Chestnut Centre
Template:Wikidata Infobox The Chestnut Centre (or in full, Chestnut Centre Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park) was a wildlife park near Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK. It opened in 1984, and closed in 2017.
History
Carol and Roger Heap, the owners of the park, started looking after a pair of Asian small-clawed otters in the 1970s. In 1981, they were able to buy Chestnut Farm, which was adjacent to their home, and they opened the park in 1984. Their eldest son was also given a pair of tawny owls to look after around the same time.[1]
It had around 45,000 visitors per year, including 8,000 on school trips. The centre was the first place where giant otters were bred in captivity.[1] it also was involved with breeding programs for Scottish wildcats, European polecats, and Eurasian otters.[2]
The park closed at the end of 2017, after 30 years of operation, when Carol and Roger semi-retired. All animals were relocated to New Forest Wildlife Park, which is operated by one of their sons,[1] except for two species of owl which went to National Centre for Birds of Prey, operated by their other son. This was because there wasn't much room for expansion at the Chestnut Centre, but there was at the New Forest.[2]
The centre was put up for sale in 2021, for an asking price of €850,000, including the Grade II listed house, a barn that was formerly used for classrooms, and 1.75 acres of land (with 27 acres sold separately). It also had planning permission to convert the barn to a house, and build an Eco House.[3]
References
- ^ a b c "End of an era for Chapel-en-le-Frith's much-loved wildlife park". Buxton Advertiser. 29 December 2017.
- ^ a b "A look back on the iconic Chestnut Centre in the Peak District". Great British Life. 2 January 2018.
- ^ "Savills | Chapel-En-Le-Frith, High Peak, Derbyshire, SK23 0QS | New homes for sale". search.savills.com. Retrieved 11 August 2021.