History of Menageries and Zoos at Dreamland

[Paradoxurus]

The regional BBC1 unit is interested in broadcasting an item regarding the importance of the old Sanger's Menagerie cages.

My interest is in zoo history and I wondered if anyone could provide further details of anyone operating zoos and menageries on the Dreamland site and using the original Sanger cages.

Certainly Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake (of Maidstone Zoo) staged temporary menageries on the site during the 1920s and 30s.

George Chapman had a Menagerie there in 1933 and perhaps in other years too.

The Hoffman's also housed a seasonal zoo there while the Chipperfields appear to have been the last to operate an animal exhibit there in 1969 and 70.

Does anyone know of any other menagerie operators who were resident at Hall-by-the-Sea or Dreamland? Was Sanger's the only permanent collection? Was 1970 the last year that animals were exhibited there?

Any information would be of interest.

[Raymond Dolling]

The original zoological garden opened on 27 June 1874. It was a typical Victorian pleasure garden with statues, a lake and fountain etc. and had pens for various animals including deer, antelope, camels, waterfowl, possibly giraffes and for a time, an elephant. At one end there was a huge building known as 'the menagerie' with 23 cages for big cats, bears, baboons, wolves etc. It was self-contained, run separately from The Hall-by-the-Sea. It was surrounded by a huge wall made of flints and brick rubble and contained a sham - a 'ruined Medieval abbey' used as a bandstand with adjoining cages possibly used for monkeys which are the ones shown on this website. It was owned by the circus showman 'Lord' George Sanger who lived in a villa near the entrance (demolished only a few years ago) but was a completely separate business from his circus, which was run under his name by his daughter and son -in -law with winter quarters at Finchley, North London. None of the circus animals were kept at Margate as has often erronously been stated. It lasted until 1905 when the remaining animals were sold but was partially restocked in July 1913. When Dreamland was opened in 1920 the grounds were derelict but were restored although the cages were never returned to use. The menagerie building was let, as stated, first to Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake and then G.B. Chapman. All the aerial photographs of Dreamland taken in the 30's show this building which had DREAMLAND painted on its roof (originally MENAGERIE) Bomb damage caused it to be demolished in 1946. From 1946 to 1959 there was a small zoo known as 'Zooland' at the end of the Scenic Railway (thereafter site of the Mirror Maze) run by Arthur Bean which is glimpsed in Lindsey Anderson's film 'O Dreamland'. The Safari Zoo was the brainchild of Dreamland MD John Iles and opened in June 1969 on the site of Sanger's original zoological garden. It lasted for 7 years but was never successful, run by a series of lesses - Dick Chipperfield of Chipperfield's Circus, Frank Farrar of Colchester Zoo, Hoffmans Circus, Bernard Bale and Al Verlaine who later opened Cleethorpes Zoo, animal dealer Mike Frewer, and Don Robinson of Scarborough Marineland who ran it as 'Birdland' and 'Wonderpark' with huge models of prehistoric creatures. The site became 'Magicland' in 1977 with a pets corner run by the owner of a local pet shop. I can provide you with a lot more information if you can give me your postal address. E-mail me on raymonddolling@yahoo.co.uk - is there anything you particularly want to know ?

[jo.clarinet]

This is fascinating information, and I'm sure we'd all like to know more, if you can spare the time to tell us, Raymond!

[Nick Evans]

Hello Raymond, Great to hear from you. Hope you are thriving out there. Your information is, as ever, invaluable. For those who don't know, Raymond provided me with a lot of very useful information about Dreamland when I was writing my book. He knows his stuff for sure and I for one am happy to bow to his superior knowledge.

For those up early on Wed morning 15 Oct, you may have a little giggle at my expense on Radio Kent at around 7.15am when I have to talk about the cages with Graham Cook - or will if I'm up in time!