The Mappin Terraces, Including The Mappin Cafe

The Mappin Terraces, including the Mappin Cafe, are located in the Zoological Gardens of Regent's Park, built in 1914 with the cafe constructed between 1920 and 1927. Designed by Belcher and Joas, with Alexander Drew of Somerville's as the Consulting Engineer, the terraces are made of reinforced concrete using the Kahn system and feature concrete cladding. The cafe is brick-built with a low-pitched pantile roof.

The structure has a quadrant ground plan with the cafe at the apex and terraces that rise towards the outer edges, creating a picturesque arrangement resembling four ranges of goat mountains. There are three concentric viewing terraces accessible by steps on the south and west sides of the quadrant. The cafe is also quadrant-shaped, consisting of one storey with three two-storey corner pavilions topped with pantiled pyramidal roofs.

An open colonnade with paired Tuscan columns faces the Mappin Terraces, while paired Tuscan columns are applied between bays on the other two sides. The windows feature floor-to-ceiling glazing with four lights each, timber transoms, casement windows, small panes, and timber glazing bars. The Mappin Terraces represent an early and innovative example of reinforced concrete construction and were pioneering in their effort to create a 'natural' environment for animals.