London Zoo

London Zoo was the world's first scientific zoo. Opened in 1828, and originally intended as a collection for scientific study, it was eventually made open to the public in 1847. Today it houses a collection of more than 650 different species of animals.

Architecture

Since its earliest days, the zoo has prided itself on appointing leading architects to design its buildings. These include:

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• the Clock Tower (1828, originally built to house llamas) and the Giraffe House (1836-1837) by Decimus Burton (both Grade II listed buildings)
• the Mappin Terraces (1913-1914) by Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell and John James Joass (listed Grade II).
• the Penguin Pool (1934),
• the Round House (built 1932-1933 to house the zoo's gorillas) and
• the North Gate Kiosk (1936) - all by Berthold Lubetkin's Tecton firm, with inputs on the Penguin Pool from leading structural engineer Ove Arup (the first two structures are now listed Grade I, kiosk Grade II)
• the Snowdon aviary (1962-1964) by Lord Snowdon, Cedric Price and Frank Newby
• the Elephant and Rhino House (1962-1965) designed by Sir Hugh Casson and Neville Conder. (Now no longer considered suitable for these large creatures.)