Memorable trip to the monkey house

Jean Evans recalls the story of her first encounter with a monkey at only 12 months old

Transcript

Mum and dad worked inside Belle Vue, I went into Belle Vue when I was a baby.  My grandparents worked at Belle Vue as well, I must have been about twelve months old when I was in a trolley and mum walked round Belle Vue to see everybody and they took me into the Monkey House, and they had a chimp there that rode round on a little bike.  I think it’s name was Charlie, and it came up to me in the pram and grabbed hold of my face, pulled me out of the pram, everybody panicked and he just got hold of me, loved me and then put me back in.  Never touched me or anything you know never scratched me or anything and somebody sent for my granddad and I was all right and I loved chimps anyhow so that was the first time I was at Belle Vue.