Zoological Society of London

The Institute of Zoology (IoZ) is the research division of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in England. It is a government-funded research institute specialising in scientific issues relevant to the conservation of animal species and their habitats. The Institute is based alongside London Zoo at ZSL's Regent's Park site in the City of Westminster. The Institute has around 25 full-time research staff, plus postdoctoral research assistants, technicians and Ph.D. students. The Institute is supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in partnership with the University of Cambridge, and receives additional research funding from UK research councils (NERC, BBSRC, ESRC) and research charities (the Wellcome Trust and the Leverhulme Trust). Research covers many fundamental aspects of biological sciences which have relevance to the conservation of animal species and their habitats. The Institute offers research training through Ph.D. studentships, and hosts Undergraduate and Masters level research projects conducted as part of its own M.Sc. courses and courses at other institutions. Undergraduate projects are available at London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo.

London Zoo aka ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. In 1831 or 1832, the animals of the Tower of London menagerie were transferred to the zoo's collection. It was opened to the public in 1847. Today, it houses a collection of 673 species of animals, with 19,289 individuals, making it one of the largest collections in the United Kingdom. The zoo is sometimes called Regent's Zoo. It is managed under the aegis of the Zoological Society of London (established in 1826), and is situated at the northern edge of Regent's Park, on the boundary line between the City of Westminster and the borough of Camden (the Regent's Canal runs through it). The Society also has a more spacious site at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire to which the larger animals such as elephants and rhinos have been moved. As well as being the first scientific zoo, ZSL London Zoo also opened the first reptile house (1849), first public aquarium (1853), first insect house (1881) and the first children's zoo (1938). ZSL receives no state funding and relies on 'Fellows' and 'Friends' memberships, entrance fees and sponsorship to generate income.

The Gorilla House (later known as the "Round House") was built at London Zoo in 1932–33, on a site between Regent's Canal and the Outer Circle of Regent's Park. It was designed by the Modernist architect Berthold Lubetkin, with civil engineering assistance from Ove Arup, in the International Style. It was the first substantial building completed to a design by Lubetkin's firm, Tecton Group, and the firm's first building at London Zoo. It was designated as a Grade I listed building in 1970. The Gorilla House was commissioned to house the zoo's pair of gorillas from the Congo, Mok and Moina The main structure is based on a cylindrical drum made from 4 in (10 cm) reinforced concrete, painted white. The structure is divided into two halves, one enclosed and one open, with a semi-circular indoor winter enclosure to the north, and a low-walled open-air summer enclosure to the south surrounded by a metal cage. The entrance and exit doors are in small projecting wings to the east and west. It included a rotating semi-circular top-hung insulating screen, rotating around a central pivot and moving along rollers in a metal channel around the top of the building, that could be deployed in the winter to turn the outdoor space into a sheltered viewing area for zoo visitors, while the gorilla remained behind glass screens in their heated indoor enclosure. In the summer, the screen could be rotated away and concealed within the northern half of the structure, so the gorillas could live and viewed in the outdoor half of the structure. The northern half is lit by clerestory windows, topped by a flat asphalt roof. It opened in April 1933. The structure was later housed a series of different animals, including elephants, Kodiak bears, chimpanzees (from which the building is sometimes known as the "Chimps Breeding Colony"), koalas, aye ayes, and fruit bats. The rotating screen fell out of use and was fixed in place. After the successful Gorilla House, Tecton Group designed other structures at the zoo, including its Penguin Pool, also completed in 1934 and also listed at Grade I in 1970.

Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically between Marylebone and Saint Pancras parishes). In addition to its large central parkland and ornamental lake, it contains various structures and organizations both public and private, generally on its periphery, including Regent's University and London Zoo. What is now Regent's Park came into possession of the Crown upon the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1500s, and was used for hunting and tenant farming. In the early 1800s, the Prince Regent proposed turning it into a pleasure garden. The Park was designed by John Nash and James and Decimus Burton. Its construction was financed privately by James after the Crown Estate rescinded its pledge to do so, and included development on the periphery of townhouses and expensive terrace dwellings. The park is Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

The Penguin Pool at London Zoo, Regent's Park is a penguin enclosure designed in the International Modernist style by Berthold Lubetkin and the Tecton Group. Constructed in 1934, Historic England describe it as "a key symbol of British (and International) Modern Movement architecture". The pool housed the zoo's collection of penguins for 70 years. Changing attitudes to keeping animals in captivity, and concerns regarding the suitability of the structure for penguin well-being, saw the pool's closure in 2004 and its subsequent replacement by Penguin Beach. After a period of non-use, during which Lubetkin's daughter called for the structure to be "blown to smithereens", the pool was converted into a water feature. It is a Grade I listed building.

