Bristol Zoo no longer offers the carnival atmosphere that made it so popular in Victorian times, but the zoo is still popular with its regular visitors. Newcomers, however, might find the zoo rather disappointing in view of its larger than life reputation. Twelve acres, unfortunately, may no longer be sufficient for the educated and discerning public of the nineteen nineties, and Bristol Zoo now suffers from the legacy of design left by Richard Forrest of Acton. Very few of the zoo's acres are actually given over to animals at all, with the majority taken up by the gardens, lawns, and lake. There is a feeling of pleasant urban parkland about the place, very much like a walled park or arboretum.
Trees are very much in favour and are well labelled.
There are limes, sweet chestnut, rowan, Corsican pines, and tall deodar cedars among many others. The animals are largely distributed in houses around the walls. The first you might encounter are the big cats, in cages rather too small. The Ape House is no more encouraging. Outside the apes have an artificial rocky slope, and indoors glass-fronted dens with concrete moulded trees and steps.