The Tower of London Menagerie

The Tower was home to a collection of 'wild beasts' for over 600 years

The First Zoo in London

From the 1200s to 1835, the Tower of London housed a collection of exotic wild animals, never before seen in London, including lions and a polar bear given as gifts to kings and queens. This collection is known as a menagerie.

The Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London is known as the ‘first zoo in London’. When it closed, many Tower animals were moved to the Zoological Gardens in Regent’s Park – today's London Zoo.

Power Pets

In 1235, Henry III was delighted to be presented with three 'leopards' (probably lions but referred to then as leopards in the heraldry on the king's shield) by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. These inspired the King to start a zoo at the Tower of London. Over time the collection of animals grew: the lions were joined by a polar bear in 1252 and an African elephant in 1255.

Sculpture of a polar bear made from steel armature and painted galvanised wire, installed in front of the Wakefield Tower. Part of the Royal Beasts exhibition.

Sculptor Kendra Haste was commissioned in 2010 by Historic Royal Palaces to create a series of thirteen works celebrating the Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London. The menagerie included a polar bear, a gift from the King of Norway in 1252. The bear sometimes swam in the River Thames, at the end of a long leash, to catch fish.

The menagerie was established in the early 13th Century and remained a part of the Tower of London until 1832 when the remaining animals were moved to Regents Park to help establish London Zoo. — *Image: © Historic Royal Palaces*

The Polar Bear

In 1252, Henry III was given a magnificent white bear, presumably a polar bear, by the King of Norway. Although it was kept muzzled and chained, the bear was allowed to swim and hunt for fish in the Thames. A collar and a ‘stout cord’ were attached to the bear to keep it from escaping.

Sculpture of an elephant in an enclosure with their head looking out made from galvanised wire. — *Image: © Historic Royal Palaces*

The Elephant

The King of France sent an elephant to the Tower in 1255, and Londoners flocked ‘to see the novel sight’. Although the elephant had a brand new 40-foot by 20-foot elephant house and a dedicated keeper, it died after just a couple of years.

Many of the other animals did not survive in the cramped conditions, although lions and tigers fared better, with many cubs being born.

Sculptures of a lion and a lioness made from galvanised wire, which have been installed on the former site of the Lion Tower, by the west entrance to the Tower. — *Image: © Historic Royal Palaces*

Lions at the Tower

In the 1200s, Edward I created a permanent new home for the Menagerie at the western entrance to the Tower. This became known as the Lion Tower. The terrifying sounds and smells of the animals must have both impressed and intimidated visitors.

Henry III’s crest featured three lions, the ancestors of those on the England football team strip today.

By 1622, the collection had grown to include three eagles, two pumas, a tiger and a jackal, as well as more lions and leopards – the main attractions.

James I had the lions’ den refurbished so that visitors could see more of the lions prowling around their circular yard. This included a ‘great cisterne... for the Lyons to drink and wash themselfes in’.

In later centuries some animals took their revenge on those who got too close, maiming and even occasionally killing keepers and visitors.

A cheetah surrounded by two male figures, one of whom is restraining the animal by its belt. A stag stands on the right staring at the cheetah — Image: This painting by George Stubbs is inspired by an incident that took place in 1764, when a cheetah brought to England from India was pitched against a stag in a hunting demonstration at Windsor. Manchester Art Gallery

The Royal Menagerie and Empire

For most of the Tower Menagerie’s history, exotic animals were very rare in England because only monarchs and the elite could afford to keep them.

From the 1700s many more exotic creatures arrived in London as a direct result of Britain’s expanding military and trading empire across the globe. Miss Jenny, the Tower’s cheetah arrived in 1764 from Bengal. Jenny was attended by an Indian keeper known as John Morgan who appears in the records of the Old Bailey stating: 'I came over with a tyger [cheetah] for Sir George Pigot, who was governor of Madras, and attend upon it for him now.'

Closure of the Tower Menagerie

By the beginning of the 1800s, the Tower Menagerie was in decline. It was temporarily revitalised by energetic showman and Head Keeper Alfred Cops, who acquired nearly 300 new animals. This rekindled the popularity of the Tower as a tourist attraction.

Illustration of a lion in a standing position, with 'The Bengal Lion' along the bottom — *Image: © Historic Royal Palaces*

Global Journeys

Animals at the Tower had usually travelled here from around the globe. George, the Tower’s Bengal lion was orphaned in 1822 when Colonel Sir James Watson, commander in chief of India, shot the cub’s parents whilst big game hunting.

The cub was put on an East Indiaman ship, the Hope, with a goat as a foster mother at three days old. George’s journey from Bengal to Gravesend took four months and on arrival, he was so tame that visitors to the Tower could play with him.

End of an Era: The Animals Leave the Tower

Growing concerns over animal welfare (the RSPCA was founded in 1824) and the nuisance and expense of the animals finally led to the Menagerie’s closure.

From December 1831, the Duke of Wellington (then Constable of the Tower), dispatched all the Royal Menagerie animals from the Tower of London to a new home in Regent’s Park, leaving behind only Cops’ personal collection.

The Menagerie closed for good in 1835, with the remaining animals sold to zoos or travelling circuses. The Lion Tower was later demolished.

Sculpture of a baboon (in a sitting position) made from steel armature and painted galvanised wire, installed on a wall opposite the Jewel House. Part of the Royal Beasts exhibition.

Sculptor Kendra Haste was commissioned in 2010 by Historic Royal Palaces to create a series of thirteen works celebrating the Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London. The menagerie was established in the early 13th Century and remained a part of the Tower of London until 1832 when the remaining animals were moved to Regents Park to help establish London Zoo. — *Image: © Historic Royal Palaces*

Wire Sculptures at the Tower

In 2010, Historic Royal Palaces commissioned artist Kendra Haste to create 13 galvanised wire sculptures for display at the Tower. These sculptures commemorate the animals held here in the Menagerie. These include a family of lions, a polar bear, an elephant and a baboon troupe – displayed near where the original animals were kept.