Windsor Safari Park: Difference between revisions

Windsor Safari Park
Windsor Safari Park
	Safari Park logo
	A lion in the park, 1992
	51°27′49″N 0°39′04″W / 51.46351°N 0.65114°W
Date opened	1969
Date closed	1992
Standort	Windsor, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom

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Windsor Safari Park was a safari park built on St Leonard's Hill on the outskirts of the town of Windsor in Berkshire, England; it has since been converted into the site of Legoland Windsor. Billed as "The African Adventure", the park included drive-through animal enclosures, aviaries, a dolphinarium and minor theme park rides.

The park's drive-through enclosures featured lions, tigers, bears, cheetahs and baboons. In addition, the park had a Serengeti zone (featuring camels, llamas, giraffes, zebras and buffalo), an elephant enclosure, a hippo lake, chimpanzees, birds of prey, parrots and butterflies. The park closed in 1992.

class=notpageimage|

Windsor Safari Park shown within Berkshire
(grid reference SU938747)

History

Billy Smart Sr. bought the St.Leonard's Estate in the mid-1960s. After his death, the Royal Windsor Safari Park was founded in 1969 by his sons, the Smart brothers: Billy Smart Jr., David Smart and Ronald Smart. Built on St Leonards Hill in Windsor in Berkshire, England, the 144 acre St Leonards Estate included rolling parkland and the 110-room country house once owned by the American Horace Elgin Dodge Jr. (son of Horace Elgin Dodge of Dodge Motor Cars) and occupied by the Kennedy family during World War II, when Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. was the US ambassador to the UK.

The Safari Park attracted up to 2.5 million visitors per annum, from when it opened. It grew significantly throughout the 1970s and 1980s and was eventually sold to Themes International in 1988. Drive-through natural roaming habitats were created for lions, tigers, cheetahs and baboons. A Serengeti zone was also added (featuring camels, llamas, giraffes, zebras and buffalo), an elephant enclosure, a hippo lake, and a monkey jungle. A key attraction was Seaworld, a dolphinarium complex with dolphins, an orca, penguins and sea lions performing acrobatic displays.

The first job of the financier Robert Hanson was in the 1970s as an assistant keeper of reptiles at the Safari Park.^[1]

Receivership

Themes International invested £11m developing the business but, after nine years, ran into financial difficulties. The Windsor business, in particular, had experienced dwindling visitor numbers, and the situation was exacerbated by the early 1990s recession and the cost of building an expensive new Egyptian-themed entrance courtyard and similarly themed market streets.

Themes International and the Safari Park entered receivership in January 1992, with debts of £40m and closed shortly afterwards; the expensive new developments were left largely unused.

The park was purchased soon afterwards by the Lego Group, whose ambition was to create a Legoland theme park similar to the existing Legoland in Billund, Denmark. The resulting Legoland Windsor opened in 1996.

The dolphins were relocated to Dolfinarium Harderwijk in the Netherlands.

The only attraction that remains from the Safari Park days (aside from the mansion) is the 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge funicular railway, now known as the Hill Train, which links The Beginning area of the park to the centre of the park between NINJAGO World and Kingdom of the Pharaohs.

References

^ Profile – Robert Hanson: The happy family man steering Hanson empire into new territory in The Yorkshire Post dated 29 March 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2017

External links

[1] Profile – Robert Hanson: The happy family man steering Hanson empire into new territory in The Yorkshire Post dated 29 March 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2017

[1]

