Castle Restaurant At Dudley Zoo

The Castle Restaurant at Dudley Zoo is a 20th-century building with a triangular plan and an elongated front range to the south. It features a basement-level range that extends south-eastwards from the south-east corner, accommodating ancillary functions.

Constructed from reinforced concrete, the building also includes some stone rubble walling and timber windows along its long, glazed elevations. The main elevation is low and wide, facing south towards a bridge over the sea lion pools that leads to the castle on the mound beyond. This south elevation has a central entrance beneath a round concrete arch, which continues as a barrel vault towards the rear. The elevation is predominantly glazed, with square-framed timber windows that extend from floor to ceiling beneath the arch to the final bay on each side. The end bays, which contain kitchens and service areas, feature a row of small, square windows above rubble stone walls that match the adjacent castle. The side elevations, visible from the lower slopes, are filled with outward-leaning, horizontally-sliding timber windows.

Inside, the building is divided into two main areas: the entrance lounge, which now contains the service counter, and the restaurant seating area at the rear. The structure is exposed in both spaces, with concrete beams supported by plain columns. The roof slab is raised in a conic form, creating an arched appearance that enhances the sense of height within without increasing the building's external height. The original terrazzo flooring has been covered with later vinyl flooring, and the bar, originally designed by the architects to serve both the lounge and the restaurant, has been replaced with modern fittings.