Aquarium |
| Hob Uid: 619103 | |
Location :
Greater London Authority
City of Westminster
Non Civil Parish
|
| Grid Ref : TQ2793983397 |
| Summary : The Aquarium at London Zoo is situated underneath the Mappin Terraces (Monument HOB UID 619101) and was constructed in 1923-24. This was not the original aquarium to be built at the Zoo. In 1853 the Fish House was constructed in the area to the north of Three Island Pond and was the first British public aquarium to be built. The site under Mappin Terraces had always been designed for the aquarium when the terraces were built in 1913, but its detailed planning had been delayed due to the outbreak of the First World War. The aquarium was designed by architect John James Joass following a brief by E G Boulenger, curator of reptiles at the Zoo. The site engineer was Alexander Gibb and Partners, the rockwork designer Joan Beauchamp Procter and the contractor J.Jarvis and Sons Ltd. Originally the Aquarium had stripped Classical exterior elevations which have been replaced to the east by Poilite asbestos cement. The range projecting from the curved northern end of the terraces and the western range were refaced in stock brick. The west elevation was refaced in 1951 and the east in 1965 in renovations by Franz Stengelhofen, Zoo architect.The interior comprises a freshwater hall, seawater hall and a tropical hall which extend in a curved sequence for 136 metres. Each of the halls has a wide circulation area with perimeter tanks. The three halls hold more than 100 exhibition tanks up to 9 metres wide. By the east entrance are the offices and research laboratories. Large reservoirs are housed beneath the floor and the water moves through a vast and elaborate closed water system. Its engine house is situated beneath the second level of the terraces with the storerooms. |
More information : The Aquarium at London Zoo is situated underneath the Mappin Terraces (Monument HOB UID 619101) and was constructed in 1923-24. This was not the original aquarium to be built at the Zoo. In 1853 the Fish House was constructed in the area to the north of Three Island Pond and was the first British public aquarium to be built. The site under Mappin Terraces had always been designed for the aquarium when the terraces were built in 1913, but its detailed planning had been delayed due to the outbreak of the First World War.
The aquarium was designed by architect John James Joass following a brief by E G Boulenger, curator of reptiles at the Zoo. The site engineer was Alexander Gibb and Partners, the rockwork designer Joan Beauchamp Procter and the contractor J.Jarvis and Sons Ltd. Originally the Aquarium had stripped Classical exterior elevations which have been replaced to the east by Poilite asbestos cement. The range projecting from the curved northern end of the terraces and the western range were refaced in stock brick. The west elevation was refaced in 1951 and the east in 1965 in renovations by Franz Stengelhofen, Zoo architect.
The interior comprises a freshwater hall, seawater hall and a tropical hall which extend in a curved sequence for 136 metres. Each of the halls has a wide circulation area with perimeter tanks. The three halls hold more than 100 exhibition tanks up to 9 metres wide. By the east entrance are the offices and research laboratories. Large reservoirs are housed beneath the floor and the water moves through a vast and elaborate closed water system. Its engine house is situated beneath the second level of the terraces with the storerooms. (1-2) |