Belle Vue Zoological Gardens facts for kids
Main entrance on Hyde Road, rebuilt in 1957
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| Date opened | June 1836 |
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| Date closed |
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| Location | Gorton, Manchester, England |
| Coordinates | 53°27′49″N 2°11′15″W / 53.46361°N 2.18750°W |
Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was a huge and popular place in Manchester, England. It opened in 1836 and had a zoo, an amusement park, big exhibition halls, and even a speedway stadium.
It was the idea of John Jennison, a gardener. He first wanted it to be a nice place for middle-class families, with pretty gardens and dancing. But it quickly became one of the most famous attractions in Northern England. Before Belle Vue, Jennison had a small bird collection at his home. This grew into the zoo, which became the third-largest in the United Kingdom.
In the 1870s, Jennison added a small amusement area. This grew into a big park in the early 1900s, called the "showground of the world". Popular rides included the Bobs roller coaster, which went up to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), and the Scenic Railway. Belle Vue also had amazing firework shows from 1852 and a Christmas circus every year from 1922. Music and dancing were also very popular in its many ballrooms. The Kings Hall, opened in 1910, hosted famous bands and artists like Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones.
Belle Vue served food on a huge scale. In the late 1800s, there were "hot water rooms" where 3,000 people could eat at once. Visitors brought their own picnics, and Belle Vue provided hot water and dishes. Later, there were fancier restaurants. In the 1960s, Charles Forte bought Belle Vue. He improved the zoo but was more interested in the dining and exhibition areas. The Kings Hall was the biggest exhibition space outside London for a while. However, new competition from the G-Mex centre in central Manchester led to its closure in 1987.
At its busiest, Belle Vue covered 165 acres (0.67 km2) and welcomed over two million visitors each year. On Easter weekend alone, up to 250,000 people would visit. The zoo closed in September 1977 because its owners could no longer afford its yearly losses of £100,000. The amusement park stayed open on summer weekends until 1980. The land was sold in 1982, and the site was cleared in 1987. Today, only a greyhound racing stadium and a snooker hall remain from the original Belle Vue.
Contents
How Belle Vue Started and Grew
Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was the idea of entrepreneur John Jennison. He was a part-time gardener. In 1826, he opened the land around his home in Adswood, Stockport, to the public. He called it Strawberry Gardens. Manchester was growing, and people wanted more places for fun. Public parks were very popular.
In 1828 or 1829, Jennison bought more land and built a bird house. He charged people to see his birds, starting with a captured thrush. Jennison also turned his home into a public house called the Adam and Eve.
In 1835, a businessman named George Gill suggested Jennison move his bird collection to Belle Vue. This was a public house with 35.75 acres (0.14 km2) of open land. In June 1836, Jennison leased the Belle Vue property. In December, he signed a 99-year lease. He also leased more land to expand the gardens.
When the Jennisons moved to Belle Vue, they brought only a few birdcages with parrots and other birds. When it opened in 1836, Belle Vue had an Italian Garden, lakes, mazes, and hothouses, as well as the bird house. Soon, they added elephants, lions, and other exotic animals. By 1839, the zoo had grown a lot. Many other attractions were added later, including a racecourse in 1847.
The gardens were an instant hit. At first, admission was expensive, mostly for richer people. Public transport was limited. But in 1842, a railway station opened near Belle Vue, making it easier for everyone to visit. Jennison then lowered the admission price to make it more affordable for working-class visitors.
Early Challenges and Success
Even though the gardens were popular, Jennison faced money problems in 1842. He couldn't sell his old property, and a new railway track cut through his leased land. He tried to sell Belle Vue twice but failed. However, his lenders gave him time, and by 1843, he had paid off his debts. The railway that caused problems later helped, as the station moved even closer to Belle Vue, making it easier for visitors.
