This week marks one year since the doors of Bristol Zoo in Clifton shut for the final time after nearly 190 years.
Visitors queued down the street to get a final glimpse of the animals at Bristol Zoo as the attraction prepared to close its doors after being open for almost two centuries. People gathered at the entrance to see the attractions before the site was closed down ready for redevelopment into luxury housing.
Bristol Zoo had been open to the public since 1836 and had seen over 90 million visitors walk through its doors over nearly 190 years.
But Covid lockdowns sent visitor numbers plunging and as a result the zoo moved some of its famous animals to a new location five miles away at the Wild Place Project.
Bristol Zoological Society, the charity which owns and operates the zoo, said they were “forced” to sell due to plunging visitor numbers caused by the pandemic.
The society will funnel proceeds from the sale into the new Wild Place Project, located just off Junction 17 of the M5.
The new zoo is expected to open in 2024 and the old gardens will be turned into homes.
1. A historic day
Bristol Zoo was the world’s fifth-oldest zoo.
2. Tearful staff say goodbye
The staff at Bristol Zoo bid farewell.
3. The public arrives early
Members of the public queue for the Bristol Zoo on its final day of opening.
4. Pictures taken on historic day
The zoo is closing and all the animals are due to be moved to the sister zoo Wild Place Project.