The Monkey Temple at Bristol Zoo

The Monkey Temple was built in 1928 in an Indian style. Possibly designed by Dr Richard Clarke, it is thought to have been inspired by both Carl Hagenbeck’s Monkey Rock at Tierpark, Germany and the Cold Lairs, an old deserted city occupied by monkeys, in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. C20 and C21 alterations.

MATERIALS: constructed of concrete, that has been rendered and painted.

PLAN: a flight of steps lead to the north side of a circular viewing platform that formed the perimeter to the parapet wall of a now infilled circular pit. To the centre of the infilled pit is a two-storey, square tower with a central dome.

EXTERIOR: the stepped approach from the north side is flanked by sloping walls that have been raised, with small sections of return walls to the viewing platform. To the top of the square newels are sculptures of crouching figures. A circular parapet wall, with a date stone inscribed 1928, marks the perimeter of the filled-in circular pit. To the centre, standing on an octagonal platform, is The Monkey Temple. The building has clasping pilasters to the corners that rise to support the continuous plat band and cornice, and to three elevations there is a frieze of five square frames that include a floriated cross to the central square, flanked by squares with lotus flowers, and blind outer frames. The principal north façade has tapered square columns either side of a doorway supporting the plat band above with a chequerboard pattern to its centre. Above is a pointed horseshoe-shaped niche with a moulded decorative surround. The subsidiary elevations have decorative panels and architrave to the former openings; the rear elevation is blind.

The perimeter wall has two breaks to give access.

INTERIOR: not inspected.