Growing Bigger
In 1843, Belle Vue added 13 more acres (0.05 km2) of farmland. One pond was made bigger to create a boating lake, which later became the Firework Lake. An island in the lake held a natural history museum. In 1858, another 8 acres (0.03 km2) were leased. A large hole from digging clay was filled with water, creating the Great Lake in 1858. Two paddle steamers, the Little Eastern and the Little Britain, took 100 passengers each around the lake. By 1905, Belle Vue had 68 acres (0.28 km2) of walled gardens and 97 acres (0.39 km2) outside its walls.
During the Wars
During the First World War, the gardens were used by the army for training. A factory to make weapons was also built there.
At the start of the Second World War in 1939, Belle Vue closed briefly. Then, parts of the site were taken over by the military for things like barrage balloon bases and air-raid shelters. The gardens reopened on September 15, 1939, and stayed open throughout the war. Some areas were even turned into allotments for growing food.
The Second World War made it hard to get food for the zoo animals. However, the gardens made good money during the war. They received compensation for their facilities being used by the government.
New Owners
The Jennison family decided to create a company to run the gardens in 1895. After Richard Jennison's death in 1919, the family formed John Jennison & Co Ltd.
In 1924, the Jennisons sold Belle Vue to Harry George Skipp. Then, in 1925, a new company called Belle Vue (Manchester) Ltd. took over. Under the new managing director, John Henry Iles, the gardens grew to include a world-famous amusement park.
Later Years and Closure
After the Second World War, Belle Vue had a short period of success. In the early 1960s, it could still attract 150,000 visitors on Easter Monday. But by the end of the decade, this number dropped as more amusement parks opened. Sir Leslie Joseph and Charles Forte bought Belle Vue in 1956. By 1963, Forte was in charge. He improved the zoo a bit, but he was more interested in the dining and exhibition areas.
Fires became a problem in Belle Vue's later years. A big fire in 1958 destroyed many buildings, including the Coronation Ballroom. The zoo was saved, but the fire upset a lioness so much that she had to be put down. Stealing and damage also became common.
When the zoo closed in 1977, the owners said the gardens and amusement park would get new activities. By 1978, it was called Belle Vue Leisure Park. They even turned a building into a skateboard arena, but it wasn't popular for long. Other attractions like boating on Firework Lake and the miniature railway also closed. In 1979, the amusement park was leased to Alf Wadbrooke, but it was only open on weekends in summer. In August 1980, Wadbrooke was told to close the park by October 26, 1980.
The Amazing Zoo
Belle Vue was the first zoo in England funded by private money. It grew to be the third-largest in the UK. John Jennison first wanted the gardens to be about plants, but people loved seeing the animals. At first, there were only domestic birds and some exotic parrots. By 1856, the Jennisons had added kangaroos, rhinos, lions, bears, and gazelles.
In 1871, the zoo got four giraffes. The next year, an elephant named Maharajah was bought for £680. Maharajah was supposed to travel by train from Edinburgh to Manchester, but he broke his train car! So, Maharajah and his trainer, Lorenzo Lawrence, walked to Manchester. It took them 10 days, and there were no problems. Lorenzo became the zoo's head elephant keeper and stayed at Belle Vue for over 40 years. Maharajah gave elephant rides for 10 years until he died in 1882. His skeleton was kept and put in the gardens' natural history museum. Later, it was moved to the Manchester Museum.
In 1893, a chimpanzee named Consul was bought. He was four years old and was dressed in a smoking jacket and cap, and he smoked a cob pipe. Consul was very popular. After he died in 1894, the Jennisons quickly got a new chimpanzee, Consul II. This one played a violin while riding a tricycle, and later, a bicycle!
During the First World War, it was hard to get food for the animals. But the zoo mostly kept going. After the war, they got more animals, including a hippo, a dromedary, and a zebra. In 1921, Lil, an Indian elephant, arrived with her handler, Phil Fernandez. Phil and Lil gave rides and entertained people for 35 years. Frank, a brown bear, arrived in 1922. He lived for 40 years and was known as the "Father of the Zoo".
