About The Archives

Based in the Library of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the archives of ZSL is a unique collection that goes back to the founding in 1826.

ZSL Archives are primarily an institutional archive, meaning that most of the records have been produced as a result of ZSL’s activities: as a learned society, conservation charity, scientific research institute (Institute of Zoology), and our two zoos: London and Whipsnade.

In the collection you can find things such as:

  • Minutes of councils and committees: volumes that record decision making and the running of the society and it’s two zoos.
  • Daily Occurrences of London Zoo and WhipsnadeCompleted daily, these list the arrivals and departures, births and deaths of animals at London Zoo and Whipsnade. Other details mentioned in some of the books are numbers of visitors and money taken, particular visitors, keepers absent, unwell animals, building works, temperatures in the animal houses, and weather.
  • Staff records: We have some historical staff records, which are a useful resource for people tracing ancestors that worked at ZSL. We have a collection of staff cards which cover all sorts of jobs at London Zoo, Whipsnade and the ZSL Main Offices, including zoo keepers, accountants, carpenters and librarians.
  • Letters and correspondence: We hold letters written to past secretaries of the society, presidents, curators and other staff members. From the 19th century, these include such luminaries as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Some have replies, but the majority do not.
  • Architecture and buildings: ZSL has many historic buildings, a number of which are grade 1 and 2 listed. The Archives holds plans and information mostly about those that are not still standing – so we do not hold them for structures such as the Penguin Pool as this is a current structure which is looked after by our estates department.
  • Zoo guides: We hold a collection of historical zoo guides which show how the zoos have changed over time.
  • Press cuttings: Assembled mostly by ZSL staff, we have a large collection of press cutting volumes relating to our Zoos.
  • Objects: We hold medals, zoo tickets, uniforms, and even a blanket woven from the hair of one of our camels!
  • Donated items: Includes collections that are not created by ZSL but are related to our work. Examples include letters from the Buckland family, Brian Houghton Hodgson, and the papers of the Association of British Zoologists.

Donating to the Archive

We welcome donations to the archive which fit in with our collecting policy. If you have something you’re interested in donating, please contact us

Library items and art

If you are interested in current library materials, journals, rare books or art and sculpture works, these are contained within our library catalogue.

Photographs

We have an extensive image collection – some of which are available via the Bridgeman art website. Most of these are taken by Frederick Bond, who was an employee at London Zoo. We also have a great deal of physical photography – please get in touch with us if there’s a particular image you’re looking for. We do license our historical photographs for education and commercial use – contact us for more information.

About The Archives

Based in the Library of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the archives of ZSL is a unique collection that goes back to the founding in 1826.

ZSL Archives are primarily an institutional archive, meaning that most of the records have been produced as a result of ZSL’s activities: as a learned society, conservation charity, scientific research institute (Institute of Zoology), and our two zoos: London and Whipsnade.

In the collection you can find things such as:

  • Minutes of councils and committees: volumes that record decision making and the running of the society and it’s two zoos.
  • Daily Occurrences of London Zoo and WhipsnadeCompleted daily, these list the arrivals and departures, births and deaths of animals at London Zoo and Whipsnade. Other details mentioned in some of the books are numbers of visitors and money taken, particular visitors, keepers absent, unwell animals, building works, temperatures in the animal houses, and weather.
  • Staff records: We have some historical staff records, which are a useful resource for people tracing ancestors that worked at ZSL. We have a collection of staff cards which cover all sorts of jobs at London Zoo, Whipsnade and the ZSL Main Offices, including zoo keepers, accountants, carpenters and librarians.
  • Letters and correspondence: We hold letters written to past secretaries of the society, presidents, curators and other staff members. From the 19th century, these include such luminaries as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Some have replies, but the majority do not.
  • Architecture and buildings: ZSL has many historic buildings, a number of which are grade 1 and 2 listed. The Archives holds plans and information mostly about those that are not still standing – so we do not hold them for structures such as the Penguin Pool as this is a current structure which is looked after by our estates department.
  • Zoo guides: We hold a collection of historical zoo guides which show how the zoos have changed over time.
  • Press cuttings: Assembled mostly by ZSL staff, we have a large collection of press cutting volumes relating to our Zoos.
  • Objects: We hold medals, zoo tickets, uniforms, and even a blanket woven from the hair of one of our camels!
  • Donated items: Includes collections that are not created by ZSL but are related to our work. Examples include letters from the Buckland family, Brian Houghton Hodgson, and the papers of the Association of British Zoologists.

Donating to the Archive

We welcome donations to the archive which fit in with our collecting policy. If you have something you’re interested in donating, please contact us

Library items and art

If you are interested in current library materials, journals, rare books or art and sculpture works, these are contained within our library catalogue.

Photographs

We have an extensive image collection – some of which are available via the Bridgeman art website. Most of these are taken by Frederick Bond, who was an employee at London Zoo. We also have a great deal of physical photography – please get in touch with us if there’s a particular image you’re looking for. We do license our historical photographs for education and commercial use – contact us for more information.