Belle Vue (1836 - 1982)
Biography
Belle Vue was the first privately founded zoo in England, established by John Jennison in 1836.
John, an entrepreneur and professional gardener, started selling fruit and vegetables from his home grounds in Adswood, Stockport in the mid-1820s with his wife. By 1829 they had built an aviary business, opened to the public for an admission charge and had turned their home into a public house. During the next decade the business continued expanding and in 1836, they took over Belle Vue, a public house seating on over 35 acres of land. The Jennison's original idea was to turn the gardens into a botanical attraction with some animal displays, but pushed by public demand, they decided to expand the zoological side of the business.
At its opening, as well as the aviary, Belle Vue contained an Italian Garden, lakes, mazes and hothouses. The site was an instant success and as attendance increased so did the attractions. In 1843 ponds were enlarged to create a boating lake with an island holding a natural history museum in the centre. In 1847 a racecourse was added and from 1852 firework displays became a regular feature. As the popularity of the site increased, so did the demand for innovation and an amusement park was built in the 1870s containing all the popular fairground rides of the time. Music and dancing were also popular attractions from the beginning, which could be enjoyed in various ballrooms and the Kings Hall exhibition space built in 1910, became the largest outside London.
The site was thriving up to the beginning of the First World War, when the complex was requisition by the government to build a munitions factory and for use by the Manchester Regiment. In spite of this, Belle Vue managed to survive the war and continued expanding during the post-war years, incorporating an annual Christmas circus show, which lasted for nearly sixty years from 1922. The circus was provided by the Blackpool Tower Company, which supplied acts and equipment, including the Tower’s resident ringmaster George Lockhart and became a roaring success.
Additionally, in 1928 Belle Vue built the largest purpose-built speedway stadium in the country and became a renowned boxing and wrestling venue.
During the Second World War, parts of the complex were requisitioned for military use including the King’s Hall, the restaurants, the offices and some of the grounds. Part of the gardens were also requisitioned by the Manchester Corporation to grow food. However, the rest of the complex was allowed to remain open to the public, which enabled Belle Vue to avoid financial disaster.
During the post-war years Belle Vue recovered and became one of the most famous attractions in the North West until the late 1960s when it started to decline. Huge financial losses first prompted the closure of the zoo in 1980. Between 1978 and 1982 several attempts to revitalise the rest of the complex were made, but eventually the land was sold and the site cleared by 1987.
At its peak, Belle Vue held the third largest zoo collection in the UK and attracted more than two million visitors a year. After its sale, the land was redeveloped for residential and business use with only the greyhound racing stadium, snooker hall and cinema remaining from the original site.
Found in 46 Collections and/or Records:
Belle Vue Grand International Circus Revue Programme, 1947 - 1948
Manchester. Black, white and red illustration of band girl on a bowing horse on a red background on the front cover, inside introduction, black and white illustrations and photographs of acts and performers with text including Billy Merchant, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 10p.p.
Belle Vue Handbill, c1848
Zoological gardens and museum of curiosities at Belle Vue, Hyde Road, Manchester. Folio from book advertising the zoo, Pleasure Boats, Elizabethan Maze and dancing Platform. On revere, advertising for Cole’s patent trusses and medicated Bands, 2pp.
Belle Vue Handbill, c1848
The Gardens and Pleasure Grounds at Belle Vue, Hyde Road, Manchester. Folio from book advertising the zoo. Other adverts on reverse, 2pp.
Belle Vue International Circus Programme, 22 December - 3 February c1950s
Manchester. Colour illustrations of smilling clown's face and circus animals around the edges on a blue background and black, red, green and blue type on a yellow background on front cover, inside introduction, black and white illustrations and photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 18p.p.
Belle Vue International Circus Programme, 23 December 1976 - 5 February 1977
Manchester. Colour illustration of leaping tiger and woman in pink outfit on a blue and circus ring background on front cover, inside black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 12p.p.
Belle Vue International Circus Showtime Programme, 21 December 1972 - 3 February 1973
Manchester. Colour illustration of two clowns' torsos and four white horses galloping on a white and blue background on front cover, inside black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 12p.p.
Belle Vue International Circus Startime Programme, 21 December 1973 - 2 February 1974
Manchester. Colour illustration of herd of elephants performing on circus platforms on the background and female trainer wearing a red jacket, black top hat, black short and high black boots on a yellow background on front cover, inside black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p.
Belle Vue International Circus Startime Programme, 20 December - 1 February c1970s
Manchester. Colour illustration of clown holding his red and yellow bowler hat up on his hand and wild west and elephant act on the background on front cover, inside black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 14p.p.
Belle Vue Mammoth Centenary Year Circus Programme, 1935 - 1936
Manchester. Red and black illustrations of circus acts, including ringmaster, equestrian act, clown, lion and seal on a brown background on front cover, inside introduction, black and white photographs of performers and acts with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 10p.p.
Belle Vue Programmes, c1900 - 1999
Belle Vue Circus programmes.
Belle Vue Winter Circus International Programme, 22 December 1977 - 4 February 1978
Manchester. Black, red and yellow illustration of roaring lion's head in a circle and head of ringmaster on a yellow background on front cover, inside black and white photographs of acts and performers with text, programme in the centre and commercial advertising, 12p.p.
Christopher Palmer Collection
Circus programmes and VHS tapes from Billy Smart’s Circus and Chipperfields’s Circus collected during the 1970s and early 1980s by the TV producer, Christopher John Palmer. There are also a number of promotional photographs of artistes and other ephemera related to the circus.
Circus Friends Association Collection
This collection consists of a large library of books and journals, as well as archival material including posters, programmes, photographs, films, handbills, research material, scrapbooks, original artwork and many other items of ephemera relating to British, Irish and European circuses
Den Curtis' Photographic Albums, 1936 - 1969
Photographic albums put together by Den Curtis, containing black and white photographs of circuses, performers and animals with annotations, including Sanger, Chipprefields, Bertram Mills, Smarts, Hoxie Bros., Blackpool Tower, Belle Vue, Robert Bros., Fossett and Luckens Continental Circus and others, also some loose photographs removed from the albums.
Films, c1930 - 1990
Amateur and commercial films on multiple formats, focusing mainly on Circus but also including transport, fairs, fairground rides and other types of travelling entertainments.
Handbills, c1786 - 1968
Handbills for travelling shows, fairs, exhibitions and performances in London.
Handbills for Venues Outside London, 1789 - c1929
Handbills for travelling shows, fairs, exhibitions and performances at venues outside London.
John Bramwell Taylor Collection
Lindsay Temple's Circus Photographs and Postcards, 1958 - 1960
Black and white photographs and postcards of circus acts, performers and animals on and off the ring from various circuses including Bertram Mills, Chipperfields at various locations in the United Kingdom including Kelvin Hall, Belle Vue, Olympia, Blackpool Tower, Great Yarmouth, Birmingham and Kendal, some contain annotations on reverse.
Newspaper Cuttings and Scapbooks, 1838 - 2007
A collection of newspaper cuttings on circus, circus proprietors and performers and scrapbooks containing newspaper cuttings, posters, programmes and other items of ephemera, covering mainly British circuses and venues such as Belle Vue and also some international circuses.