This place existed from about 1993 to 1999. The owner was, so I'm told. a little eccentric. I don't think he ever got planning permission for anything he constructed. I'm not sure whether it was forcibly closed or whether he went bust.
There was only one 'proper' building, which would make a lovely cottage, the rest consists of chalets and sheds. It's still a fantastic place to explore though, with surprises around every corner.
Couldn't get all the way round due to a shorts/brambles incompatibility problem.
It's in a lovely setting called 'Pleasant Valley' which leads up from Wiseman's Bridge to Stepaside.
A bit of background
Outside of cottage
Inside
Me trying to do an arty shot of myself in the mirror. And failing
The cafe
One of the chalets
Inside one of the chalets
Random bit of machinery
Land Rover - completely hemmed in by vegetation - but in remarkable good nick
This is what the cottage looked like when it was a going concern.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/14018
As is inevitably the case, there is a rumour that the owner released many of the animals into the wild, rather than have them put down. There's certainly plenty of undergrowth for them to hide in. Enough to conceal a herd of wildebeest in fact.
No reports of any alligators or crocodiles though!!
Very close to Stepaside Iron works and Grove Colliery as well
There was only one 'proper' building, which would make a lovely cottage, the rest consists of chalets and sheds. It's still a fantastic place to explore though, with surprises around every corner.
Couldn't get all the way round due to a shorts/brambles incompatibility problem.
It's in a lovely setting called 'Pleasant Valley' which leads up from Wiseman's Bridge to Stepaside.
A bit of background
The Stepaside Bird and Animal Park was a small Pembrokeshire collection open during the 1990's . The owner was Eugene Granat Msc.(Zoo.) , Doc. DR. a continental ( at a guess either French or Belgian ) in his late 50's . The leaflet says he had worked as a zoologist in Africa , South America and Asia .
The Park had a general collection of small mammals , owls and other birds , ratites , reptiles , blackbuck and deer , amongst others . Some of the housing was rather eccentric ( e.g a pagoda-like aviary housing a ruffed lemur with domestic poultry ) . The owner had lived with the African Central African Pygmies and had a recreation of their village in the park wood and gave demonstrations of ' crocodile taming ' ( get it flat on it's back and it goes into a trance as can be done with chickens - when I saw it the crocodile was not at all keen on being tamed ) . Mr Granat was quite a show-man !
I wonder if anybody else visited the Park and knows anything about it . It is a mystery to me how Mr Granat ended up in West Wales and I do not know exactly when the Park closed ( my last visit was September 1999 ) and what happened to him and his animals .
Outside of cottage
Inside
Me trying to do an arty shot of myself in the mirror. And failing
The cafe
One of the chalets
Inside one of the chalets
Random bit of machinery
Land Rover - completely hemmed in by vegetation - but in remarkable good nick
This is what the cottage looked like when it was a going concern.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/14018
As is inevitably the case, there is a rumour that the owner released many of the animals into the wild, rather than have them put down. There's certainly plenty of undergrowth for them to hide in. Enough to conceal a herd of wildebeest in fact.
No reports of any alligators or crocodiles though!!
Very close to Stepaside Iron works and Grove Colliery as well