Young People Unearthing their Heritage Project

Barry Zoo

27 April 2021 · Zoe Mouti

Twin brothers Hugh and George Palmer opened the zoo in 1960. It started off small but rapidly expanded. At one point the zoo housed tigers, elephants, lions, emus, camels, bears, pumas and many more.

Advert for Barry Zoo

Advert for Barry Zoo

In 1977 George Palmer was arrested for attending a council meeting with one of the tigers from the zoo. George was unhappy that the decision had been made to decline planning permission to expand one of the enclosures. This incident happened at a time when the zoo was facing closure due to mounting financial problems.

George Palmer & tiger attending Council meeting

The zoo continued to stay open to the public until 1980 when due to changes in animal regulations and a lack of funding, the zoo had no choice but to close.

The site is now the home of the Welsh Hawking Centre and has a large selection of birds of prey.

Barry Carnival

The history of carnivals being held in Barry can be dated back to the 19th Century. The first carnival to take place in Barry was in 1889 to celebrate the opening of Barry Docks. Streets were decorated and the route…

Over The Years

We had great fun looking at old photos of places in Barry then comparing how they look now!! The Bathing Pool - Barry Island The Bathing Pool Barry Island The Bathing Pool remnants 2020 - you can still see the…

St Baruc and St Cadoc

The name of Barry is thought to have possibly come from Saint Baruc. He was a 6th century saint, who was also a disciple of Saint Cadoc. Saint Baruc was tasked with bringing St Cadoc's reading material with him on…

Barry Island Beach and Promenade

The Island was purchased in 1856 by Francis Crawshay. He was an Ironmonger from Merthyr. Francis built the Marine Hotel, which was renamed Friars Point House at a later date. He also made arrangements for visitors to be brought to…

Highlight Church Ruins

The village of Uchelolau -(Highlight) was built on the outskirts of the town in the late 12th Century. It was a small village with around six houses, a manor house and a church. The village was completely deserted before the…

Living Conditions

In the later 1880's, mud was a huge problem, particularly during the winter. People reported that the town was dismal and dreary with a wilderness of mud with no houses apart from the Central Police Station. A postman also reported…