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+{{Short description|Former British safari park}}
 {{EngvarB|date=October 2017}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
@@ Line 6: / Line 7: @@
 |logo_caption     = Safari Park logo
 |logo_width       = 146
-|image            =
+|image            = Windsor Safari Park - geograph.org.uk - 2216434.jpg
-|image_caption    =
+|image_caption    = A lion in the park, 1992
 |location         = [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]], Berkshire, England, United Kingdom
 |date_opened      = 1969
@@ Line 23: / Line 24: @@
 }}
-'''Windsor Safari Park''' was a popular family attraction built on St. Leonards Hill on the outskirts of the town of [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] in Berkshire, England; it has since been converted into the site of [[Legoland Windsor Resort|Legoland Windsor]]. Billed as "The African Adventure", the park included drive-through animal enclosures, aviaries, a dolphinarium and minor theme park rides.
+'''Windsor Safari Park''' was a [[safari park]] built on [[St Leonard's Hill]] on the outskirts of the town of [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] in Berkshire, England; it has since been converted into the site of [[Legoland Windsor Resort|Legoland Windsor]]. Billed as "The African Adventure", the park included drive-through animal enclosures, aviaries, a dolphinarium and minor theme park rides.
 The park's drive-through enclosures featured lions, tigers, bears, cheetahs and baboons. In addition, the park had a [[Serengeti]] zone (featuring camels, llamas, giraffes, zebras and buffalo), an elephant enclosure, a hippo lake, chimpanzees, birds of prey, parrots and butterflies. The park closed in 1992.
@@ Line 29: / Line 30: @@
 [[File:WindsorSafariParkLogo80s.jpg|thumb|right|Windsor Safari Park logo (1980–1987)]]
 {{Location map
- |Berkshire
+|Berkshire
- |lat=51.46351
+|lat=51.46351
- |long=-0.65114
+|long=-0.65114
- |width=180
+|width=180
- |float=right
+|float=right
- |caption=''Windsor Safari Park shown within [[Berkshire]]''<br>({{gbmapping|SU938747}})
+|caption=''Windsor Safari Park shown within [[Berkshire]]''<br>({{gbmapping|SU938747}})}}
-}}
 == History ==
-Billy Smart Sr. bought the St.Leonard's Estate in the mid 1960s.  After his death, the Royal Windsor Safari Park was founded in 1969 by his sons, the Smart brothers: [[Billy Smart, Jr.]], [[David Smart (circus proprietor)|David Smart]] and [[Ronald Smart]]. Built on St Leonards Hill in [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] in Berkshire, England, the 144 ac estate of rolling parkland and known as the St Leonards Estate included a 110-room country house owned by the American [[Horace Elgin Dodge Jr]] of [[Dodge Motors|Dodge Motor Cars]] and occupied by the Kennedy Family during World War II, when JFK's father was US ambassador to the UK.
+[[Billy Smart Sr.]] bought the St.Leonard's Estate in the mid-1960s.  After his death, the Royal Windsor Safari Park was founded in 1969 by his sons, the Smart brothers: [[Billy Smart Jr.]], [[David Smart (circus proprietor)|David Smart]] and Ronald Smart. Built on St Leonards Hill in [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] in Berkshire, England, the 144 acre St Leonards Estate included rolling parkland and the 110-room country house once owned by the American Horace Elgin Dodge Jr. (son of [[Horace Elgin Dodge]] of [[Dodge Motors|Dodge Motor Cars]]) and occupied by the [[Kennedy family]] during World War II, when [[Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.]] was the US ambassador to the UK.
+The Safari Park attracted up to 2.5 million visitors per annum, from when it opened.  It grew significantly throughout the 1970s and 1980s and was eventually sold to Themes International in 1988. Drive-through natural roaming habitats were created for lions, tigers, cheetahs and baboons. A Serengeti zone was also added (featuring camels, llamas, giraffes, zebras and buffalo), an elephant enclosure, a hippo lake, and a monkey jungle. A key attraction  was Seaworld, a dolphinarium complex with dolphins, an orca, penguins and sea lions performing acrobatic displays.
-A key attraction at Windsor Safari Park was Seaworld, a dolphinarium complex housing dolphins, a killer whale, penguins and sea lions, performing acrobatic displays for members of the public.
-Windsor Safari Park was proactive in dolphin research and conservation, employing many wildlife experts and academics. Research efforts included the development of a [[fishing net]] warning system for dolphins and the Dolphin Research Project aimed to raise funds for other research on sonar communication and behaviour.
-The Safari Park owed its success in part to the natural roaming habitats that had been created for lions, tigers, cheetahs and baboons. A Serengeti zone was also added (featuring camels, llamas, giraffes, zebras and buffalo), an elephant enclosure, a hippo lake, and a monkey jungle.
 The first job of the financier [[Robert Hanson (financier)|Robert Hanson]] was in the 1970s as an assistant keeper of reptiles at the Safari Park.<ref>[http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/profile-robert-hanson-the-happy-family-man-steering-hanson-empire-into-new-territory-1-3230124 Profile – Robert Hanson: The happy family man steering Hanson empire into new territory] in ''[[The Yorkshire Post]]'' dated 29 March 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2017</ref>
