A SPECIAL WALK
For all ages
A long time ago, two brothers, Thomas and James Backhouse, were tasked with creating a garden for the local museum. Their mission was to design paths and plantings for visitors to stroll down as they viewed the creatures in the museum’s zoo, which included a wild stoat, a swan, a porpoise, a python, a golden eagle, several monkeys, an owl, and the zoo’s Big Bear.
The Big Bear silently observed the brothers as they worked each day, but he grew sad because, unlike the men, he couldn’t go home. He missed Mummy Bear and Baby Bear. In his loneliness, the Big Bear became mischievous—pulling rude faces, sticking his tongue out, and chasing visitors. Eventually, the museum decided that a change of scenery might lift his spirits. In 1831, London Zoo agreed to take him, and arrangements were made to transport him to London by stagecoach.
From the Zoological Society of London, December 26th, 1831:
“Sirs,
We would be pleased to take your bear on the terms outlined in your letter of the 21st. The best method I can suggest for forwarding him to us is by one of the York coaches. Please book him as an outside passenger and ensure the Guard receives a reward for delivering him safely to London. Kindly inform us of the coach details and his expected arrival time, as well as the recipient of the payment for the animal.”
Surprisingly, no reports were filed by passengers or the stagecoach company about a bear travelling with them, and there is no record of a bear arriving in London that day—mischievous or otherwise.
But Daddy Bear had a different plan—he escaped and caught the first stagecoach to Scotland, knowing that his family was living happily somewhere in a garden designed by the Backhouse family. The garden, with its winding pathways, overlooked the stunning Lomond Hills in Fife.
Come and discover the final chapter of this enchanting bear story and uncover the Secret Evergreen Grotto—where the adventure continues!