Regent's Park Road is a street in the Primrose Hill area of London, England. Located in the London Borough of Camden, it runs in a curving crescent shape. For some of its route it follows alongside the eastern edge of Primrose Hill park and also includes the commercial centre of the area. Despite its name the street does not run as far as Regent's Park although the adjacent Prince Albert Road does. It diverges from Gloucester Avenue at Cecil Sharp House and heads westwards until it meets Primrose Hill. It runs adjacent to the park and then at the northern end the previously residential buildings give way to shops, restaurants and a pub, the Queen's Hotel, as the road curves eastwards. It again meets Gloucester Avenue by the Pembroke Castle pub and then continues over a bridge across the West Coast Main Line until it finishes at the junction with Haverstock Hill between Chalk Farm tube station and the Roundhouse. The bridge that carries the street across the West Coast Main Line is now pedestrianised. It was the location of the former Primrose Hill railway station, once an important commuter station on the North London Railway, which closed in 1992. The northern part of the street dates back to at least the eighteenth century and was known as Primrose Vale. Like the rest of the area it was laid out as a residential area in nineteenth century, with many of the original buildings surviving. There had been an older Chalk Farm Tavern on what is now the street, which was famous as a site of dueling in eighteenth century and Regency London, but was rebuilt in the Victorian era. The stretch of street south of the Queen's Hotel was originally known as Queen's Street, but later the whole road adopted the same name. The Anglican St Mark's Church was opened in 1852, and then rebuilt following German bombing in the Second World War. The German socialist theorist Friedrich Engels lived in the street from 1870 to 1894 and is now commemorated with a blue plaque. Kingsley Amis lived in the street from 1984 onwards. The pianist and teacher James Gibb lived in a flat at No 10 from 1956 until his death in 2013, aged 95.

Holford House was a large residential building in the Regent's Park in London. It was used at various times in its history as a private residence and an educational college for Dissenters before being destroyed by a German air raid in 1944.

The Queen's is a pub and former hotel in Regent's Park Road, Primrose Hill, London. It was built as a pub and hotel in 1855, and was still operating as a hotel at least as late as 1970. The pub sign had Queen Victoria on one side and a young Queen Alexandra on the other.In 1996, it became a theme pub, with an African zoo motif, and some of its notable regular customers, Kingsley Amis, Robert Stephens and Peter Quennell, were said to be "horrified".It is part of the Young's pub chain.

Primrose Hill is a district in the London Borough of Camden, England. Electorally, it is mainly within the Camden Town with Primrose Hill ward, though some other wards do overlap. The area east of the park was developed and became known as Primrose Hill, after the park. The Primrose Hill district is surrounded by St John's Wood to the west, Swiss Cottage to the northwest, Belsize Park to the north, Chalk Farm to the northeast, Camden Town to the east and Regent's Park itself lies adjacent to the south of the hill itself. The nearest stations to Primrose Hill are Chalk Farm tube station to the northeast and Swiss Cottage tube station to the northwest. The defunct Primrose Hill railway station, now housing a business, sits on the railway lines that separate the Primrose Hill area from Camden Town. Primrose Hill Tunnel, the first railway tunnel in London, has had its eastern portals Grade II*- and its western portals Grade II* listed since 1974.Primrose Hill is an archetypal example of a successful London urban village, due to the location and the quality of its socio-historical development, and is home to many prominent residents. Beginning in the late 1960s several of the roads were closed to motor traffic in response to an unacceptable level of collisions and consequent loss of life. The changes were carefully designed to render the area largely free of through motor traffic.

Haverstock is an area of the London Borough of Camden: specifically the east of Belsize Park, north of Chalk Farm and west of Kentish Town. It is centred on Queens Crescent and Malden Road. Gospel Oak is to the north, Camden Town to the south.

St. Mark's Church is located in the Borough of Camden, London, near Regent's Park on Prince Albert Road. Built in 1851-2, it was consecrated in 1853 and belongs to the Diocese of London within the Church of England. Originally designed by Thomas Little, alterations in 1888-90 were made by Arthur Blomfield, it is constructed of Kentish ragstone in the early English style.The church was destroyed during the Battle of Britain in 1940 and the restored church was consecrated in October 1957, the first completely rebuilt Anglican church in London. It is Grade II listed. The church contains stained glass (1957) depicting St Peter and St Mark by Brian Thomas. It also contains a reredos by Sir Ninian Cooper.

Chalcot Square is a garden square in the Primrose Hill district of London, England. The square was laid out between 1849 and 1860 and was known as St George's Square until 1937. It is a residential square, well known for its brightly coloured Italianate terraced houses. Every house on the square is grade-II listed.Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes lived at 3 Chalcot Square for years and Plath is commemorated with a blue plaque. They rented their home to Assia Wevill and David Wevill. Other famous residents have included Ralph, Marion, Ed, and David Miliband; Robert Plant; Joan Bakewell; India Knight and Eric Joyce; Alan Bennett, and M. R. D. Foot.