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 (4) \| Trackbacks (0)
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