Founded in 1836, at its peak, the zoo occupied over 165 acres of land and attracted around two million visitors a year. People traveled from all over the country to wonder at the elephants, monkeys, and camels.
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Privately financed, Belle Vue also boasted some brilliant fairground rides and rollercoasters in its amusement park – which ultimately became an equally tempting attraction as time went on.
And that wasn’t all. People would also come to sing along to their musical idols in The King’s Hall, dance the night away with their first love, marvel at the circus and see Speedway champions racing to glory on the stadium tracks.
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Belle Vue really did have everything, and as a result of this, became known as “Showground of the World”. But who was behind this private northern tourist attraction?
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was the brainchild of entrepreneur and part-time gardener John Jennison.
Born in 1793 in Bulwell, Nottingham, he moved to Macclesfield as a child with his family the Jennsions’ before returning to Stockport following his father’s death in 1826.
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Interestingly, Belle Vue wasn’t the Jennisons’ first foray into commercial business ownership. Prior to opening the park, John had developed and opened his own garden to the public – later adding cages of British birds, pheasants and macaws afternoticing visitors displaying interest in the garden’s native birds.
A brewhouse was even added to the plot of land too, whilst the family house was later converted into a pub called the Adam and Eve.
The Jennisons were doing well, but with what they had, there was little room for expansion.
Jennison and Newiss Collections / Chetham’s Library Online ArchivesManchester History / Chetham’s Library Online Archives
John was approached by businessman George Gill and encouraged to lease Belle Vue – then a public house in 35.75 acres of open land between Kirkmanshulme Lane and Hyde Road in Manchester.
The land was isolated and had been used for the digging of lime, but John saw its potential.
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After taking out a six-month trial lease,he soon extended to a 99-year lease and relocated his family from Stockport. They traveled light, with a handcart filled with belongings and a handful of birdcages containing parrots and other birds.
Belle Vue first opened as a ‘pleasure garden’ in 1836, containing lakes, mazes and hothouses, as well its beloved aviary.
Still, the Jennisons decided that their zoological collection had to be expanded as a matter of priority and by 1839, elephants, lions, and other exotic African animals had been added.
Fierce competition came from other attractions like the Vauxhall Gardens in Collyhurst, and the Manchester Zoological Gardens in Higher Broughton, meaning that Belle Vue was not an instant success. Jennsion. however, persevered.
Between the closure of a neighbouring zoo at Higher Broughton and the opening of the Longsight train station, more visitors soon began trickling in.
Before long John, inspired by a visit to the Great Exhibition in 1851, began to rapidly expand – and plenty of other popular attractions were subsequently added, including a racecourse in 1847.
By the late 1860s, Belle Vue was a hugely profitable business and had become iconic draw – across not just the northwest, but the whole of the UK.
But John was forced to take a back seat to his sons when it came to the day-to-day running of the attraction after he was diagnosed with cancer that began to quickly spread.
Ultimately, he passed away as a result of his illness in 1869 – leaving his family to sell Belle Vue for £250,00 (equivalent to £14.4 million in today’s money) to Harry George Skipp and Belle Vue (Manchester) Ltd in 1925.
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In 1956, the park was sold again – this time to Leslie Joseph and Charles Forte – with Forte gaining sole control in 1956.
Drawing its final breath in September 1977, the zoo’s owners decided they could no longer afford its upkeep, having suffered a loss of £100,000 that year. Still, somehow it remained open on summer weekends until 1980 – officially closing for the very last time in 1982.
As quoted in Stackhouse & Hyams’ book – Belle Vue: Manchester’s Playground – published in 2005: “When it closed, Belle Vue left a gaping hole in the heart of the region that has never been completely replaced. It gave people a focal point, something to be proud of, a place where they could take their families and be sure of a great day out at a reasonable cost.”
But for all Mancunians with a special place in their hearts for the attraction, the legacy of Bell Vue still lives on.
Feature
The viral factory in Oldham that sells £2 Colin the Caterpillar cakes
Thomas Melia
A factory in Oldham has gone viral online after sweet fiends discover they sell ‘Colin the Caterpillar’ cakes for less than half price.
There are some things that just go hand in hand: a brew and a biscuit, peanut butter and jelly and Brits and their crazy obsession with a character chocolate cake from M&S called Colin the Caterpillar.
Since hitting the shelves in 1990, more than 15 million Colin the Caterpillars have made their way from supermarket shop floor to our sweet-treat-awaiting plates.
Who would’ve ever guessed that the home to this cheeky chappy, who M&S have made their unofficial mascot (after Percy Pig, of course), has been crafted and created right here in Oldham?
