The Architecture of London Zoo
London Zoo has a large collection of the capital’s finest buildings. There is a list here on their web site.
Many were designed by Decimus Burton in the nineteenth century and it a testament to his good design, that some of the original buildings like the Giraffe House, have been able to be brought up to modern welfare standards.
But some like the penguin pool designed in the 1930s by Berthold Lubetkin are never going to be suitable for animals again.
Penguin Pool, London Zoo
I would think it is a big problem for the Zoo as it takes up valuable space and because it is a Grade One Listed building, it can’t be knocked down or substantially modified. Someone said to me last night, that they can’t even modify the words Penguin Pool on the side.
As a child I always thought that the penguin pool was rather stark and that the only thing that gave it life was the penguins, who seemed rather lost in the place.
It’s all such a pity really.
I think if the penguin pool were a house designed by Lubetkin, one of two things would have happened; someone would have spent a fortune and made it into a very nice house or it would have just decayed to a pile of broken concrete.
All credit to the London Zoo for preserving it, but I suspect sometimes they wish a stray bomb from the Second World War had destroyed it. The Zoo asctually suffered quite a bit of damage, as this report tells. I like this piece, which was taken from The Times of the 15th November, 1940.
The Zoo in fact is a microcosm of London. Hitler’s bombs cause a certain amount of damage to it, and a considerable amount of inconvenience; but they have not destroyed the morale or the routine of its inhabitants, animal or human, and it continues to function with a very respectable degree of efficiency.
It may have been blatant propaganda to keep up Londoners morale, but perhaps it does explain why many Londoners look on their zoo with affection.
The Snowdon Aviary
The Snowdon aviary is one of the Zoo’s historic buildings.
The Snowdon Aviary, London Zoo
When we used to live in St. John’s Wood and would walk up to the top of Primrose Hill, it dominated the view, just like some of the tall modern buildings do now.
The Snowdon Aviary is in my view, still one of London’s most impressive modern buildings. Interestingly, the structural engineer, who did the detailed design, Frank Newby, was a proposer of temporary buildings that could adapt with time. This web site says this about his work.
In the 1960s, Cedric Price had advocated buildings that could adapt and change according to circumstance; buildings that need not be permanent. It’s ironic, then, that one of the small number of his schemes that was realised should form part of the proud heritage of design and engineering dating back nearly two centuries that belongs to the Royal Zoological Society.
So the aviary was probably designed for a limited life. but then the Millennium Dome was to. The Dome has of course changed according to circumstance from a crap NuLabor vanity project into a world-class entertainment venue.
Both structures show that if you want to make something last, you take good design, add quality materials, build it well and then make sure it is looked after by an organisation that values it, like in the aviary’s case the Zoological Society of London does.
It’s a Zoo Jim, But Not As We Know It
I’m not really struck on zoos, as I much prefer to see animals in the wild. But last night I had a most unusual night out at London Zoo. It was one of their Zoo Lates.
Other than the usual attractions, there was a twisted cabaret, lots of good food, bands and you could talk to the keepers about the animals. There were no children, except for a few baby animals and it wasn’t crowded but for one totally acceptable exception. Even the queues for the toilets were within reason.
Here’s a few general pictures.
It was certainly a good night out. I shall go again.
What We’re Good At!
I was very pleased when I read the third leader in The Times today, entitled Capital Idea.
This was the first paragraph.
After the on-time and underbudget Olympic Stadium, yesterday brought the opening of the Hindhead Tunnel on the A3, on the main route between London and Portsmouth, on time, on budget and garlanded with awards for its safety record. Britain is in danger of getting a reputation for being good at large infrastructure projects.
I could add another couple of projects like the London Overground, where the engineers delivered quality at a price well under the budget.
Is The National Trust Boring?
No! See this.
The Dark At The End of the Tunnel
After the walk, we were taken into the original entrance of the Thames Tunnel.
This large chamber is one of the original caissons that were sunk so that the tunnel could be excavated. Note the remains of the staircase and the soot from steam trains on the walls. You could also hear the London Overground rumbling beneath your feet.
The Brunel Museum will be improving the access to this chamber, which until recently hadn’t been open for about a 150 years
Bonkers Conkers
I took this picture in Bermondsey yesterday on the walk.
Conkers in July
I’ve never seen conkers on the trees this early.
Walking Along The Thames
On Tuesday night I took a guided walk along the Thames from Bermondsey station to the Brunel Museum at Rotherhithe. The walk is described here.
These pictures were taken as we walked along the river.
The guide was excellent and the trip was well worth the eight pounds it cost.
Will Electric Cars Ever Hack It?
I'[ve always had my doubts about electric cars and on BBC Breakfast, Rory Cellan-Jones was showing a new charging system, to help you do long journeys in an electric car.
As someone, who used to enjoy driving but doesn’t now, I’m rapidly coming to the point, where I think in the next few years many people will come to my decision and almost abandon cars completely.
Electric cars will not be the solution, unless they dsolve the range and cost problems, so they will only be for those who just can’t break their habit of driving everywhere. They will also probably only work if they are small and I doubt we’ll ever see an electric Range Rover.
On the other hand, where electric power and more efficient hybrid power will work is in larger vehicles, like buses and delivery trucks. Where I live some of the buses are hybrid and people like them because they are smoother and quieter than normally powered buses.
But we will change our lifestyles much more than you think.
As an example, these are things I do to avoid driving.
- I get my big grocery shopping done at Waitrose in Upper Street in the normal way and then they just bring it round an hour or so later. Even if I had a car, it would be less efficient and I’d to drive several miles to find a supermarket with a car park.
- I walk to the end of my road to the Overground and can get a train or tube to virtually anywhere in London, quicker than I could drive.
- For local trips, there are several efficient bus routes.
- Larger deliveries are easy, as delivery vehicles can park outside to unload.
So whether electric cars do hack it, I suspect that there are so many ideas to avoid driving, that they won’t be needed.
Top Gear Demolish Gravesend
Or at least part of the Kings Farm Estate was given the treatment on tonight’s program.
Search for Kings Farm Estate, Gravesend on Google and it would appear that the estate won’t be missed by the good people of Kent.
The Anonymous Widower 