Woburn Dolphinarium: 1972 - 1983


BACKGROUND

Woburn dolphinarium was one of a number of dolphinariums constructed and operated by Entam  (Trust Houses Forte Leisure). Etam's original dolphinarium was opened in 1972 in the Welsh seaside town of Rhyl. Later that year it opened a dolphinarium at the Knowsley Safari Park and Woburn Wild Animal Kingdom.

Whipsnade Zoo - Zoological Society of London: 1972 - 1988





 




BACKGROUND

Whipsnade dolphin exhibit was constructed in 1972 as The Water Mammal Exhibit and displayed bottle-nosed dolphins. It was designed by the then curator veterinarian Victor Manton. The original concept was that the exhibit would first be an experimental facility that would later be expanded with the aims of a dolphin research and breeding center.

Windsor Safari Park: 1970 - 1992








BACKGROUND

The the park was founded in 1969 by the Billy Smart's circus family who opened the dolphinarium in 1970. The park was sold by Smarts in 1977 and had various owners until it closed in October 1992. The dolphins were relocated to Harderwijk Marine Mammal Park in The Netherlands. 

Durley Chine and Weymouth Dolphinariums: 1970 - 1971




The photograph on the front page of the souvenir programme was taken at
the Queen Hotel Dolphinarium in Margate, Kent,


In 1970 a dolphinarium was constructed located on Durley Chine, Bournemouth and operated by a company called Orca International Ltd. The show listed four dolphins on display: Chipper, Mickey, Adonis and Nero. The show producer, compere and director of training was Douglas Muir with Godren Panitzke also credited as a trainer. The show ran for one season.

West Midlands Safari Park Dolphinarium: 1976


Queen's Entertainment Centre, Cliftonville, Margate operated this seasonal dolphinarium which  only ran for one season in 1976. One of the dolphins was Speedy who was one of the original dolphins imported at the opening of Queens Hotel Dolphinarium.

South Elmsall Animal Training School And Dolphinarium : 1972 - 1974




BACKGROUND

The training school was a deused public swimming pool built in 1932. It was operated by Jervale Ltd a company owned by filtration engineer John Nolan and his wife. The pool was mainly used as a centre for holding and training dolphins from March 1972 until around 1974. See an article and picture from the Wakefield Express.

Southsea Dolphinarium - Portsmouth: 1973



BACKGROUND

Two dolphins Patsy and Lulu were transported from Flamingoland for this summer season show. The animals were then sold to Windsor Safari Park.

Southend Dolphinarium's - 1969 - 1975



The were in fact three facilities that displayed dolphins in Southend between 1969 and 1974.

Skegness Dolphinarium: 1972 - 1975


Aerial view of the Skegness dolphinarium which can be seen on the right-hand side as a  blue circle. This is now the site of the Skegness Aquarium.


BACKGROUND

Skegness dolphinarium was a summer season facility operated by the Queens Motel and Entertainment Ltd (Margate Dolphinarium) in conjunction with Skegness Urban Council. 

Scarborough Marineland & Zoo: 1969 - 1984



  



BACKGROUND


The zoo was developed by businessman Don Robinson who was also involved with Scotia Leisure one time owners of Flamingo Park Zoo and it's satellites. Scarborough also supplied dolphins for Blair Drummond Safari Park and had associations with the directors of Margate dolphinarium and others involved in dolphin displays at the time such as Gwrych Castle.

During two winter seasons it supplied dolphins for shows in swimming pools in Bolton and Belfast.

Sandown Dolphinarium - Isle Of Wight



The dolphinariums at Sandown and Brean Down were both operated by Ted Cowell with all but one of the animals supplied by Aquatic Mammal Enterprises. Sandown was a converted swimming pool located at the Blue Lagoon area of Sandown sea-front.

Royalty Folies - London- 1974


BACKGROUND
 
The Royalty Folies (later to be renamed The Great International Nude Show) was staged at the Royalty Theatre London in Holborn by Paul Raymond owner of the then famous Raymond's Review Bar. The animals were house in 10,000 gallon tank which weighed 65 tones. The two dolphins were called "Pixie" and "Penny" and they remain at the theatre for the 12 week run of the show from April to June in 1974. The animals were trained for the show over-winter at the Porthcawl Dolphinarium. They were relocated first to the dolphinarium at Woburn and then to the dolphinarium at Flamingo Park Zoo in Yorkshire. The show closed due to financial loss and not due to adverse criticism cited below in A Review of Dolphinaria.

