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Dudley Zoo.

Brummie a long time ago

Brummie a long time ago

master brummie
This place was a part of my childhood. My memories are generally good, although I think I was born as an engineer, so flora and fauna took a second place. The animals were interesting, but didn't light any fires for me. I did like the castle though. Julie was also taken there, might have been the same time, but we we a bit too little to appreciate that. She is much more wildlife and nature oriented, so it made a much bigger impression on her.
There is one big impression that the Zoo left on her. Camels. In those days, camel rides could be taken, straddling the camel's neck.
Her memory is of a great big dribbling smelly snorting head turning to look at her and blowing out disgusting fumes. (Description edited for coherence, slang and naughty words). She still hates camels. Loves nature programmes on the TV, but the appearance of a camel makes her twitch a bit. (A lot).
They are still going, started in 1937, and doing well.
Anybody else love it or hate it ?
Andrew.
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
This place was a part of my childhood. My memories are generally good, although I think I was born as an engineer, so flora and fauna took a second place. The animals were interesting, but didn't light any fires for me. I did like the castle though. Julie was also taken there, might have been the same time, but we we a bit too little to appreciate that. She is much more wildlife and nature oriented, so it made a much bigger impression on her.
There is one big impression that the Zoo left on her. Camels. In those days, camel rides could be taken, straddling the camel's neck.
Her memory is of a great big dribbling smelly snorting head turning to look at her and blowing out disgusting fumes. (Description edited for coherence, slang and naughty words). She still hates camels. Loves nature programmes on the TV, but the appearance of a camel makes her twitch a bit. (A lot).
They are still going, started in 1937, and doing well.
Anybody else love it or hate it ?
Andrew.
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I would have thought as an engineer, the chair lift would have been right up your street?
 
mw0njm. said:
only went to the zoo once i think camels are loverly.
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Stop winding Julie up. I have to live with it. :worried:

Morturn said:
I would have thought as an engineer, the chair lift would have been right up your street?
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As an engineer, I didn't think the cables were thick enough to support my 10 year old mass.

Along with Dudley Zoo, Drayton Manor Park and Trentham Gardens were on my experience list, but getting off topic a bit.
Andrew.
 
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As a child I remember the isolated wooden steps for getting on the backs of animals, (elephants?), I never saw them being used. I loved the four different coloured 'engines' that did a little circular dance and had a hand-operated bell. If we were very lucky we got a ride on the miniature railway to nowhere, starting from a fancy little station with signals but just stopping on the side of a cliff! Weren't the locomotives named after Prince Charles and Princess Anne?
Best of all though might have been the Monkey House! Set in a dish-like valley one could walk around most of it watching the monkeys climb in and out of the windows. There was a song, (Close The Door), that was often played by 'Uncle Mac' that seemed to fit! (Right song but wrong artiste?)
 
I remember the miniature railway but not what the engines were called!

I actually had a ride on an elephant, the seat took maybe six children, three on either side...and yes, those wooden steps were to climb up.

I loved going round the castle ruin too.
 
Well Prince Charles was right!

"The steam loco Prince Charles arrived at the Dudley Zoo Miniature Railway in 1954 It was based on the LMS Class 5 design and probably built by G& S Light Engines of Stourbridge in 1949. it ran until 1957, before a period of storage until 1960 when it was loaned to Fairbourne's miniture railway until 1962. It had ended up in use at the Evesham Vale Light Railway by January 2003" [Dudley Zoo Railway]

(The savings stamps we were conned into buying at school came in Prince Charles and Princess Anne flavours).
 
Spargone said:
Well Prince Charles was right!

"The steam loco Prince Charles arrived at the Dudley Zoo Miniature Railway in 1954 It was based on the LMS Class 5 design and probably built by G& S Light Engines of Stourbridge in 1949. it ran until 1957, before a period of storage until 1960 when it was loaned to Fairbourne's miniture railway until 1962. It had ended up in use at the Evesham Vale Light Railway by January 2003" [Dudley Zoo Railway]

(The savings stamps we were conned into buying at school came in Prince Charles and Princess Anne flavours).
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According to the zoo web site, the first two engines in 1938 were named Lady Sonia and Sir Richard. They were coal fired model engines, each weighing two tons. They were built by G& S Light Engines of Stourbridge, so that firm had a long connection with the zoo.

Andrew.
 
I remember taking my son and his friend to Dudley Zoo when they were about 4 years old. I remember going up on the chair lift or something similar we walked round but when it came to us coming down Lynne wouldn't get on. So I had to walk down with her and leave Michael at the top saying stay still and I will come back for you. When I got to the top he was nowhere to be seen, I was in a right panic, I went back down to Lynne, then a few minutes later there was Michael with a kind family licking an ice cream they had bought him. I think most parents have a similar tale to tell.
 
Many happy memories going to Dudley Zoo as a child in the 1960s-1970s. The only trauma was the bus ride from Bearwood as I was usually travel sick. Elephant and Camel rides were exciting. The aquarium had big colourful tropical fish like Oscars a kind of cichlid. It was in part of the castle. I enjoyed exploring the castle too and often sat on the cannons. When I got older I became interested in the modernist architecture of Tecton.http://tectons.dudleyzoo.org.uk
There was nothing like it in Birmingham or the Black Country. Of course, the original Tecton animal enclosures are totally unsuited to modern zoo standards. As they cannot be used, they have become neglected.

