The Monkey Temple at Bristol Zoo

The Monkey Temple at Bristol Zoo was built in 1928 in an Indian style, possibly designed by Dr Richard Clarke. It is believed to have been inspired by Carl Hagenbeck’s Monkey Rock in Germany and the Cold Lairs from Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. The building has undergone alterations in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Constructed of concrete that has been rendered and painted, the structure features a flight of steps leading to the north side of a circular viewing platform, which forms the perimeter of a parapet wall surrounding a now infilled circular pit. At the center of this infilled pit stands a two-storey square tower topped with a central dome.

The exterior includes a stepped approach flanked by raised sloping walls and small return walls to the viewing platform. Sculptures of crouching figures adorn the tops of the square newels. A circular parapet wall, marked with a date stone inscribed "1928," encircles the filled-in pit. The Monkey Temple itself is situated on an octagonal platform and features clasping pilasters at the corners that support a continuous plat band and cornice. Three elevations display a frieze of five square frames, with a central floriated cross and flanking squares featuring lotus flowers, along with blind outer frames. The main north façade has tapered square columns on either side of a doorway, which supports the plat band above that features a chequerboard pattern. Above the doorway is a pointed horseshoe-shaped niche with a decorative moulded surround. The subsidiary elevations have decorative panels and architraves at former openings, while the rear elevation is blind.

The perimeter wall includes two breaks for access. The interior has not been inspected.