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The Great Britain Guide

Zoos & aquariums · South East England

Beale Park

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Beale Park — Wildlife Park by the River Thames.

Beale Park, zoos & aquariums in South East England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
3 h–5 h
Nearest railway station
Howard's Halt · 0.3 km
  • Family-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access

About

Beale Park is a zoo, wildlife park, or public aquarium in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1956. Address: RG8 9NW. Wikidata describes it as: "Wildlife Park by the River Thames". Coordinates: 51.5000°, -1.1083°.

Photo gallery

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Hartslock SSSI
  • Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Chilterns
  • Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: North Wessex Downs

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Beale Wildlife Park is situated by the River Thames, between the villages of Pangbourne and Lower Basildon in Berkshire, England. It has three main areas of attraction: collections of small exotic animals, farm animals and birds; landscaped gardens and woodlands; and children's play areas. In 1956, Beale Park was formed by Gilbert Beale who decided to give the 350-acre (140 ha) Thames-side park land to ‘the people’ by converting it from private farmland into a non-profit making, charitable trust. In those days it was little more than a track and a couple of ponds.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

Description

Over recent years, the park has expanded to accommodate a wide variety of visitors, especially the youngest ones. The park has recently built a Roplay area, a pets area, sand pits, paddling pools, Little Tikes Play Area, and the Beale Railway, a 1 mi section of narrow gauge railway on which is run a diesel locomotive, "Sir Humphrey Davy"; and previously a steam locomotive, "John Remmy", each capable of pulling 5 carriages and 50 people. Thirteen people were injured when a steam train crashed on the Beale Railway on Saturday, 27 June 2009. For older visitors, there are the gardens, lakes, and the model boat exhibition. There is also a gift shop, education centre, and restaurant on site.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.5000, -1.1083
Parish
Basildon
Postcode
RG8 9NW
Parliamentary constituency
Reading West and Mid Berkshire
Established
1956
Nearest railway station
Howard's Halt0.3 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Beale Park?
Beale Park is in South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode RG8 9NW), in the parish of Basildon.
When was Beale Park built?
Built or established in 1956.
Is Beale Park a protected site?
Yes — Beale Park is part of the Hartslock SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Chilterns National Landscape (AONB).
How do I get to Beale Park?
The nearest railway station is Howard's Halt, about 0.3 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode RG8 9NW.