Harewood House bird garden: Pictures from the archives of much-loved attraction set to close this year

The attraction celebrated its 50th anniversary just two years ago but it will close soon over concerns it has become ‘out of date’. The entire collection of exotic species, which include penguins and flamingoes, will now be rehomed and the area where the aviaries are will become a woodland walk. The adjacent Farm Experience will remain with some animals.

A statement from the Harewood House Trust said: “Harewood’s Bird Garden is now over 50 years old and, as visitors have pointed out to us consistently over the past few years, the birds’ environment is not on a par with more up-to-date zoos. At Harewood’s last zoo inspection, the team were praised for their excellent care and the health of the birds, but sadly they identified many problems with the site’s physical infrastructure that the charity cannot sustain.

“Over the last six months we have been researching options for the charity going forwards, however, with a need for a £4 million investment to just the Bird Garden alone, the Trust has had to make the incredibly difficult decision to close this part of the Harewood experience. The Trust simply cannot make the Bird Garden the place that we, and you, all want it to be."

The exact date of the closure will be published later in the year, once homes have been found for the animals.