The Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, near Burford in Oxfordshire, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020
The Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, near Burford in Oxfordshire, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020. The Park opened on Good Friday, March 27, 1970, costing 5 shillings (25p) for adults and 2 shillings (10p) for children, and they welcomed 17,000 visitors in their first weekend.
The Park was the brainchild of one man, John Heyworth, who wanted to rescue the decaying manor house he grew up in. With the help of gardeners and keepers he turned a bramble-strewn wilderness into a beautiful zoological collection. Over the past five decades, millions of visitors have enjoyed the beauty of nature at the Park. John’s son Reggie now runs the Park and continues his father’s work with over 260 different animal species, situated in 120 acres of picturesque parkland.