Rhyl Dolphinarium: 1972 - 1974


BACKGROUND

The dolphinarium opened in June 1972 and was located in the Ocean Beach Fun Fair on the West Parade. Animals from Rhyl where over-wintered at Knowsley Safari Park Dolphinarium.

In Colin Jones 'Rhyl Life' blog it is noted that the dolphin pool still remained under the floor of the Breaks Snooker Club and Sports Bar until this venue was closed and then demolished in 2017.
 
 


Porthcawl Dolphinarium: 1971 - 1974




BACKGROUND

The dolphinarium was sited at the Coney Beach Pleasure Park, Porthcawl, South Wales and originally built and owned by Joe Raber's company Marine Mammals International. The last two dolphins to be housed there were in the winter of 1974 undergoing training for the Royalty Folies show in London. The dolphinarium was then used for sea lions shows by Jervale Ltd in the summer of 1975.

Ocean Park - Seaburn - Sunderland: 1973 - 1975





BACKGROUND

This site was built and developed by local fair owner John Colins and animals supplied in partnership with Jervale Ltd a company that from 1975 until early 1977 operated the dolphinarium at Flamingo Park Zoo. The dolphin pool was seasonal outside facility with animals displayed returning to Flamingo Park during the winter. The dolphin display appears to have only operated for no more than two summers starting in 1973.

The attraction was later taken over by animal trainer Martin Lacey, who owned the Great British Circus and renamed Zoo World before closed. The site was redeveloped as a supermarket.

A news article on the Ocean Park and it history and a possible documentary film can be found HERE.

PHOTOGRAPHS





Seaburn Zoo Ocean Park from Sunderland In Pictures on Facebook


 


Marineland - Morecambe: 1964 - 1990





BACKGROUND


Billed as Europe's first oceanarium Marineland was the brain child of zoo-man Robert Jackson owner of the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay North Wales in partnership with George Cansdale - former Superintendent at London Zoo and owner of Natureland Marine Zoo on Skegness sea-front. They setup Marineland with a company called Marineland Ltd and opened the aquarium in 1964. Unfortunately they had financial difficulties and were taken over by Morecambe Council a year or so later.

Queen's Motel Dolphinarium: Margate: 1969 - 1977




BACKGROUND

The dolpharium was owned by Louis Holloway and Keith Franklin and situated in the converted swimming pool of a former Butlin's Hotel which became an entertainment complex and motel. As well as the dolphinarium at Cliftonville, the company Queens Entertainments Ltd ran a number of seasonal dolphinariums at Skegness, Southend on Sea and West Midland Safari Park; for one season in 1971 the company presented a show at Salonika in Greece. 

London Dolphinarium: 1971 -

Dudley Smith presenting the animals

BACKGROUND

Opening on the 1 April 1971 the London Dolphinarium was located at 65 Oxford Street in London and owned by the Pleasurama Leisure Group. At this time the company also owned Marineland in Mallorca and a temporary dolphin holding and training pool located in the Pleasurama's Amusement Park at Ramsgate. In December 2012, 65 Oxford Street and any of the remaining infrastructure from the original dolphinarium were demolished for redevelopment.

Knowsley Safari Park Dolphinarium: 1972 - 1985




BACKGROUND

Knowsley dolphinarium was the one of a number of dolphinariums constructed and operated by Entam  (Trust Houses Forte Leisure).

Gwrych Castle: 1970




BACKGROUND

Scotia Investments who at this time owned Flamingo Park and various other attraction had a small seasonal dolphin pool sited at the castle which is located at St Asaph in North Wales for one summer in the early nineteen seventies. 

In 2018, the castle and estate was purchased by Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust. Work is now underway to restore the castle and estate. In 2020 and 2021 it provided a home for the television show I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out.

A Review of Dolphinaria states: 

North Wales - near St Asaph. Owner: Scotia (Flamingo). Open: about 1970 for one or possibly two summers. Dolphins: from Flamingo. The free-standing, plastic lined, portable tank was said to leak, leaving the animals stranded. There were also said to be major filtration problems. Trainers: Mr B. Lyle and Ms D. Lyle.
 
