Beloved household theme park and zoo closed after fires, theft and penguin killings

Its history is full of misfortune and would eventually lead to its downfall, but in its heyday there was no better place to be in the North than this family amusement park

It was the first of its kind in the area and went on to face a number of tragedies that eventually led to its downfall.

Over the course of its 140-year history, the amusement park, gardens and zoo survived a World War, hosted huge events, faced crimes and fires and went on to be an iconic venue for entertainment for thousands.

Belle Vue Zoological Gardens in Manchester occupied 165 acres of land at its very peak, welcoming over two million visitors each year, before its slow and sad decline. It stood proud as the brainchild of John Jennison, whose plan was to set out entertainment gardens for the middle classes before it snowballed into something much bigger.

This wall all the way back in 1836, when the site first opened its doors, became the first privately financed zoo in the country. Jennison was an entrepreneur from Stockport, and he soon grew a fleet of animals that included monkeys, kangaroos, rhinos, lions and bears.

This was just the beginning, as more animals joined the pack in the years that followed, once the zoo was handed over to Jennison’s children in 1870.

Later on in the site’s journey was the amusement side of things, advertised as the “showground of the world”, which included rides such as the 60 mph Bobs roller coaster and the scenic railway. Joining them were the Caterpillar, the Ghost Train, and the Flying Sea Planes.

The 1943 Picture Post of the ride said: “You’re pulled up by a chain to a height of 85 feet, then travel a mile at a speed of 60 mph. On top of the first big dip, you feel sure you’ll fly off and land in Scotland.”

Most notably, Belle Vue opened up The King’s Hall in 1910, which hosted an array of hugely popular concerts. In its lifetime, the hall hosted the likes of icons such as Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Nat King Cole, The Rolling Stones, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash and Led Zeppelin.

The downfall

The zoo managed to survive the Second World War, although as war broke out in 1939, the animal keepers were issued with rifles to deal with any dangers that may occur should the animals act up in response to bombs.

The animals were watched for 24 hours a day, with night shifts introduced, and they soon began to struggle with rations. Bananas were impossible to obtain, and it was difficult to supply fish, so in turn, the keepers had no choice but to experiment with foods.

Despite its wartime survival, fire later became a huge hazard for the park in its later years, with the most devastating fire occurring in 1958. The blaze wiped out a number of buildings, including the beloved Coronation Ballroom, but fortunately the zoo wasn’t affect – at least not directly.

The fire was close to reaching the lion house and, in turn, distressed one of the older lions to the point that she had to be put down. This was one of the many tragic deaths animals faced at the zoo, including those lives lost during a raid.

The park was exposed to several cases of theft and vandalism, but one occasion in 1960 was the worst of all. Intruders broke into the premises, killing a total of 38 animals that lived at the zoo, including nine penguins.

And yet after all of its challenges, it was financial struggles that saw the end of Belle Vue. As determined as it was to remain open to visitors, it was no longer sustainable. The Manchester-based Zoological Gardens permanently closed in 1977 after mounting a loss of roughly £100,000 a year.

Meanwhile, the amusement park continued to hold up, with its doors open on weekends throughout the summer, until that too was no longer viable. The entire site was cleared by 1987, and nothing of it remains but the memories of visitors.

Now the site has been rebuilt to include housing developments and modern apartments, as well as a school.