Lambton Leisure Park

[Trickyvee]

One for North Easterners. Can anybody remember Lambton Leisure Park or Lambton Lion Park as it was formerly known? A Safari Park that opened in 1972 and closed some time in the 80's?

I was taken there once as a very small child but have few memories of it. I certainly have no memories of the wonderful animals that were there but having found this link, I immediately remembered the ground-based plane that you could climb up into! My only other memory is being inside a dark place that had small round perspex windows for kids to look into at different levels and through each window there was a different scene with animated toys/ puppets. Rather mundane by today's standards but at the time I thought it was one of the most magical things ever and has stayed with me ever since.

What a shame it doesn't exist any more.

https://sites.google.com/site/allthi...on---lion-park

[HG]

Re: Lambton Leisure Park

I'm sure I went there on a school trip back in Infant school so that would have been 1975-1977ish, I have no memories of it though. Looking at the pictures it looked a fabulous place.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Lambton Leisure Park

I know, it looks amazing! Just wish I'd been older so I could have appreciated it more. It actually closed in 1980 so I could have only been 4 at the most when I went.

I think the animated toys must have been in the magic castle / fairytail museum part. There's even a picture in the link that looks like what I am talking about which I didn't notice before.

This has also sparked a residual memory. I've always maintained that I have never seen a live elephant and yet I always had some sort of image in my mind of actually seeing a real elephant somewhere. I thought I must have made it up but my parents have said that all the exotic animals were there when we went to visit and I did indeed have a good look at the elephants. Safari parks are just cool, and who'd have thought there was once one in the North East?

[HG]

Re: Lambton Leisure Park

This has also sparked a residual memory. I've always maintained that I have never seen a live elephant and yet I always had some sort of image in my mind of actually seeing a real elephant somewhere. I thought I must have made it up but my parents have said that all the exotic animals were there when we went to visit and I did indeed have a good look at the elephants. Safari parks are just cool, and who'd have thought there was once one in the North East?

It's great when things click into place like that, I wonder how many memories like that we all have stored up waiting to be woken

I guess in the end it mustn't have ben making money or Lord Lambton believed he had made enough from it as it seemed to have been really popular.

[Shado66]

Re: Lambton Leisure Park

Was this park started by Lucinda Lambton's father?

[safclass]

Re: Lambton Leisure Park

Lambton Lion Park was at Burnmoor and was part of Lucinda Lambtons fathers estate.

My nana and granda lived on the 'farm' estate, granda worked on the farm side, but my nana worked at the Lion PArk. We had a photo of her holding 2 lion cubs. My mam can remember when a rhino escaped and one of the farmers opened a field gate and held it there until it was collected. Lambton Castle which is on the grounds is now being used in the bbc drama 'The Paradise'. Great memories of visiting my grandparents each Sunday - a super place as a kid to grow up in x

Photos are great - I'm sure my mam has a photo of me and brother and sis with Lambton Lion Park t-shirts on - will see if I can find it and post it on here!