DUDLEY ZOO AND CASTLE
Dudley Zoo is situated on The Broadway, Dudley, West Midlands . It is located about 3 miles from the M5 Junction 2 and Dudley Bus Station is a short walk from the Zoo entrance. The closest railway station at Dudley Port is about three miles away.
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Advantages: Good historical zoo and castle Disadvantages: Animal welfare challenges
DUDLEY ZOO AND CASTLE
Dudley Zoo is situated on The Broadway, Dudley, West Midlands . It is located about 3 miles from the M5 Junction 2 and Dudley Bus Station is a short walk from the Zoo entrance. The closest railway station at Dudley Port is about three miles away.
Visiting Dudley Zoo is perhaps a somewhat controversial move. Although much of it's art deco architecture made it a modern innovation eighty years ago, ... ...in the sixteenth century John Dudley rebuilt it into the form of a renaissance palace. The Earls of Dudley continued to live on site until the mid eighteenth century when the castle was gutted by fire. Although the family had moved out of the Castle they continued as owners of the site and founded Dudley Zoo in 1937.
As a visitor to the West Midlands and the Black Country I found arriving at Dudley Zoo a somewhat disappointing experience. ... more
DUDLEY ZOO AND CASTLE
Dudley Zoo is situated on The Broadway, Dudley, West Midlands . It is located about 3 miles from the M5 Junction 2 and Dudley Bus Station is a short walk from the Zoo entrance. The closest railway station at Dudley Port is about three miles away.
Visiting Dudley Zoo is perhaps a somewhat controversial move. Although much of it's art deco architecture made it a modern innovation eighty years ago, the now dated enclosures do pose difficulties to the welfare of animals. Some modernisation has been taking place, but due to the "listing" of many of the early structures the zoo does have a problem in balancing the old with the new. For example, campaigns by animal rights organisations have forced the closure of the elephant enclosure. Unfortunately, the zoo seems unhappy about publicising the "listed" structures and they are not really highlighted as you go around.
In contrast to the zoo the Castle is well documented and signage is extensively used to provide information to the visitor. I enjoyed walking around the castle remains at the top of the mound where you can gain wonderful views of the West Midlands if you negotiate the spiral stone staircase to the viewing platform. Also the large lawned area inside the castle wall is ideal for picnics.
The castle dates from the eleventh century and is based on Norman construction. It has, however, undergone many alterations and in the sixteenth century John Dudley rebuilt it into the form of a renaissance palace. The Earls of Dudley continued to live on site until the mid eighteenth century when the castle was gutted by fire. Although the family had moved out of the Castle they continued as owners of the site and founded Dudley Zoo in 1937.
As a visitor to the West Midlands and the Black Country I found arriving at Dudley Zoo a somewhat disappointing experience. The main entrance from the Car Park was closed (and appears to have been for some time) and the £3 parking fee was not inspiring. Our family visit had been to see the zoo and we expected the Castle to be an unexpected bonus. Entering the zoo is by an entrance around the corner from the Car Park and a donation is added to the ticket price to fund the zoos charity work. You have to make a conscious effort to remove the £1 donation per adult, although you are aware you are being charged when taxpayers are asked to complete the Gift Aid forms.
Once through the gates we realised the steepness of the climb to the top of the zoo, so we caught the road train to half way up the hill. Apparently Dudley Zoo has famously steep slopes that make it a challenge for those with wheelchairs and pushchairs. Going by road train enabled us to look at the many owls in aviaries on the way before the panoramic view across Dudley began to appear. The road train dropped us off by the "wallaby walkthrough" which is one of the most modern enclosures at the zoo that enables interaction with the marsupials. Next we walked to the Orang u tans along a fairly flat stretch of path. They were busy eating fruit and performing tricks for the watching audience. The lion enclosure could also be viewed near here, but I found this somewhat disappointing as vantage points were hard to come by. On the day of our visit (which was during the school holidays) there were plenty of visitors and the zoo certainly seemed popular with locals.
Other memorable animals were the penguins, giraffes, tigers and lemurs. Unfortunately the penguin enclosure was not the best, but the tigers and the giraffes were in quite spacious surroundings. The latter had a very open area and they were enjoying a good chew on the trees. Lemurs have been housed in a large wooded area which is a pretty modern idea and allows close contact with these monkeys.
