Chairlift may return to Dudley Zoo

Dudley Zoo's iconic chairlift could make a comeback under new plans to reopen the ride 10 years after it closed due to safety fears.

It transported visitors 125 feet up Castle Hill before being closed in 2000.

But Zoo board chairman David Sparks today said discussions to get the lift working again were under way.

"We need to get visitors to the top of Castle Hill and the chairlift is already there so it makes sense to use it.

"We haven't drawn up any definite plans at the moment but it is one of the options we are discussing," he said.

Chief executive Peter Suddock said it was one of the projects they were considering as part of the zoo's ongoing improvement plan.

The chairlift was opened in 1958 by comedian Richard Hearne, who played the madcap character Mr Pastry and John Price, was one of the first to ride it.

The design is similar to those in ski resorts and one of three in the UK with the others in Derbyshire and the Isle of Wight.

Although there were no accidents, there were fears someone could fall out of one of the single-seat chairs or tamper with the mechanism.

The only restraint was a bar which was swung across the passenger's lap. Families had to split up as parents with pushchairs could not take the chairlift and often children were taken up the steep ride sitting on their parent's knee.

Plans to revamp the chairlift with cages instead of chairs to carry passengers were first mooted three years ago but never came to fruition.

Councillor Michael Evans, who sits on the zoo board, said: "It is a unique site and the chairlift will help boost its appeal.

"We have seen tremendous changes at the zoo over the last few years and we will certainly see more improvements in the future."

Dudley Council recently unveiled proposals for a new link road between the zoo and the Black Country Living Museum.