New open-air cages in the Monkey House helped the monkeys live longer. But after the First World War, it was hard to expand and improve the zoo because of money problems. The zoo started to be neglected after Belle Vue was sold in 1925. But it got better when Gerald Iles became zoo superintendent in 1933. New Gibbon Cage and Monkey Mountain were built, and the Reptile House was made bigger. In 1925, a display at the zoo showed "Cannibals" with black Africans in traditional dress.
When the Second World War started in 1939, animal keepers were given rifles. This was in case dangerous animals escaped if the gardens were bombed. A night shift was added to watch the animals 24 hours a day. The list of dangerous animals included 13 lions, 6 tigers, and several bears. Soldiers with tommy guns later took over watching the animals.
The zoo got more animals from other zoos that had to close. At first, the zoo had good food supplies, but some foods became hard to find or very expensive. Bananas were impossible to get, and fish was a problem. Keepers had to try new foods. The sealions died because their stomachs couldn't handle the unusual beef diet. The lions ate green horsemeat, and monkeys ate boiled potatoes. Some birds and penguins also died because they couldn't adapt to the new diet. But vegetables were plentiful because the garden staff grew lettuce, cabbage, and carrots.
During the war, gas for heating was sometimes cut off. This caused all the zoo's tropical fish and some other animals, including a lioness and her cubs, to die. Even though Manchester was heavily bombed during the Blitz, the gardens only had minor damage. The Scenic Railway was hit by a bomb, and the Reptile House was damaged by pieces of shell from anti-aircraft guns. A bull bison also died.
Iles stayed as superintendent until 1957. He was good at promoting the zoo, appearing on radio and TV shows like Children's Hour. In 1963, a new attraction, a chimps' tea party, became very popular. Peter Grayson became the last superintendent in 1971. By then, the owners had lost interest in the zoo, and it seemed like it would close soon.
The news that Belle Vue Zoological Gardens would close on September 11, 1977, was announced on BBC Radio. The 24 keepers were told an hour before. The reason was that the company couldn't afford the £100,000 yearly losses. Just before closing, some non-poisonous reptiles were stolen from the Reptile House. Only one, a 10-foot (3.0 m) python, was found.
Ellie May, a 15-year-old elephant, was thought to be dangerous, making her hard to sell. It was expensive to feed her, but Grayson refused to have her put down. He left the zoo in January 1978 but often returned to care for Ellie May, the last animal left. Finally, Rotterdam Zoo agreed to take her. But Ellie May refused to move and sadly died overnight from pneumonia and heart failure.
People didn't react much to the zoo's closure, with only a few small protests. The doors stayed open to visitors at a lower price until early November. By then, most of the animals had been sold for about £100,000.
Gardens and Fun Park
For the Jennisons, the main focus of Belle Vue was the zoo and the beautiful gardens. Rides were just a small extra. Between 1836 and 1898, the Jennisons created formal gardens in different styles. These included mazes, caves, an Italian garden, and special Tropical Plant Houses. There were also exotic buildings like the Indian temple and grotto, which looked like a ruined temple and housed snakes and crocodiles. By the late 1800s, the gardens were the main attraction. However, by 1931, the formal gardens had mostly disappeared.
The gardens were also used for big political meetings. For example, in 1924, David Lloyd George spoke to 50,000 people at the Great Liberal Demonstration. This was the first political meeting where loudspeakers were used. The British Union of Fascists, also known as the Blackshirts, held a meeting there in September 1934. In 1968, the 100-year celebration of the Trades Union Congress also took place at Belle Vue.
In the 1870s, the Jennisons set up a small amusement area near the main entrance. It had steam-powered rides like the Ocean Wave, which opened in 1894 and made you feel like you were in a storm at sea.
John Henry Iles, who took over Belle Vue in 1925, believed that adding more rides and fun was the way to go. He added attractions like dodgems, the Caterpillar, the Ghost Train, Jack & Jill, and the Flying Sea Planes. The Scenic Railway, bought in 1925, was one of Belle Vue's most popular rides and stayed open until 1975.
