90 years ago, on March 29th 1934 zoo owner Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake opened his doors to Maidstone Zoo Park and it soon became a popular attraction to the small English town.
Open to the public from Spring to Autumn each year, the annual opening days saw crowds flock to these grand events involving the top celebrities of the day including Gracie Fields, Elsie and Doris Waters and Jessie Matthews – even the late Queen Elizabeth II visited in 1946 when she was princess.
Even the journey to the gates was an experience, with visitors riding the miniature railway with a petrol-powered ‘steam’ engine and two carriages which ran on tracks that took them from the road to the zoo’s entrance.
Guests marveled at Tyrwhitt-Drake’s collection of lions, tigers, elephants, monkeys, puma, leopard, brown bear, polar bear, wolves, hyenas, armadillo, zebra, llamas and other animals on exhibition. Other attractions included a pets corner for kids and pony and elephant rides.
The zoo survived WWII and continued to thrive but unfortunately closed its gates on October 4, 1959 due to costs and Sir Garrard’s declining health. The animals were taken to other zoos.
With Maidstone UK being my hometown growing up, I’ve always been fascinated by Maidstone Zoo. It’s an interesting and unique part of local history. In celebration of the 90th anniversary of the opening of the Zoo this year, I decided to colorize a selection of photos to help bring this historical moment to life.
The colourised Maidstone Zoo photos were also featured by KentOnline and on display in an exhibition at Mote Park.
© Photo Restoration Services | Kent, UK
