Bell Vue Gardens Archive 2.

After the lecture on Bell Vue gardens I started to think about whether or not Bell Vue gardens was as magical as it appeared to be to the public. Lots of people are saying that we should bring back Bell Vue gardens but I don’t think it was as glamorous behind closed doors.  One thing that really struck me about Bell Vue was the treatment and welfare of the animals that were kept there.

The park attracted around 80 thousand visitors per day during the high season. All of these people desperate to see new and exotic animals that they had never seen before. The conditions that the animals were kept in were so poor that animals would last only weeks or months alive in Bell Vue gardens when their usual life span in the wild should have been years. They bought an orangutan who only lasted 6 weeks alive in the park who’s lifespan in the wild would be around 40 years.  

Not only where the cages the animals lived in so tiny the animal wouldn’t be able to turn around, but the animals where made to preform and do tricks in order to entertain the crowds. Often they where made to wear clothes and act like humans. One of the most famous animals from Bell Vue gardens was a monkey called Consul who was famous for his smart pinstripe suit and for smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. Consul died after 5 years, which is a terribly short life span for a chimpanzee who, in the wild would usually live 30/35 years.

Skelton of the most famous elephant from Bell Vue 'Maharajah' In the museum of Manchester.

Bell Vue Gardens Archive.

Before starting this project I had never even heard about Bell Vue gardens as a zoo, place or fairground. I had no idea that any of its vast history had ever existed. When I was first introduced to it and I started researching about it I was fascinated at the fact I had never known about something so vast and such a massive part of so many peoples lives could just disappear as if it had never been there to begin with.

I thought the Bell Vue expert who came in to deliver the lecture about Bell Vue very interesting to listen to. The way he described the park to us and his enthusiasm about the park, made the lecture much more engaging and interesting. This sparked off my initial interest to look much deeper into the different aspects of Bell Vue.

I found the visit to Chethems library so interesting and helpful to my research. Not only did I love the library itself it was very beneficial to be able to see some of the photographs and posters and brochures first hand and up close. This way I got to see all of the detail within them instead of just viewing them on a big screen where its hard to see. I found the old posters and brochures for Bell Vue fascinating because they are so detailed and like pieces of artwork in themselves. They depict the park to be so magical and thrilling to the public but underneath all of the fancy posters and advertising, when we look into it Bell Vue was not such a magical and exciting place after all.