Belle Vue Zoological Gardens in United Kingdom

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Belle Vue Zoological Gardens


Typezoo
Founded1836
First elephant arrived1839
Last elephant left1977
Closed down1977
Address Belle Vue, Gorton
Place Manchester
Country United Kingdom
Website Website
Related persons
Owner 1836-1869: John Jennison
Directors
1870-1878: George Jennison
Performers & Artists
-: Leonard Austin
Key Persons 1928-1970: George Lockhart Jr. (ringmaster)
Zoological department
Animal trainers
1939-1940: Fritz Schulz
Elephant department
Head keepers
of elephants
1872-1912?: Lorenzo Lawrence
Elephant keepers
1949-: Simon Perera
Record history
History of updates2024-03-06xx
Latest document update2024-03-06 20:25:29
The founder of Belle Vue Zoo, John Jennison

The founder of Belle Vue Zoo, John Jennison
Description

Belle Vue Zoological Gardens, zoo located at Belle Vue, Gorton, in Manchester, United Kingdom , was founded in 1836 and the first elephant arrived in 1839. The last elephant left in 1977.. Belle Vue Zoological Gardens closed down in 1977.


Comments / picturesBelle Vue Zoological Gardens in United Kingdom United+Kingdom

Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was a large zoo, amusement park, exhibition hall complex and speedway stadium located in Belle Vue, Gorton, Manchester, England. The Gardens opened in 1836 and developed into one of the most popular attractions in the north of England.

At its opening in 1836, Belle Vue contained an Italian Garden, lakes, mazes and hothouses, as well as the aviary.[10] The family decided that their zoological collection had to be expanded as a matter of priority, and by 1839 elephants, lions, and other exotic African animals had been added. List of elephants:

1921: Lil arrived in 1921
1928: In 1928 in addition to Lil was Nellie and Judy
Nellie was replaced by Betsy
1939: In 1939 Martha and Yvonne arrived
1941: Annie arrived in 1941.
1952: Annie deceased 1952
1947: Lil deceased 1947
1949: Mary arrived in 1949
1977: Ellie Mae was euthanised in 1977 when she refused to enter transport at the closure of the park.

Belle Vue Zoological Gardens in United Kingdom United+Kingdom

At its peak it occupied 165 acres (0.67 km2) and attracted over 2 million visitors each year,[1] as many as 250,000 over the Easter weekend alone.[2] The zoo closed in September 1977, and the amusement park closed in 1980. The land was sold off in 1982, and the site was finally cleared in 1986.

Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was the brainchild of entrepreneur John Jennison. Jennison and his wife Maria ran a small public house in Adswood, Stockport, called the Strawberry Gardens (later called Jennison\'s Gardens), where they also sold fruit and vegetables. He purchased a neighbouring half acre (2,000 m²) of land on which he and his wife developed an aviary, charging for admission from 1826.

Although Jennison\'s original emphasis was for the Gardens to be a relaxing botanical excursion with the animals being a means to support that environment, it became clear that there was enough public interest to warrant the animals becoming an attraction in their own right. The initial animal collection brought from the Strawberry Gardens had consisted mainly of domestic birds with a few exotic parrots, but by 1856 the Jennisons had added exotic animals such as kangaroos, rhinos, lions, bears and gazelles to the collection.

By 1870 Jennison had handed over the running of the Gardens to his sons, with the majority of the work being handled by eldest son George. Under his direction, in 1871 the zoo became the proud owner of its first four giraffes, and the following year a new elephant arrived, Maharajah, who became one of Belle Vue\'s most famous attractions.

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 in which he was to travel.[30] It was therefore decided that Maharajah and his trainer, Lorenzo Lawrence, should walk to Manchester, a journey they completed in 10 days with little incident.[a][31] Lorenzo became the zoo\'s head elephant keeper, and stayed at Belle Vue for more than 40 years.[33] 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 gardens' natural history museum.[34] When the museum was decommissioned in 1941, the Skeleton, along with other exhibits, was transferred to the Manchester Museum



p.12: Elephants... 3 female elephants (Asiatic) in the Zoo
"Annie" from India, c.85
"Yvonne" from Burma
"Mary" from Ceylon
"Annie" purchased from Liverpool animal dealer in 1870 spent next 70 yrs of her life with Sanger\'s Circus.... closed 1941... animals sold by auction, "Annie" knooked down to Belle Vue for 50 guineas . ...
Burmese elephant "Yvonne" (Miss Yvonne Arnaud)..... "Mary" 18 yrs old from Ceylon. Photograph The Elephant Ride. Photo by Kensley Newspapers . ...


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 he left the zoo in January 1978, Grayson returned frequently to care for Ellie May, the last animal left at the zoo. Eventually Rotterdam Zoo agreed to take her, and plans were 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.

References for records about Belle Vue Zoological Gardens

Recommended Citation

Koehl, Dan (2026). Belle Vue Zoological Gardens, Elephant Encyclopedia. Available online at https://www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=1300. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:



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