Zoo county conundrum

IF you’re looking for a day out with the kids this weekend, it’s likely that a trip to the zoo may cross your mind.

In this part of the world we’re fortunate to have Twycross Zoo on the doorstep. You’ve probably made a trip or two over to the attraction, but where exactly is it?

In some places you’ll see it listed as being located in Atherstone and in others you’ll see Hinckley.

But who can actually lay claim to the popular zoo, Warwickshire or Leicestershire? As you’ll see, the answer is by no means clear...

On Twycross Zoo’s website, it lists its address as being in Atherstone.

Its official address is Burton Road, Atherstone, Warwickshire, and it has a CV postcode. However the zoo is named after a small village of the same name in Leicestershire and the village is part of the Hinckley and Bosworth district in Leicestershire. Wikipedia has a different point of view to the zoo itself. Although the site cannot always be trusted, many people go to Wikipedia to find out information. And the Twycross Zoo page states that the location is Norton Grange in Norton Juxta Twycross, Leicestershire.

Looking on a map, the zoo looks like it’s in Leicestershire.

If the Twycross district is listed as being in Leicestershire, then so is Twycross Zoo.

The centre of Atherstone is seven miles away from the zoo and the centre of Hinckley is at least 13 miles away.

But the attraction is bang in the middle of two villages, Austrey and Twycross, one of which is in North Warwickshire and the other which is in Leicestershire.

In terms of governance, any official requests need to be made by the zoo to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Past planning applications have always been submitted to Hinckley and Bosworth rather than North Warwickshire. Efforts to boost tourism by Leicestershire County Council have also included the zoo in its plans in the past.