The Bobs rollercoaster was probably the most popular ride. It was called "Bobs" because it cost a shilling (an old coin) to ride. It had an 80-foot (24 m) drop at a 45-degree angle, and the cars went down at 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). Its white wooden structure became a famous part of the Belle Vue skyline.
In the 1960s and 1970s, "Professor" Len Tomlinson ran one of the UK's last flea circuses in a small booth. It featured tiny human fleas racing chariots, pulling rollers, riding tricycles, and even "fencing" with pins. The flea circus closed in the late 1970s because it became harder to find human fleas due to better living conditions.
When the zoo closed in 1977, it was announced that the gardens and amusement park would get "new active leisure pursuits". By 1978, the site was called Belle Vue Leisure Park. The Tropical River House was turned into a skateboard arena to cash in on the new craze from America. However, it wasn't a good investment as demand quickly dropped. Belle Vue bought the Jetstream ride from the closed London Festival Gardens in 1977, and it opened the next year.
Other attractions that closed around the same time as the zoo included boating on Firework Lake and the miniature railway. In 1979, the amusement park was leased to Alf Wadbrooke, but it was only open on weekends during the summer. The Scenic Railway was never fixed, and the Water Chute closed. In August 1980, Wadbrooke was told to close the park by October 26, 1980.
Music and Dancing Fun
In 1853, Belle Vue hosted the first British open brass band championships. Over 16,000 people attended this event, which became an annual tradition until 1981. In the 1970s, brass band contests became popular again, attracting up to 5,000 people.
Belle Vue had several ballrooms. The first was built in 1851. A larger Music Hall was built in 1856, which could hold 10,000 people on its 27,000 square feet (2,500 m2) dance floor. An outdoor dancing platform opened in 1852 and grew to cover half an acre. Bands like the Belle Vue Military Band played music all summer. Outdoor dancing continued until the 1940s, but then the platform became a roller skating rink. It was destroyed by fire in 1958. The same fire destroyed the Coronation Ballroom. It was replaced by the "New Elizabethan Ballroom" in 1959, which could hold 4,000 dancers and was described as "unsurpassed in Great Britain". Famous bands like Geraldo and his Orchestra played there. In the 1960s and 1970s, the ballroom also hosted discothèques, like Jimmy Savile's Top Ten Club.
The Famous Kings Hall
The Kings Hall opened in 1910. It was originally a tea room that was made much bigger in 1928. It became a "saucer-like arena" that could seat 7,000 people. The name "Kings" was chosen because two kings reigned during the six weeks it took to build it: George V and Edward VII. The hall was designed for "Demonstrations, Exhibitions, Social Gatherings, etc." It was a popular concert venue until the 1970s, with artists like Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Nat King Cole, The Rolling Stones, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, and Led Zeppelin performing there. The Kings Hall became the home of the Hallé Orchestra in 1942 after their old home was bombed. The orchestra played concerts at Belle Vue for over 30 years.
From 1961 to 1966, bingo games were held in the hall. It could fit up to 3,500 players and was advertised as the "largest bingo club in the world". Many exhibitions were also held in the hall, which had 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of floor space, making it one of the largest venues outside London. In 1956, it was split into three separate halls so three exhibitions could run at the same time.
The last live music played in the hall was on February 14, 1982, by the Glossop School Band. The hall had been sold 18 months earlier and was planned to be torn down. People tried to save the hall, with a petition signed by 50,000 people, but it didn't work. The exhibition halls were sold in 1983. But new competition from the G-Mex centre in central Manchester led to their closure. The site was sold in 1987, and the buildings were torn down to make way for a large car auction centre.
Food and Drink at Belle Vue
The gates were open from 10:00 am to 10:30 pm. Kiosks around the gardens sold snacks and ice cream, which was made in Belle Vue's own ice cream factory. For families, there were "hot-water rooms" that could hold up to 3,000 diners. They provided hot water for drinks and dishes for visitors who brought their own picnics. This cost 2d per person in 1892. Cakes and jams made in Belle Vue's own bakery were also available. "One shilling tea rooms" offered lunch deals like a pot of tea, bread, butter, salad, and fruit cake for a shilling. More expensive restaurants opened in the evening. Alcohol was available in the many licensed places, including beer made in Belle Vue's own brewery until 1928. Many public houses also opened around the gardens.
