| Summary : The Charles Clore Pavilion in London Zoo was constructed in 1965-67 on the site of the Elephant and Rhinoceros House designed by Anthony Salvin (1799-1881) in 1868-9. The building was part of the 1958 redevelopment of the Zoo and was originally designed in 1961 but was not built until 1965-67, delayed until completion of the Elephant and Rhinoceros Pavilion (Monument HOB UID 619100). The pavilion was designed by the firm of architects: Black, Bayes & Gibson (BB&G) following a brief by Desmond Morris, Curator of Mammals. The design was by Christine Petty, the firm's senior architect. Construction was by G E Wallis and Sons Ltd. It was named after the benefactor, Charles Clore. A renovation by J S Bonnington and Partners took place in 1990-91. The building was known as the Small Mammal House almost until its opening. It provided accommodation for smaller mammals which were previously housed in three separate buildings. It was a low building with an irregularly -shaped plan, built of brick and concrete, with a large glazed north entrance. Within the interior were 110 small cages. The basement housed the `Moonlight World' exhibit where artificial lighting was used to reverse day and night so that nocturnal animals could be viewed when active. This was the first large scale exhibit of its kind and has since been widely copied elsewhere. In 2007 the Charles Clore Pavilion for Mammals was demolished and replaced by the Clore Rainforest Lookout which was partly funded by the Clore Duffield Foundation. This exhibit recreates the South American rainforest and provides public walk throughs of canopy and forest floor levels. |
More information : The Charles Clore Pavilion in London Zoo was constructed in 1965-67 on the site of the Elephant and Rhinoceros House designed by Anthony Salvin (1799-1881) in 1868-9. The building was part of the 1958 redevelopment of the Zoo and was originally designed in 1961 but was not built until 1965-67, delayed until completion of the Elephant and Rhinoceros Pavilion (Monument HOB UID 619100). The pavilion was designed by architects, Kenneth Bayes and Christine Petty of Black, Bayes and Gibson following a brief by Desmond Morris, Curator of Mammals. Construction was by G E Wallis and Sons Ltd. It was named after the benefactor, Charles Clore. A renovation by J S Bonnington and Partners took place in 1990-91.
The building provided accomodation for smaller mammals which were previously housed in three separate buildings. It was a low building with an irregularly -shaped plan, built of brick and concrete, with a large glazed north entrance. Within the interior were 110 small cages. The basement housed the `Moonlight World' exhibit where artificial lighting was used to reverse day and night so that nocturnal animals could be viewed when active. This was the first large scale exhibit of its kind and has since been widely copied elsewhere. (1)
In 2007 the Charles Clore Pavilion for Mammals was replaced by the Clore Rainforest Lookout which was partly funded by the Clore Duffield Foundation. This exhibit recreates the South American rainforest and provides public walk throughs of canopy and forest floor levels. (2-3)
The Pavilion was designed by Christine Petty senior architect in Design Research Unit / Black Bayes & Gibson (DRU/BB&G). The firm of Black Bayes & Gibson was responsible for the design of the Small Mammal House as it was known almost until its opening. Desmond Morris, then Curator for Small Mammals, supplied the project brief and oversaw the building. Other architects involved included Jessica Mycroft, Sam Webb (including working on the animal enclosures and joinery) and Maurice Green, who supervised the building on site with Christine Petty until she had left in 1967. The Charles Clore Pavillion has now been demolished. (4) |