-The Safari Park attracted up to 2.5 million visitors per annum, from when it opened.  It grew significantly throughout the 1970s and 1980s and was eventually sold to Themes International in 1988. The new owners planned to develop an African-themed park introducing themed eateries and games and attractions such as the African Queen Riverboat Ride.
 === Receivership ===
-Themes International invested £11m developing the business but, after nine years, ran into financial difficulties. The Windsor business, in particular, had experienced dwindling visitor numbers, and the situation was exacerbated by the recession and the cost of building an expensive new [[Egypt in the European imagination|Egyptian-themed]] entrance courtyard and similarly themed market streets.
+Themes International invested £11m developing the business but, after nine years, ran into financial difficulties. The Windsor business, in particular, had experienced dwindling visitor numbers, and the situation was exacerbated by the [[early 1990s recession]] and the cost of building an expensive new [[Egypt in the European imagination|Egyptian-themed]] entrance courtyard and similarly themed market streets.
 Themes International and the Safari Park entered [[receivership]] in January 1992, with debts of £40m and closed shortly afterwards; the expensive new developments were left largely unused.
@@ Line 61: / Line 55: @@
 The dolphins were relocated to [[Dolfinarium Harderwijk]] in the Netherlands.
-The only attraction that remains from the Safari Park days (aside from the mansion) is the {{RailGauge|3ft6in|lk=on}} [[funicular|funicular railway]], now known as the ''Hill Train'', which links The Beginning area of the park and Land of the Vikings.
+The only attraction that remains from the Safari Park days (aside from the mansion) is the {{RailGauge|3ft6in|lk=on}} gauge [[funicular|funicular railway]], now known as the ''Hill Train'', which links The Beginning area of the park to the centre of the park between NINJAGO World and Kingdom of the Pharaohs.
-==In film and television==
-The film The Omen (1976) features a scene at the park.
-* In 1976, the second episode of the [[BBC]] television series ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]'' featured a family outing to the park.
-* To find a clue hanging from a branch of a tree in the lion enclosure, Skyrunner [[Annabel Croft]] visited the park, in the seventh series of [[Channel 4]]'s long-running quiz [[Treasure Hunt (UK game show)|Treasure Hunt]] in 1989. Annabel and her camera crew were driven in a cage to feed the animals while the contestants remained in the studio with host Kenneth Kendall and adjudicator Wincey Willis.
-* A 22 min video ''Go Wild at Windsor'', narrated by [[Terry Nutkins]] and [[Chris Packham]], was released in 1988. It featured footage of many of the animals, the dolphin show, the playpark, and the toboggan run.<ref name=GWAW>{{cite web
-  | last =Nutkins
-  | first =Terry
-  | authorlink =Terry Nutkins
-  |author2=[[Chris Packham]]
-  | title =Go Wild at Windsor
-  | work = (inc. numerous stills from video)
-  | publisher =Windsor Safari Park
-  | year =1988
-  | url =http://www.nationaltraffic.co.uk/wd23.html
-<!--Original link, now dead (Aug 2009): http://www.windsorsafaripark.org.uk/goWild1.html-->
-  | accessdate = 11 August 2009
-<!--Original link, now dead (Aug 2009): 2007-06-16-->
-}}</ref>
-* The zoo footage in the motion picture ''[[The Omen]]'' (1976 version), including the "crazy baboons" scene, was filmed at Windsor Safari Park.
-* The film ''[[Mutiny on the Buses]]'' (1972) featured the characters Stan and Blakey driving a London bus through the lion enclosure as part of a trial run for a special new bus route.
-* The action scenes in the film ''[[The Jigsaw Man (film)|The Jigsaw Man]]'' (1983), with [[Michael Caine]] and [[Laurence Olivier]], were filmed in Windsor Safari Park.
-* The British romantic comedy ''[[Follow Me (film)|Follow Me]]'' (1972) with [[Mia Farrow]] and [[Chaim Topol|Topol]] also has a few brief scenes filmed in Windsor Safari Park.
-* The children's TV show [[Art Attack]] featured Neil Buchanan using rhinoceros dung and turning it into a big art attack of a rhino at Windsor Safari Park in 1991.
 ==References==
@@ Line 91: / Line 61: @@
 ==Further reading==
-* ''The Animals Came Out Two by Two: Final Days of Windsor Safari Park'', David Taylor, 1988, Robson Books ltd, 224 pages, {{ISBN|0-86051-868-X}}.
+* ''The Animals Came Out Two by Two: Final Days of Windsor Safari Park'', David Taylor, 1988, Robson Books Ltd, 224 pages, {{ISBN|0-86051-868-X}}.
 ==External links==
+{{commons category}}
 * [http://www.thamesweb.co.uk/windsor/safaripark/index.htm Windsor Safari Park at the Royal Windsor web site]
-* [http://www.windsorsafaripark.org.uk/ WindsorSafariPark.org.uk fansite]
 * [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/windsor-safari-park-closes-but-seeks-a-saviour-1559646.html The Independent: Windsor Safari Park closes but seeks a saviour (26 October 1992)]
 {{British zoos}}
+{{Authority control}}
 [[Category:1969 establishments in England]]
@@ Line 109: / Line 80: @@
 [[Category:Former zoos]]
 [[Category:Zoos established in 1969]]
-[[Category:Zoos disestablished in 1992]]
+[[Category:Zoos disestablished in the 20th century]]
+[[Category:Educational organizations disestablished in 1992]]
 [[Category:Safari parks]]

