Restoration plan for Leeds Victorian Bear Pit

Have you ever wondered about the strange, castle-like structure that sits on Cardigan Road in Headingley?

Believe it or not, this was actually a bear pit that formed part of Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens, or the Headingley Zoo as it was also known.

It's stood there for almost 200 years and but most people don't know the story behind it.

Fast forward to 2023 and Leeds Civic Trust have confirmed is moving forward with a restoration programme for the pit.

The listed structure was left to the Trust in the 1960s, and has been looked after by the charity’s volunteers for a number of years.

The Trust said in a statement: “We have planning permission to restore the building and landscape the grounds. We are in the final stages of planning the restorations and we hope that work will commence on site later this year. Although the site will never be open 24/7 we will be working out an access plan to ensure that members of the public will be able to use and appreciate the space.”

The story behind the bear pit starts against a backdrop of a growing population of Leeds in the early 1800s when the political classes began to fear a lack of green spaces for the expanding populations to spend time in would lead to drunkenness and gambling.

Botanical gardens were being opened in cities like Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, London and Birmingham and not wanting to lose out, a company in Leeds raised shares to create such a garden in the city.

An area of land off Cardigan Road in Headingley was chosen as the site of the Leeds zoo, due to its distance from the industrial pollution of the city centre and its proximity to the newly-built villas owned by the middle classes who were expected to promenade in its botanical gardens.

When the bear pit as constructed, and there was also a monkey enclosure, swans and an eagle when the new attraction opened in 1840.

The Leeds Mercury said at the time: "Surrounded by a high wall within which on the west, south and east, is a plantation of trees in proper botanical arrangement, and on the north are fruit trees trained against a wall.

"Beautiful slopes of grass, tasteful parterres and shrubberies, with winding walks, two very handsome ponds with islands and a beautiful fountain.

"Near the entrance to the grounds from Headingley is a conservatory containing a beautiful collection of geraniums and a variety of exotic plants and flowers.

"The general appearance of the gardens is exceedingly beautiful, interesting, and lively, and though we hope to see their attractions heightened by the addition of the aviary, conservatories, & originally intended, yet even at present they form a most attractive place of resort."

Visitors were said to be able to feed bananas to the bear when it climbed up a tree inside the pit to reach the top.

Bear-baiting had in fact been outlawed by this time, so they were kept for interest and scientific study in pits built to resemble wishing wells. An unfortunate incident at the Orangery in Wakefield during this period saw a captive bear escape and kill a woman before going on a rampage around the gardens.

The Headingley brown bear would be viewed from the turrets above the pit, with visitors climbing spiral stairs to access the platform.

There was great excitement at the zoo's opening, and the modern Burley Park Station was even named Royal Gardens Station to entice visitors.

Yet the feted venture lasted only eight years, and by 1848 the entire site had been sold to businessman Thomas Clapham for building plots.

Problems arose after it was decided that the zoo would only open late on Sunday afternoons to protect church attendances.

Yet Sunday was the only day off for mill and factory workers, and it struggled to attract large numbers of working-class families during this brief window of opportunity.

Ticket prices were also deemed to be too high, even for middle-class residents of Headingley.

More villas were eventually constructed in the area, leaving the bear pit marooned on its own.

The Trust says that although the bear pit is is primarily a restoration project it also plans to use it as an opportunity to remind people about the role the location played in the history of Headingley and the city.

“Inevitably, people will think about what use the structure was put to (it is called the Bear Pit after all). We are thinking about how we might represent a bear in physical form to act as a reminder of how the building was used, without in any way glorifying animal cruelty.”