Beasts, Balloons and Bare-Knuckle Beginnings

Did you know that West Derby Road, Liverpool, had its very own zoo? It opened in the mid-1800s and was called the Liverpool Zoological Gardens or, more commonly known as the Atkins Zoo, named after its founder.

There is nothing left of this once magnificent space, with its landscaped parks, exotic animals and fireworks.

Writer and urban historian Russell Croft sheds some light on this lost piece of Liverpool history.