 

The Dolphinaria Archive are very grateful to Jack Coldicott who kindly supplied these photographs.







Flamingoland: 1963 - 1993





BACKGROUND


Flamingo Park opened on 28th June 1961 by Pentland Hick as The Yorkshire Zoological Gardens. In 1963 it was the first to display cetaceans in the UK followed closely by Marineland Morecambe. The original dolphin pool was a small figure of eight facility in the reptile house. As well as bottlenosed dolphins other whales were imported including a young white whale in 1964 and a young pilot whale in 1966. In 1965 Hick decided to float the zoo on the UK Stock Exchange and became Associated Pleasure Parks. The success for the pioneering dolphin exhibits was due to the insight of the zoo professional Reg Bloom who later was involved in similar developments at Windsor Safari Park, London Dolphinarium and Clacton Pier.

Dudley Zoo - Dolphins & Whales: 1971 - 1974







BACKGROUND

Dudley Zoo spent a period of time owned by Scotia Leisure who also at this time owned Flamingo Park. The dolphin and whale pools were the modified sea lion pools.  The walls being built up to create more depth. 

Coventry Zoo Dolphinarium: 1972 - 1975





BACKGROUND

The Coventry Zoo was opened in 1966 by cousins of the Chipperfield circus family. It was notably famous for a large fibreglass Zulu warrior standing at the main gates. Coventry Zoo housed two bottle nose dolphins, 'Chipper' and 'Nero' for a number of years in the early nineteen-seventies in a geodesic dome. The animals had been originally imported from Florida for a dolphinarium in an amusement park in Weymouth in Dorest for one summer season in 1971 before being moved to Coventry. The animals eventually left the zoo and where re-homed at Tierpark Hagenbeck's dolphinarium Hamburg, Germany.

Cleethorpes Marineland & Zoo: 1966 - 1974



BACKGROUND

Cleethorpes Zoo & Marineland was founded by Pentland Hick and was operated as a satellite zoo to Flamingo Park both of which was later owned by Scotia Leisure. The Marineland complex compromised of three pools.  The construction of the pools was interesting as they were made of reinforced prefabricated fiberglass which was assembled on site to form 10 sided polygons.

Clacton Pier Dolphinarium: 1971 - 1985



BACKGROUND

The pool complex on Clacton Pier was a former outdoor swimming pool. It converted and operated by Reg Bloom and his family; he was responsible for the introduction of dolphins and later whales to the UK at Flamingoland.The main residents were the bottlenose dolphins, Bubbles and Squeak, and later young killer whales. When the dolphins and whales left the pier their continued to be displays with sea lions and fur seals and also a marine aquarium. Their continues to be a marine aquarium on the pier The SeAquarium.

Brighton Aquarium & Dolphinarium: 1968 - 1990




BACKGROUND

Detail of the hostory of the aquarium can be found in the guide books displayed below on this page and also in A Review of Dolphinaria published in 1986.

Brean Down Dolphinarium - 1974




BACKGROUND

Brean Down Dolphinarium was one season facility operating in 1974.  It was fabricated as in ground breeze block construction with a plastic liner.

Blair Drummond Safari Park Dolphinarium: 1970 - 1984



BACKGROUND

Blair Drummond was a satellite dolphin show originally operated by Scarborough Marineland & Zoo.

Blackpool Dolphinarium - 1969



BACKGROUND

A seasonal temporary show ran for only one summer at Blackpool in 1969 by Joe Raber's
Marine Mammals International with two dolphins name "Simbad" (pictured) and "Pronto". "Simbad" was later transferred (along with a number of animals) from Marine Mammals International (Battersea Park Dolphinarium, Royalty Folies) to the company who owned Margate Dolphinarium and other seasonal dolphinaria. These two companies did have business links at one point and the transfer of some animals to Queens Entertainments was agreed when they ceased joint business operation.

Battersea Park Dolphinarium: 1971 - 1973





BACKGROUND

The dolphinarium was housed in an existing building in the Festival Gardens, Battersea Park. It opened in March 1971. Press reports at the time detail the head trainer as Jean Tiebor with three dolphins called Flipper, Skipper and Buddy. It is reported that these animals were collected from the Florida in January 1971.