v t e Zoological gardens in the United Kingdom
Zoos	Africa Alive! Amazon World Zoo Park Banham Zoo Beale Park Belfast Zoo Birdland Park and Gardens Birdworld Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park Blackpool Zoo Borth Wild Animal Kingdom British Wildlife Centre Calderglen Country Park Chessington Zoo Chester Zoo Colchester Zoo Cotswold Wildlife Park Crocodiles of the World Curraghs Wildlife Park Dartmoor Zoological Park Drayton Manor Zoo Drusillas Zoo Park Dudley Zoo Durrell Wildlife Park Edinburgh Zoo Exmoor Zoo Five Sisters Zoo Flamingo Land Resort Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo Hamerton Zoo Hawk Conservancy Trust Heythrop Zoological Gardens Howletts Wild Animal Park International Centre for Birds of Prey Isle of Wight Zoo Lakeland Wildlife Oasis London Zoo Manor House Wildlife Park Marwell Zoo Monkey Sanctuary Monkey World New Forest Wildlife Park Newquay Zoo Noah's Ark Zoo Farm Northumberland Zoo Northumberland College Zoo Paignton Zoo Paradise Park, Cornwall Paradise Wildlife Park Peak Wildlife Park Plantasia Ponderosa Zoo Screech Owl Sanctuary Seaview Wildlife Encounter South Lakes Safari Zoo Tropical World (Leeds) The Living Rainforest Tropical Birdland Tropiquaria Twycross Zoo Welsh Mountain Zoo Wetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Whipsnade Zoo Wildwood Discovery Park Wild Place Project Wingham Wildlife Park Woodside Farm and Wildfowl Park Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Safari parks	Blair Drummond Safari Park Highland Wildlife Park Knowsley Safari Park Longleat Safari and Adventure Park Port Lympne Wild Animal Park West Midlands Safari Park Woburn Safari Park
Former	Belle Vue Zoological Gardens Bristol Zoo Coventry Zoo Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park Glasgow Zoo Knaresborough Zoo Lambton Lion Park Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens Living Coasts Manchester Zoological Gardens Oxford Zoo Penscynor Wildlife Park Rare Species Conservation Centre Royal Surrey Gardens Southam Zoo Southport Zoo Windsor Safari Park
Kategorie List Those listed in italics contain more than 5000 animals

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	Vereinigte Staaten