Hotels were built at each of the three entrances. The Longsight Hotel, built in 1851, was part of the entrance. The Lake Hotel, built in 1876, offered free horse stabling for visitors. It was expanded in 1929 and again in 1960, adding a concert room for late-night fun. After closing in the 1980s, this hotel was torn down. The Hyde Road Hotel and Restaurant, at the main entrance, was first called Belle Vue House. It was renamed the Palm Court Restaurant in 1942, and then Caesar's Palace in 1969. It had a cabaret bar and restaurant. In 1976, it became an amusement arcade and was renamed Jennison's Ale House. The building closed after partly collapsing in 1980.
Amazing Firework Shows
After visiting The Great Exhibition in London in 1851, Jennison had bigger ideas for Belle Vue. He decided to have large, planned "fantastic" firework displays. He hired a scenic artist, George Danson, to create a 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) canvas backdrop. The shows happened on an island in the middle of the Firework Lake. The fireworks were even made on-site at Belle Vue.
The first show was on May 2, 1852. The early shows were "battle enactments," which were very popular. They made Belle Vue an all-day entertainment spot. The firework displays used real people and real weapons. The first show, a re-enactment of the Bombardment of Algiers, had 25 men, 300 rockets, and 18,000 spectators.
The shows continued during the First World War, but rockets were not allowed. The themes reflected current events. In 1915, it was "The Battle of the Marne." In 1916, it was "The War in Flanders," where one spectator got so excited he waded into the lake to join the "fighting"! In 1933, before the Second World War, the theme was "Air Raid on London."
The last big firework display was in 1956, based on Robin Hood and His Merrie Men.
The Christmas Circus
The first Belle Vue Circus was in 1922, but it wasn't very successful. The next one was in 1929, after a deal with the Blackpool Tower Company. This made it a regular Christmas event held in the Kings Hall. One of the first people to come from Blackpool was ringmaster George Lockhart, known as "the prince of ringmasters". Lockhart became famous for the Belle Vue Circus, and his face was on many ads. Zoo superintendent Gerald Iles even included some of the zoo's animals in the circus, in a show called Noah's Ark.
For the 1967–68 season, the circus was temporarily renamed the "George Lockhart Celebration Circus" to celebrate his 39th year. Lockhart was the ringmaster for 43 years until he retired in 1970 at age 90. His replacement, Nelly Jane, was ringmaster for two years, followed by Norman Barrett, the last ringmaster. Fred Bonelli, the resident band leader, led various Belle Vue circus bands for 40 years.
Many acts featured animals, like Eugene Weidmann's tigers and bears, and Harry Belli's Horse Riding Tiger. There were also acrobats, strongmen, and clowns. Two clowns, Jacko the Clown and "Little Billy" Merchant, performed at Belle Vue for 30 years.
The last circus in the Kings Hall before it was sold was in 1981. For a few years, the circus continued in the car park, then in a tent across from the main gates.
Sports at Belle Vue
Sports became a regular part of Belle Vue after an athletics stadium was built in 1887.
Greyhound Racing
Greyhound racing started at Belle Vue in 1926. It was the UK's first stadium built just for greyhound racing, costing £22,000. It was built on land leased by Belle Vue to the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA). The site was sold to the GRA in 1937, with the rule that it had to be used for greyhound racing.
Speedway Racing
One of the most famous activities at Belle Vue was speedway (then called dirt track racing). It started on July 28, 1928, in the new greyhound racing arena. It was very popular, so they decided to turn the 1887 athletics ground into a speedway stadium. It opened on March 23, 1929. It was the biggest stadium built for speedway in the country, maybe even the world. It became the first home of the Belle Vue Aces. It was also used for football, cricket, rugby league (Belle Vue Rangers), baseball, stock car racing, and tennis. The stadium had covered seating for 40,000 spectators.
