I've just read this book by Vickie Harris, thoroughly enjoyed reading it too
From her Introduction, it seems she had to get a lot of information from newspapers etc. Lady Tyrwhitt-Drake told her that all of the papers and records of the zoo had been lost. I'm just very pleased she managed to find as much as she did. Some wonderful photo's in it and memories from staff that worked there.
I'm not sure now if the 'ornate' pond I mentioned in an earlier post is recorded as 'The Lake ' perhaps it was bigger then than it is now, but although we still visit Cobtree Park often, it's hard to tell from the map layout in the book, just what was where. How it's all changed, this year it has certainly had thousands spent on it and is a lovely place to visit. The small bit about a Wallaby escaping in September 1946 gave me a chuckle. It managed to get as far as Borstal village before it was captured and put into someone's Anderson shelter in their garden, until the van and staff came to collect it.
S4, a little bit about the train ..." Sir Garrard purchased the track secondhand from a local quarry? Avery brothers of Maidstone built a steam-outline loco, powered by 14hp petrol engine and two open 18 seat coaches were constructed on the frames of old tram cars"
Lovely little book, I really enjoyed it.
