Dunstable Yesteryear - Animals on their way to Whipsnade
This was the unusual sight at Dunstable crossroads in January 1932 when animals destined for Whipsnade Zoo walked through the town.
The photo here was taken from the West Street corner, with the white fascia of Lloyds Bank building on the left.
The animals had been part of the famous Bostock travelling menagerie which had closed after being an attraction throughout Britain for some 126 years.
The menagerie’s last show had been at Glasgow and a special train had then been chartered to transport the animals to their “retirement home” at the newly opened Whipsnade Zoo. The railway station nearest to the zoo was in High Street North, Dunstable, where the disused district council offices now stand.
There were seventeen railway waggons, some specially strengthened, in the “Noah’s Ark” train, which travelled slowly through the night at speeds of less than 25 miles per hour to reach Dunstable. It left the main line at Leighton Buzzard and then steamed up the steep slope on the branch line through Sewell and Stanbridgeford station.
Inside the train were two elephants, two dromedaries, 12 lions, two tigers, two leopards, two brown bears, one polar bear, two wolves, three hyenas, 25 monkeys, 50 parrots, two crown cranes, one pelican, one sea lion, one kangaroo and 40 smaller animals.
The cages containing the lions, tigers etc were hauled to the zoo from Dunstable by steam tractors travelling along the Watling Street and through Kensworth, having been lifted out by a special staff of railwaymen operating a crane..
The other animals walked down High Street North and West Street and then over Dunstable Downs to the zoo. There were well-documented stops for refreshments for both animals and humans at the Rifle Volunteer pub at the foot of the Downs and at Anne’s Café (now the Hunter’s Lodge) on Whipsnade Common.
Yesteryear is compiled by John Buckledee, chairman of Dunstable and District Local History Society.