I moved to Southam in October 1975 and was interested to find the Zoo on the Daventry Road on the edge of town.  It had been open to the public since 1966, although the collection of unusual animals had started long before that.  A pair of painted green Alsatian dogs guarded the entrance.

It all began one Christmas at Grandborough Farm, when Leslie Clews bought his wife, Pauline, her first baby chimpanzee, who lived with them in the farmhouse as part of the family with the Clews children. However before long, as more chimps joined them and other unusual animals arrived, an assortment of pens, cages and aviaries had to be built to house them all, and a source of income to feed them was required; hence the decision to open to paying visitors.

The chimps had a new house especially built for them, with under floor heating for comfort.  A bear was rescued from a small cage in a circus, and rehomed with them in a large cage bought from Twycross Zoo. There was a selection of wild cats, all housed in their own strong cages, and many old Southam residents will tell you how strange it was, but not unusual, to hear a lion roar in the middle of the night. A pet leopard often wandered round the farm and visitors to the house would unexpectedly meet a lion in the lounge. These big cats were taken out on a lead like dogs and were often seen in the town, and it was not unusual to see a Land Rover parked on Market Hill with a chimp in it.

To support the animals, the Clews did TV and film work with several of them. Bugsy the chimp appeared with Reg Varney in ‘Mutiny on the Buses’, Rosey, another chimp, was in ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ and both were in Spike Milligan’s film ‘Digby – The Biggest Dog in the World’.  Lucky the fox advertised Golden Wonder crisps and was in the film ‘The Right Family’.  A panther featured in Gary Numan’s video for his song ‘She’s got Claws’, and Bugsy and Rosey entertained at their own tea parties at the Zoo, following the lead of the Twycross chimps who advertised Brooke Bond PG Tips on TV. However, Bugsy was not always co-operative.

Leslie Clews died in September 1976 and Pauline sold the Zoo to Raymond Graham-Jones, who was a big cat enthusiast and wanted to extend his interest.  However, the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, passed in 1976, and the Zoo Licensing Act in 1981 made it very difficult for the small Zoo to comply with the rules.  In 1980 Graham-Jones had as many as 35 big cats, but due to expense had reduced this down to 12 by 1985.  Despite new higher and stronger perimeter fences, on refusal of a licence in 1985, the Zoo closed.

Southam Heritage Collection is located in the atrium of Tithe Place opposite the Library entrance. 

Opening times Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings from 10am to 12 noon. To find out more about Southam’s history, visit our website www.southamheritage.org  telephone 01926 613503 or email  southamheritage@hotmail.com  You can also follow us on Facebook.