The utterly delicious Colin the Caterpillar cake which you can get for £2 at Park Cakes.The shelves at Park Cakes are stacked with Colins and Connies.Credit: The Manc Eats
Established in 1937, The Park Cake Bakeries – or just Park Cakes, colloquially – has been serving up this critter-inspired cake for over 30 years, and savvy shoppers have flocked to their factory shop to get their hands on some very sweet savings.
There’s a whole range of cakes on offer at this Oldham dessert factory shop, including slabs, sponges, loaves and even sweet pies too.
Whether you’re a firm believer that the birthday person deserves all of Colin’s white-choc face or you precisely cut it up so everyone gets some, Park Cakes has the solution, selling bags of the character’s chocolatey face so you can have one all to yourself.
The cake isn’t the only thing that leaves a sweet taste in your mouth, as the prices will too. Colin the Caterpillar, who normally retails for just under a tenner, is sold for around £2 at this Oldham factory shop.
It’s always the ones that look unassuming, isn’t it?
Alongside producing one of the most adored cakes in the UK, they’re also responsible for lots more of your favourite supermarket sweet treats, and we’re definitely not complaining.
You can let your sweet tooth go wild in this factory shop as they sell everything from rainbow birthday cakes to sticky toffee puddings.
There’s so much on offer too, how about a giant bag packed to the brim with misshapen golden flapjacks that’ll last you over a week and cost you less than a fiver? Sounds like a plan to me.
If you haven’t had enough of your Easter chocolate fix, why not trek over to Oldham and stock up on even more chocolate and sweet treats? Trust us, there’s plenty to choose from.
Park Cakes factory shop can be found on Ashton Road in Oldham and is open from 10am-4pm, so go and grab yourself a seriously sweet deal before everyone else beats you to it.
Mini Colins, small in size but still packed with all that chocolatey goodness.Flapjacks and cookie dough bites are just some of the wonderful treats you might be able to get hold of.Credit: The Manc
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Adam Higgin (via Facebook)
Feature
Taemin at AO Arena: Take the K-pop world’s ‘Advice’ – you need to watch him live
Thomas Melia
This time last month, South Korean star, SHINee and SuperM boyband member, Taemin showed Manchester the real meaning of ‘The Rizzness’. It was our first K-pop gig and won’t be our last.
Normally, if you ask me what I’m getting up to on a Tuesday night, I’d respond with the usual: “Nothing.” Ask me this random but eye-opening night back in March 2025, and I’d say, “Watching the ‘Ephemeral Glaze’ tour”.
Opening with a song labelled ‘Déjà vu’, ironically, felt from the truth, as the minute the performer stepped onto the stage, the whole crowd was watching what felt like an all-new spectacle come to life – even for some of the already inducted K-pop fans inside the AO Arena.
Following up with ‘Guilty’, I’d be lying if I told you we didn’t love this performance. It wasn’t overshadowed by that unbelievable grand opening either – if anything, it was even better.
A majestic pose from Taemin at AO Arena in Manchester, performing to a lively crowd.Credit: Audio North
This was a setlist that just keeps on giving: after this, ‘Advice’ greets our ears and fans erupt in various screams and cries, to which Taemin, 31, certainly appreciated.
It’s high energy through and through, as the next song, ‘Idea’, felt like the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle for those of us not so used to this kind of music, well and truly captivating the Manc crowd.
Closing what was merely his opening segment with this song was definitely a good ‘Idea’… (sorry).
Its title may draw from a comedic viral term used to describe someone with great flirting skills, a.k.a. ‘rizz’, but ‘The Rizzness’ is no laughing matter.
Fans caught on quickly, and as soon as the first note was pumped out into the arena, the atmosphere reached whole new heights and those familiar screams at an other-worldly pitch returned.
I never thought I’d see the day where AO Arena screamed, “You know I got the rizz, the rizzness”, but there’s a first time for everything, I guess.
Taemin and his dancers were electric at AO Arena.Credit: The Manc Group
Being from Korea, 31-year-old Taemin tried his best to communicate with the crowd throughout the night, taking breaks after back-to-back performances to gauge the audience’s reactions.
The South Korean superstar didn’t take long to warm up to the crowd and showed off his cheeky side, telling the arena, “Only 4 more songs” before finishing the sentence with “I lied”.
‘Criminal’ had me and the rest of Manchester weak in the knees; the choreography was flawless throughout, but this was a true highlight. Ending with ‘Say Less’, Taemin knew exactly what he was doing, putting a song that catchy right at the end, as this was all that replayed in my head on the train home.
Put it this way, we may still be relative newbies to the world of Korean pop music, but with another big name heading to Manchester, we’re definitely keen to find out more.