Berthold Lubetkin with Tecton also designed iconic London Zoo enclosures and buildings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthold_Lubetkin
I think that some of the Dudley buildings would be better in Avoncroft museum, rather than in situ. But the Zoo provided many animal encounters. Early morning washing of hairy baby elephants was a delight. The keepers often walked them round in the public areas. The zoo has its ups and downs. Bristol's The Wild Place project is for me the model of what a modern zoo could be.
 
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Stokkie said:
Many happy memories going to Dudley Zoo as a child in the 1960s-1970s. The only trauma was the bus ride from Bearwood as I was usually travel sick. Elephant and Camel rides were exciting. The aquarium had big colourful tropical fish like Oscars a kind of cichlid. It was in part of the castle. I enjoyed exploring the castle too and often sat on the cannons. When I got older I became interested in the modernist architecture of Tecton.http://tectons.dudleyzoo.org.uk
There was nothing like it in Birmingham or the Black Country. Of course, the original Tecton animal enclosures are totally unsuited to modern zoo standards. As they cannot be used, they have become neglected.

Berthold Lubetkin with Tecton also designed iconic London Zoo enclosures and buildings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthold_Lubetkin
I think that some of the Dudley buildings would be better in Avoncroft museum, rather than in situ. But the Zoo provided many animal encounters. Early morning washing of hairy baby elephants was a delight. The keepers often walked them round in the public areas. The zoo has its ups and downs. Bristol's The Wild Place project is for me the model of what a modern zoo could be.
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I always thought that the best part of the zoo was Dudley Castle!
 
My favourite animals were the polar bears (although they always seemed sad to be in Dudley) and like Stokkie, I was fascinated by those cannons at the castle. I went with the school and later with my Nan. Does anyone remember a children's paddling pool, or am I thinking of another of our school day's out?

1655625300744.png 1655626182674.png 1655626388670.png 1655626419245.png
 
Lovely pictures @John L yes, I think you may be right about the paddling pool.

Re the polar bears, I saw one in the zoo in Singapore back in the 80's which really made me think again about animals in zoos :( poor thing, it was so hot and humid there. I think zoos are much more aware nowadays.
 
When I was little I was about to enter the castle when someone dropped an ice-cream form above, luckily it missed me! I went on the chairlift but I'm not keen on heights now, I seem to remember there were animals below.
Yes Stokkie, that journey from Bearwood seemed to go on forever!
 
I'm 36 now and I have been going to the Zoo since I was a baby and I have never once been bored of the place. It holds so many memories for me plus I still find it quite amusing that Dudley has a Zoo but as a Tiptonian born and bred, I'm proud of the significance of the Black Country and surrounding areas. For anyone that hasn't heard of Wrens Nest, there is so many amazing things there from fossils to limestone caverns. Close to there are also many underground canal tunnels and caverns
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
According to the zoo web site, the first two engines in 1938 were named Lady Sonia and Sir Richard. They were coal fired model engines, each weighing two tons. They were built by G& S Light Engines of Stourbridge, so that firm had a long connection with the zoo.

Andrew.
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G & S Engineering of Stourbridge not only built all the locos that ran on the Dudley Zoo Railway until 1968, they also built and operated the line - they sold it to the Zoo in 1968 and the zoo franchised it out for a number of years afterwards before finally closing it down. As an aside, G & S was started by Trevor Guest, who was the son of the founder of the A.H. Guest Building Contractors, also of Stourbridge. G & S operated from a building in the sand pit in Wordsley, which A. H Guest owned and that site also contained Trevor Guest's home.
 
Job Handley said:
I'm 36 now and I have been going to the Zoo since I was a baby and I have never once been bored of the place. It holds so many memories for me plus I still find it quite amusing that Dudley has a Zoo but as a Tiptonian born and bred, I'm proud of the significance of the Black Country and surrounding areas. For anyone that hasn't heard of Wrens Nest, there is so many amazing things there from fossils to limestone caverns. Close to there are also many underground canal tunnels and caverns
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I too have Dudley Zoo as a happy memory from childhood. My parents and myself were taken there on several occasions by my aunt, uncle and cousin in their car several times in the 1950s. Recollections are hazy but I do remember the elephants with their keeper in an open area of tarmac, and camels also being 'loose' with keeper. My other memory, awakened by Job's comments, is of Wrens Nest - I've never heard of it or known anyone else who had since I was at junior school in the 1950s! Then we were taken as a class to Wrens Nest. Before going we (the class) were told to bring a small hammer and one of dad's 'cold' chisels with us as well as sandwiches for the mid-day meal. The hammer and chisel were to dig out fossils, which were everywhere at the part of Wrens Nest we went to. I remember distinctly hammering away into a piece of sandstone and taking home fossilised 'somethings'. I found out later that the local river created the caverns in the sandstone rock of the area.
So, thanks to 'Brummie a long time ago' for the Dudley Zoo reminder, and to Job for mentioning Wrens Nest. As the latter says, does anyone else remember it?
 
Job Handley said:
I'm 36 now and I have been going to the Zoo since I was a baby and I have never once been bored of the place. It holds so many memories for me plus I still find it quite amusing that Dudley has a Zoo but as a Tiptonian born and bred, I'm proud of the significance of the Black Country and surrounding areas. For anyone that hasn't heard of Wrens Nest, there is so many amazing things there from fossils to limestone caverns. Close to there are also many underground canal tunnels and caverns
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Interesting, Job,
If you're36 then I could safely say I went to the zoo before you were born....Usually it was my Dad who took me but Mum came sometimes. Wonderful place for a child especially. Would have loved to take our daughters there but it would have been a bit far for an afternoon trip as we then lived near Southampton.
 
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