold and the remaining buildings replaced by a large car auction centre. Very little remains of Belle Vue today, and there is nothing left of the original gardens and amusement park, which are now an industrial and residential area.[51] A road in the housing estate was called Lockhart Close, named after circus ringmaster George Lockhart.[50]The Belle Vue Speedway moved to the nearby greyhound racing stadium, located at the top of Kirkmanshulme Lane, where it had begun in 1929.[52]

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See also

Notes

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References

Notes

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Bibliography

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Vorlage:British zoos Vorlage:Zoos

  1. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  2. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  3. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  4. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  5. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  6. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  7. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  8. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  9. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  10. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  11. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  12. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  13. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  14. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  15. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  16. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  17. ↑ a b c d Vorlage:Harvnb
  18. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  19. ↑ Referenzfehler: Ungültiges <ref>-Tag; kein Text angegeben für Einzelnachweis mit dem Namen StackhouseHyamsP5.
  20. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  21. ↑ Heywood Hardy: The Disputed Toll, Heywood Hardy. Manchester Art Gallery, abgerufen am 12. Januar 2010.
  22. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  23. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  24. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  25. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  26. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  27. ↑ a b c d e f g Vorlage:Harvnb
  28. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  29. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  30. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  31. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  32. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  33. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  34. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  35. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  36. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  37. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  38. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  39. ↑ Bobs, Belle Vue Park. Rollercoaster Database, abgerufen am 22. November 2007.
  40. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  41. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  42. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  43. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  44. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  45. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  46. ↑ Barbara Gibson: Focus on the Oral History of the Circus by Barbara Gibson. In: National Life Story Collection Issue 5, Winter 2000. The National Sound Archive, 2000, abgerufen am 24. November 2007.
  47. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  48. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  49. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  50. ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
  51. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
  52. ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb


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