Stepaside Zoo and Craft Village

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

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 .

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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

That looks lovely. Love the old Land Rover.

I want that land rover

Love that cottage. Really nice find, BTBM. A shame it closed, but it looks like a good moochy kind of explore.

Me likey Land rover! lol, great pics.

Locksley said:

Me likey Land rover! lol, great pics.

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Series III Station wagon I think.

I'll definitely go back there again. Given the location, I'm sure someone will be trying to get planning permission to build on it.

This is a really old post but wanted to add my own thoughts. It is now 2022 and I have been holidaying in Pleasant Valley every year since 2003. I remember when I first discovered the Craft Village - totally out of the blue, way back when it was still open. This whole site now forms part of the 'Heritage Park' holiday home complex, built on the old ironworks site.

It's a fascinating area that is well worth a wander around if you have a morning or afternoon spare.

With the M suffix registration, the Land Rover was registered between 01 Aug 1973 and 31 Jul 1974; making it a Series III. It is/was a 109 inch long wheel base station wagon with a tropical roof. Where is it now? Car Analytics has 15 Aug 2011 as the date of issue for its last V5C registration certificate - 'log book'.

Hayman said:

With the M suffix registration, the Land Rover was registered between 01 Aug 1973 and 31 Jul 1974; making it a Series III. It is/was a 109 inch long wheel base station wagon with a tropical roof. Where is it now? Car Analytics has 15 Aug 2011 as the date of issue for its last V5C registration certificate - 'log book'.

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re cycled into coke cans Im guessing!

BikinGlynn said:

re cycled into coke cans Im guessing!

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As the original post was 2009, more likely someone has retrieved it from it's premature grave to restore it.....here's hoping...

BikinGlynn said:

re cycled into coke cans Im guessing!

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Or even a must-have new Defender!

With the last registration being over 10 years ago, it seems not to have a current SORN certificate or be on the road. Shame - in 2009 it looked to be in fair condition.

Hayman said:

With the last registration being over 10 years ago, it seems not to have a current SORN certificate or be on the road. Shame - in 2009 it looked to be in fair condition.

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However, I have read that SORNs last indefinitely. So it may still be around.