Come see some of the rare animals in our collection. Check out the fantastic and one-of-a-kind views that you can get from our wooden walkways. Do you think you have what it takes to make it through the Tiger Treetop Walk?
Joshua Smith, Esquire was the one who constructed the Hall back in 1736. It is likely that Thomas Ivory, who was responsible for designing the Norwich Assembly Rooms, was also responsible for designing the Hall and the Summer House.
There are storks nesting on the roof of Thigby Hall.
The grounds were designed in the manner popular during the reign of William III. Squire Daniels, who was the owner of the Hall at the time, undertook renovations in 1876.
An Overview of the Gardens’ Past
Ken Sims established Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens in 1979, not long after his return from Malaya, where he had worked as a rubber planter, a farmer of poisonous snakes, and a keeper of crocodiles.
Ken had decided to work in Asia in order to learn more about the incredible wildlife that can be found in that region. His decision was influenced by the very first television programme that David Attenborough had ever presented and by Gerald Durrell’s early writings. As a result of his work supplying zoos in Europe and the United States with rare species and his assistance with the National Zoo of Malaysia, he gained significant experience, which he utilised to great effect when designing the Gardens.
Plantation work and travels in South East Asia provided a first-hand insight into the dramatic loss of habitats, particularly of the rain forests. This loss brought to light the realisation that progressive zoos had a positive role to play in helping to save at least some species from extinction as a result of human activity. Peter Scott paved the way for future conservation efforts by initiating the captive breeding programme at Slimbridge and establishing the World Wildlife Fund in the same year.
The amount of assistance that is required from zoos and the people who visit them is at an all-time high. The contribution that Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens has made to the ongoing efforts of conservationists all over the world has provided Ken and his dedicated team with a great deal of personal fulfilment.
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