In 1235, Henry III established a menagerie at the Tower of London to house three ‘leopards’ (probably lions) from Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1252, they were joined by a polar bear gifted by Haakon IV of Norway and, in 1255, an elephant from Louis IX of France.

Over the next six centuries, the menagerie continued to grow, but by the beginning of the nineteenth century, concerns over the welfare of the animals and the expense to keep them at the Tower led to calls for its closure. In 1831, the animals were moved to the menagerie of the Zoological Society of London (now London Zoo), established in the Regent’s Park, and four years later, the Tower menagerie was closed.

This history of the menagerie was written by Edward Turner Bennett, Vice-Secretary of the Zoological Society of London shortly before the removal of the animals to Regent’s Park.