Yes, you read that right!
In the 1920s and early 1930s, Stapenhill House opened the ‘Stapenhill Zoological Pleasure Garden’ within its grounds, a section that is now a small car park and children’s playground off the Dingle that runs down from Ferry Street to the Ferry Bridge.
It had a traditional Bear Pit; when the bear eventually died, it went to a taxidermist and can still be seen in Derby museum. The greatest attraction was two crocodiles. The picture shows that the restrictions imposed due to Health and Safety regulations were slightly more relaxed than they are today.
The zoo also hosted a monkey enclosure and a number of aviaries.