On returning down to a lower level through the Lemur Wood the Pets Corner for younger visitors comes into view. There is also a small fairground - at extra charge of course. My brother enjoyed the Pets Corner and was fascinated by the pigs and goats. Zoo staff are on hand to prevent little hands from being bitten, but the petting of animals is encouraged. Good washing facilities are beside this attraction for anyone worried about germs.
Whilst at Pets Corner we were made aware of the adjacent large indoor heated building containing tropical animals. We eventually found the door and in a very humid atmosphere saw many South American birds, reptiles and monkeys.
At the end of a busy day going up and down hills we had a quick look in the zoo shop before exiting through the side door again. The price of gifts was on a par with those I've seen at other zoos and younger children always tend to pester for toy animals during this stage of a visit. We finally left feeling reasonably satisfied with our day out.
I have only been able to describe some of the animals that we saw on our visit, but according to the zoo owners Dudley Zoo has more than 1,000 animals representing over 200 different species.
The cost of entry to Dudley Zoo and Castle (combined ticket only available): Adult £9.95 (including a £1 voluntary donation to the zoos charity work) Child (3-15 years) £6.95 Adult with disability/Senior Citizen/Student or Young Person (16-18 yrs) £7.50 Child with Disability £5.00 Under 3's free
Advantages: Great day out for the family with lots to see Disadvantages: Looks a little rundown
Dudley Zoo first opened in 1937, and now stretches over 40 acres. The zoo is located a short walk from Dudley town centre (located in the West Midlands), and is not far at all from the bus station. There is no train station in Dudley but there are buses that run to and from many different places in the West Midlands located near by, including Birmingham and Wolverhampton. There is also a small car park next door to the zoo.
Located on a hill, the ... ...enclosure.
==The Castle==
Dudley Castle is in the centre of the park. The Castle is very much ruined but in it’s glory days was a very large building and dates back to around 1086. The castle holds the honour of being the site of the first solid evidence of condoms and their use! There is a visitor centre which you can visit in the castle, this was closed when we visited but we were able to see most of it by joining a ghost tour which takes you ...
CezaWeza 15.05.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Dudley Zoo
Advantages: More than you think! Disadvantages: quite an expencive day out
...the animals given by Dr Dudley himself. Children can also meet some of the smaller animals during events throughout the day. Gusts are likely to bump into Bob the Barn Owl and the Alpacas during their visit aswel as the resident peacocks.
A trip to the zoo can prove to be really educational for the children as there is a lot of information displayed next to all of the enclosures. Also, there is a Discovery Center in the middle of the zoo where children ... ...that i have been to, Dudley Zoo does fair well. This is becuase despite other zoos having some very interesting animal, they appear to keep as many animals as possible in a small space, Where as Dudley Zoo is spread out over many acres.
My personal faveourites at Dudley Zoo are the giraffes! They are great, and so different from the everyday sights in Dudley. I also like the spider monkeys as they are very playful and love an audience.
In closing, ...
priesty8899 18.04.2006 (20.04.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Dudley Zoo
Advantages: great place to see the animals you always dreamed of Disadvantages: non that i can see
Dudley Zoo,
Well were do I start,
I first went to Dudley as a teenager with a group of friends on a trip from our local youth club, were although we thought it was going to be a bit boring, we discovered it was a great and fascinating place,
I have since returned a few times with my children, as little ones and when they were teenagers, and they have enjoyed it every time,
Although I'm not overly fond of the idea of kept wildlife, I do understand ... ...beautiful.
There is also Dudley Castle, which is a cracking place to walk around, and get a feel for the past,
Although I haven't been on one, apparently they do ghost walks around the castle at set times.
There's actually so much to see and do, it would take me hours to write it all down.
They have a web site you can visit for all relevant information and prices.
The web site also gives you all the information on how to get there, rail, bus ...
dreamscancometrue 19.12.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Dudley Zoo
Advantages: Lovely castle, good array of animals Disadvantages: Shabby and small enclosures, exhausting to walk round
The zoo is quite attractive, theres a good array of animals and plenty for the young children to do and see.
I have visited the zoo twice and have always enjoyed the experience, walking around the zoo is very exhausting, as the zoo has been built around the castle which is situated on a hill, you seem to spend more time walking up hills than you do coming down them.
One of the best features has to be the castle itself, much of this building still ...
helena39 06.02.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Dudley Zoo
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