The Old Zoo

Bunkers, shelters and other buildings
Martyn
Posts: 116
Joined: Fri 23 Feb, 2007 8:56 am

Post by Martyn »

There's a bear pit on Cardigan Road that was part of the Zoological Gardens in the 19th Century. Not so much secret but intriguing. I'm having trouble finding out about this zoo.There's a link to some pics here.The zoo was open for less than ten years as the City Council wouldn't let them open on a Sunday which was the only day off work for most people.It must have closed by 1890 as it's not marked but I think this is the bear pit.
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http://www.siddles.me.ukYou can take a horse to water but a pencil must be lead.Stan Laurel.

wsmith
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Joined: Tue 06 Mar, 2007 4:08 am

Post by wsmith »

The Bear Pit from across Cardigan Road.
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wsmith
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Joined: Tue 06 Mar, 2007 4:08 am

Post by wsmith »

& the plaque from the Civic Trust. I wonder what 'exhibited' meant? There is a pit behind the facade from which people could look down on the bears. Would they have been made to fight each other in there?
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drapesy
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Joined: Sat 24 Feb, 2007 4:50 pm

Post by drapesy »

I dont think they would have actually been made to fight. Although Victorian menageries kept animals in very poor conditions by todays standards some of the more brutal barbarities carried out on animals were at least made illegal in the first half of the 19th century. By this I mean things like dog fighting, bear and bull baiting (i.e setting dogs on a tethered animal) etc - all of which really belong, and were practised in the 18th century and before. I believe cock-fighting was the last to be outlawed, in 1849 if memory serves me correctly
there are 10 types of people in the world. Those that understand ternary, those that don't and those that think this a joke about the binary system.

mourning_belle
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun 04 Mar, 2007 5:14 pm

Post by mourning_belle »

There was a very interesting talk given on the zoo by a historian last year, lots of lots of info, there was a station built around the same area burley park station is now which was called royal gardens station which was open for about four years. Cardigan road didnt exist then and cuts right through what would have been the middle of the zoo, and it was in the agreement for the sales of the plots for houses that they had to be built well away from the road preserving the asthetic of the grounds and preserving the unusual tree specimins, many of which remain to this day. The ticket offices are visable just off the top of chapel lane? Also you can still see the fountain for the zoo in one of the gardens of the big houses on the left hand side going up towards headingley. It did get shut down because it was a financial nightmare due to the way it was subsidised and the different views of the people who jointly ran it. They wanted the working class to be improved by it but that was when sundays were the only day of rest and they charged too much for entry and some of the people involved felt that sundays should be spent in church rather than enjoying themselves. And the working class felt that getting pissed in hyde park was a far better idea than any of that. There was only ever a very small zoo, one bear and a couple of monkeys. Apparently you could feed the bear bananas when it climbed to the top of the tree in its enclosure.

RFarrell
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed 04 Apr, 2007 2:19 pm

Post by RFarrell »

I found, in the book 'The Illustrated History of Leeds' a map of the Botanic gardens though it was very difficult to work out where it actually was. However, I did so in the end and have superimposed the map onto a Google Earth image of the area. The bottom left hand corner is where the gardens just reached the current Burley Park railway station. Hope this helps!

simon2710
Posts: 219
Joined: Sun 11 Mar, 2007 1:14 pm

Post by simon2710 »

Is this the one in Headingley???If it is on the wall/gates there was a plaque telling people how the bears were treated.
Simon -H-

Martyn
Posts: 116
Joined: Fri 23 Feb, 2007 8:56 am

Post by Martyn »

Where would we be without Google Earth?And People like RFarrell.What a great image, good work!
http://www.siddles.me.ukYou can take a horse to water but a pencil must be lead.Stan Laurel.

RFarrell
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed 04 Apr, 2007 2:19 pm

Post by RFarrell »

Thank you! I've redone the image now and posted it on Photobucket. This one is a fair bit larger and I've done the overlay semi transparent and with Cardigan Road marked on it as well. Shame that Photobucket doesn't let you post PSDs or I'd have posted it in that format (but I can change the transparencys if anyone wants a copy with different emphasis).The plan I have used is as below - showing the design of the main buildings and the dodgy North pointer!Anyway, no wonder it was hard to locate it - I noticed that on the plan of the gardens, North was out by about 7 degrees. I am pretty sure I have it right though - one clue is the little lane behind Norwood Terrace (just outside the Garden area, top right) - this appears to be a perimeter path of the Gardens.Also interesting is that, if I have it right, the bear pit must have been on the island in the lake. Can anyone confirm this?Edit - looks like I can't post it at a sensible size - can zips be posted here?

zoospud
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu 12 Apr, 2007 1:32 pm

Post by zoospud »

Dear All< http://zoohistory.co.uk >.Several members of our Society are visiting Leeds this Sunday. We are visiting Harewood House Bird Garden, Lotherhall Hall Bird Garden and Tropical World ( Roundhay Park ). After which we are going try and find your old Bear Castle. Not being from the Leeds area ( I am from Chester ) we are at the mercy of my 'sat nav'. Does anyone know a nearby Postal Code for the Bear Castle ?Best Wishes, Paul Murphy ( The Bartlett Society ).

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