Butterfly World for the M25

Saturday, March 15, 2008 Butterfly World for the M25 New Butterfly dome set to rival the Eden Project as the UK's largest environmental attraction.

This week saw the announcement of a major new tourist attraction for the UK as plans were revealed to construct a £25 million, 300 foot wide dome, in the manner of Cornwall's iconic Eden Project, to house butterlfies. Based outside London, near St. Albans, the centre is to be surrounded by meadowland and greenery, the idea being that though the dome will house the exotic species from across the globe, the setting itself will provide a useful breeding ground for threatened native species. With the nation's native butteflies showing a marked decline in numbers and indeed some notable extinctions over the last decade, this seems an admirable notion. The man behind the project, Clive Farrell, has pedigree, having previously opened similar, though much smaller, attractions in Straford-Upon-Avon, Switzerland and Florida. Due to open in 2009 and with ambitious targets (a million visitors a year), the announcement has the considerable backing of Sir David Attenborough, whose support speaks volumes for the importance of the project as a conservation facility, bearing in mind his understandable reluctance to be sparing with his personal endorsements for commercial projects. Trustess of the project include Jeremy Thomas, professor of ecology at Oxford University and celebrity botanist David Bellamy, who whilst I can't doubt his altruism, has rather blotted his scientific copy book over the last few years with his ill-avised forays into the science of climate change.
Posted By Charles Read -- At 10:55 AM \| Comments (7) \| Trackbacks (0)
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Categories Attractions Business, Zoos & Aquaria Tags butterfly world, david attenborough, david bellamy, London
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Comments :

So pleased to hear about this and shall look forward to paying a visit in due course! I have happy memories of the Butterfly World at Stratford, coming into it from a very cold outside world. The butterflies were breathtakingly beautiful and it was fascinating to see the display of those just emerging from their chrysalises. It is also so important to conserve butterflies and to help the general public to appreciate them so that they will understand and support conservation work.

Comment By Jill George At 3/19/2008 5:09 PM

David Bellamy's endorsement? Dear me, seems like they didn't think too clearly when ringing him up!

Comment By Treeman At 3/27/2008 3:36 PM

I remember Clive Farrell and his long-closed butterfly world in Weymouth, Dorset, over 20 years ago. Unfortunately, these attractions have never had the mass market draw that the enthusiasts think they should have and have struggled to provide an all-year round attraction due to the biological realities of butterflies. Let's hope Clive can pull this off but I think that the visitor number projections are ludicrously high and the size and cost of the project such that the scheme, if built, will never make a penny back to its investors. Sorry to be negative, that's the reality

Comment By Keith Thomas At 4/18/2008 11:30 AM

I agree Keith, it's a niche market for sure. However, he has laudable intentions so I will watch developments (or lack of) with interest...

Comment By Charles Read At 4/27/2008 1:06 PM

Hey Guys, let's not be too negative. There's nothing like this anywhere else and the potential build of an innovative, exciting and educational research / conservation facility. We should applaud and support the effort. Having visited more modest butterfly facilities in the past I know how excited my own children were to see these wondrous creatures land on their arms and shoulders, or be seen feeding on special 'juice' from tiny cups. I can see this being a massively useful educational tool for key stage students at all levels of the science curriculum - just look at the catchment area for schools - Wow! Oh yes, not to mention 12 million or so Londoners on teh doorstep. It's all down to Clive and his innovative design team to create a great story line! Go for it and good luck.

Jerzy Gawor
Aquarium Design international Ltd.

Comment By Jerzy Gawor At 9/23/2008 3:21 PM

I think some of you have the wrong idea about Butterfly World. It is far from just a Butterfly attraction. It is a world of adventure, an Indiana Jones world of adventure. It will have underground caves complete with displays of 'Creepy Crawlies' (I don't like that phrase but for this description it fists). The Mayan Underworld and a Cenote with artifacts. In fact an underworld ready for the kids to discover and get to a little adrenalin running. On the surface there will be many beautiful plants and at least one large waterfall. Mayan ruins will encompass the visitor in a maze giving the impression that the whole exhibition is far larger that it actually is. Plants , trees and vines will adorn the rocks and ruins. Sculptural features will be there for all to discover at each turn of the path. A Mayan Ball Court will host life size (1.6mtr) high) replicas of Mayan Ceramic Models depicting Ball Players. Above the vegetation will run walkways where the visitor can look down on the sites below whilst walking between the Mayan ruins.
And through all these experiences the visitor will be surrounded by Butterflies, Hummingbirds and other members of the animal Kingdom. Within the external facarde, of the Mayan Ruins there will be exhibition spaces bringing awareness of the plight of the Butterfly and all other wildlife, Global Warming, Pollution and deforestation to the visitor. When Butterfly World opens there will be Art Exhibitions within it's walls along with Sculpture areas. Scientific Areas and educational 'activities for children. And Taht is just the inside of the Dome. The beginnings of the outside are there for all to see at this very moment. (Until the beginning of October 2009).
I am not sure how all this is just a Butterfly Exhibition?

Comment By David Wishart At 7/29/2009 1:24 PM

...unless anyone visited Butterfly World in 2009 I don't see how they can justify their comments, you had to be there to experience the beauty of the wild flower meadows, the fun of Ivan's brilliant gardens, the peace it bought to so many people...long may it continue!!!

Comment By Steve Illsley At 12/29/2009 4:47 PM