Snowdon Aviary Refurbishment News

Landmark footage shared by ZSL London Zoo shows the historic moment the famous Snowdon Aviary is ‘unwrapped’ – signaling a defining moment in the iconic structure’s restoration journey.

he dramatic footage shows experts abseiling down the Grade II listed building this morning (Friday 30 July) to carefully peel away the first of 200 mesh panels wrapped around it in 1965 – starting the one-year countdown to its summer 2022 rebirth as a new home for a troop of Eastern black and white colobus monkeys.

To celebrate the renovation project’s milestone, the Zoo also revealed today that the former aviary will be renamed Monkey Valley when it opens next summer – in recognition of its new role as the primate troop’s new home.

ZSL London Zoo’s Director of Fundraising and Engagement, James Wren said: “It’s incredible to think that this piece of architectural history has now been seen in its present form on the Primrose Hill skyline for the last time.

“Taking down the first 25metre tall panel was no small feat for everyone involved today and it will take  up to a month of further careful work for the remaining panels to be removed.”

Following the sympathetic renovation, which will include the careful replacement of over 3800 sqm of mesh, the famous peaked silhouette of the historic structure will be fully restored to the London skyline, taking the same size and form as the original.

The new, more flexible mesh replacing the long-standing panels has been chosen with the colobus monkeys’ needs in mind but is also closer to architect Cedric Price’s original vision for the structure; in the 1960s, Price’s plans called for a steel that had both tensile movement and flexibility, which didn’t exist at the time.

“The original rigid steel mesh panels will be replaced with an exciting new – and more flexible – material, which the agile colobus monkeys will easily be able to climb on and jump from,” explained James.

“We’re excited to get to work on this ambitious and sensitive restoration project, which will breathe new life into a truly iconic structure – part of the capital’s history for more than 50 years.”