The Bristol Zoo memorabilia that's been sold at auction - and how much it went for

  • Auctioneer Andy Stowe shows ITV News around some of the Bristol Zoo items on sale

Memorabilia from Bristol Zoo Gardens has been sold at auction, fetching more than £150,000.

Old signs, photographs, statues, door handles, advertisements and even enclosure signs were all sold at auction to raise funds for Bristol Zoo Project.

The historic Bristol Zoo site in Clifton closed its doors in September 2022 after 186 years. The majority of the animals have since been transferred to a new site formerly known as the Wild Place Project.

During an auction that lasted nearly seven hours today, more than 300 items of memorabilia from the old Clifton site were sold. A little more than £150,000 was raised for Bristol Zoo Project.

Many of the lots on sale went for far more than expected, including an Edwardian sign that once sat inside Bristol Temple Meads advertising the zoo fetched £16,000.

A bust of the popular gorilla Alfred also sold for £9,000. Scroll down for a list of some of the most high value items sold.

  • See some of the items that went on sale today

The auction has however faced opposition from campaigners, who tried to stop the sale by arguing that memorabilia should not be auctioned until the zoo site is officially sold for development.

Save Bristol Zoo Gardens founder Tom Jones described some of the items being auctioned as "irreplaceable".

"By choosing to auction off hundreds of historic, irreplaceable artefacts, the people currently in charge of Bristol Zoological Society are intentionally vandalising something over which they are only custodians," he added.

In response, Bristol Zoological Society said any legal challenge was "not only wasting vital funds, but they are preventing us from saving wildlife and building a new conservation zoo".

"This is extremely frustrating for all our staff and volunteers, who work so hard," they said.

“We want a zoo which is financially resilient, can meet the needs of animals over the long-term and prioritises conservation. Our decision to close Bristol Zoo Gardens and focus our efforts on Bristol Zoo Project was based on a thorough analysis and a desire to create a new type of conservation zoo."

See some of the most high value items sold so far below:

This poster, believed to be from the 1960s, sold for £680. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This may look like a statue, but it's actually a money box. It sold for £1,500. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This adult-sized lemur costume sold for £140. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This Edwardian enamel advertising sign is believed to have been up in Bristol Temple Meads station in the 1910s and 1920s. It sold for £16k. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This statue was estimated to sell for £600-£800 but actually went for £3,000. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
'Rafiki' the gorilla was part of the 2011 art trial and sold for £3,400. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
These bronze handles from the aquarium sold for £3,200. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This mid-century carved wooden sculpture of an Asian King Cobra was expected to fetch around £100 but sold for £1,100. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This guide from 1910 sold for £360. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This sculpture sat outside Bug World and is made out of metal pieces. It sold for £3,900. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This ball room sign was expected to sell for £60-80 but someone paid £750 Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This sign from the 1930s sold for £1,700. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This tortoise shell will be remembered fondly by many who climbed in it as a child. It was at the zoo for around 30 years and sold for £550 Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
'Fenton' from The Lions of Bath trail in 2010 has sold for £2,600 - despite being expected to sell for just £350-400. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This welcome to Bristol Zoo sign sold for £3,100. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd
This mechanical money collector moves when coins are thrown into it. It sold for £3,900. Credit: Auctioneum Ltd