Belle Vue sold the stadium in 1982, but speedway continued there until 1987. The last event was a stock car race on November 14, 1987, just before the stadium was torn down. The Belle Vue Aces returned to their first home, the greyhound stadium.
Boxing and Wrestling
From the late 1920s until the Second World War, Belle Vue was a major place for boxing in Europe. Fights were held in the Kings Hall. Even though boxing became less popular after the war, Belle Vue hosted a televised world championship fight in 1964.
The first wrestling contest was in the Kings Hall on December 15, 1930. It was very popular. Except for a break during the Second World War, events continued until 1981, with up to 5,000 spectators. Famous wrestlers included Jack Pye, Big Daddy, and Giant Haystacks.
Rugby League
The speedway stadium became the home of the rugby league club, Broughton Rangers. They had international players like Frank Whitcombe. When Belle Vue took over the club in 1933, Broughton got a 21-year lease to use the stadium. The first Anglo-Australian Test match of the 1933–34 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain was played at Belle Vue. About 34,000 people watched the home team win.
Games stopped during the Second World War. When they started again in 1945, the club was renamed Belle Vue Rangers. Belle Vue didn't renew the lease in 1955 because it was costing too much money, and the team was disbanded.
Football
After a fire at Manchester City's Hyde Road ground in 1920, the club thought about moving to the Belle Vue athletics stadium, but it was too small. Instead, Manchester Central was formed and played its home matches at the speedway stadium. One of their first matches at Belle Vue was against FA Cup holders Blackburn Rovers in September 1928. The club tried to join The Football League but failed, and eventually closed in 1934.
Belle Vue Today
In 1963, the Top Lake (formerly the Great Lake) was filled in. A 32-lane ten-pin bowling alley was built there, behind the Lake Hotel. It was called the Belle Vue Granada Bowl and opened in 1965, advertised as "the north's leading luxury centre". In 1983, after the rest of Belle Vue closed, it was sold. Bowling continued for a while. A snooker club was built in a corner of the car park in 1985.
As of 2010, all that remains of Belle Vue is the greyhound stadium and the snooker club. The original gardens and amusement park are now an industrial and residential area. A road in the housing estate, Lockhart Close, was named after circus ringmaster George Lockhart. The mounted skin of the Zoo's tigon Maude is now in the collection of Manchester Museum.
After Manchester's attempt to build a "supercasino" failed in 2008, local groups started to push for a "linear park" in the area. This park would build on "the legacy of Belle Vue" and include a new zoo, deer park, and amusement park.
Music at Belle Vue
- 1930 (November): Maurice Chevalier played 4 concerts
- 1946 (3 February): The Hallé Orchestra and Chorus performed Aida
- 1949 (2 October): Yehudi Menuhin and the Liverpool Philharmonic
- 1956 (November): Johnnie Ray
- 1959 (9 March): Louis Armstrong and The All-Stars played at the King's Hall
- 1964 (29 March): Jerry Lee Lewis played at the Kings Hall
- 1966 (31 July): Jethro Tull
- 1966 (4 September): The Who
- 1966 (11 December): Family
- 1967 (24 May): Jimi Hendrix
- 1971 (17 August): Johnny Cash played first of 3 shows at the Kings Hall
- 1971 (30 November): Led Zeppelin played at Kings Hall
- 1972 (July): T. Rex
Other Events at Belle Vue
- 1949 (20 October): Comedy Concert including Peter Sellers, Richard Murdoch and Kenneth Horne
Images for kids
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Main entrance on Hyde Road, rebuilt in 1957
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John Jennison, founder of Belle Vue Zoological Gardens
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Cover of the official guidebook for the 1906 season
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Consul, from his 1894 obituary
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Plan of the gardens from the official guide published for the 1892 season
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Speedway racing in 1963
