Did you know that Hull once had its own Victorian Zoo?
Yes, Hull Zoological Gardens opened in 1828 and was based on Spring Bank, spanning 6 acres. Back then Spring Bank was at the edge of town, so it wasn’t in the way. The gardens were a local hotspot, not only did it have a zoo, but it also had a music hall, grand pavilion, an archery shooting gallery, lakes (including a special fireworks lake), and lots of stunning flowers. The perimeter of the zoo would have been fenced off with a 7 feet high wooden fence.
Hull Zoological Gardens had a huge variety of animals. Before the official opening of the zoo, the animals were stored down Anlaby Road until their cages were ready. Today, this location would be opposite Hull Royal Infirmity. Their collection included a Russian bear, six monkeys, a black fox, an Esquimaux doe, a polar bear, a Spanish goat, and a squirrel. Of course, over the years they would acquire more animals from as far away as the Nile, Calcutta, Ferdinando Po, Bombay, North America, Rotterdam, New South Wales, Batavia, Greenland, and Scandinavia.
This hotspot was just as famous for its fireworks and galas. It hosted many social events including band competitions, tightrope walking, ice skating in the winter, and a rollercoaster (the ‘centrifugal railway’) that used only gravity and no seat belts!
Today, almost nothing survives to suggest a zoo ever existed in Hull. The recent placement of the wire bears at the entrance of Albany Street marks where the South West corner of the garden may have been. Down Albany Street (which is very close to this location), you will also see a sculpture of a ‘water horse’ or hippo (possibly meant to be ‘The Great Hippopotamus’ they loaned in 1860 which became a national celebrity) and a wire elephant to commemorate its history. Down the length of Spring Bank, you can also find the elephant trail which is where the elephants supposedly walked! The only lasting physical evidence we have today are the trees and shrubs in Pearson Park, which were dug up and replanted in this new location when the zoo closed. The zoo closed down due to debt on 2nd September 1861 and never reopened.
- Reference: Hull History Centre’s ‘The Zoo on the Avenue’ booklet (available online).
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