43 Facts About Herbert Whitley

Herbert Whitley was an English animal breeder who had a passion for breeding animals and plants, especially those blue in colour.

Herbert Whitley's interests spanned livestock, pigeons, dogs, and exotic animals, many of which he kept in a collection at his house on the Primley Estate in Paignton, Devon.

Herbert Whitley had repeated clashes with the Inland Revenue over his refusal to collect "entertainment tax" on tickets to the site, which he believed to be educational rather than an entertainment, and this twice led him to close the zoo to the public for extended periods.

Greenall Whitley still survives as De Vere hotels, and dozens of pubs still bear the Whitley Greenall name.

The inheritance from this meant that Herbert Whitley was independently wealthy and able to indulge his desires.

Herbert Whitley sent the hunt's horses to France for the war effort, and set about finding replacements.

Herbert Whitley used his extensive knowledge of animal breeding to improve the foxhound lines in the hunting pack.

Herbert Whitley remained joint master of the hunt until 1921, when he stepped back to concentrate on his collection of animals and plants at the Primley Estate in Paignton, although he continued to hunt with the pack.

The family home at the Primley Estate in Paignton was gradually filled with plants and animals collected and bred by Herbert Whitley, eventually expanding across the road from the original house and into land he owned on which he built various buildings to house his collections.

Herbert Whitley acquired a number of exotics, including a chimpanzee called Bonny Mary, who appeared in the press as "the cleverest chimp in England".

In July 1923, Herbert Whitley decided to open his collection to the public as "Primley Zoological Gardens".

Herbert Whitley declined to do so, stating that his park was educational rather than entertainment.

Herbert Whitley was then summonsed to appear at court in Paignton, which happened on 21 March 1924, where the magistrates found in favour of the Inland Revenue.

Herbert Whitley immediately closed the park to the public, posting notices on the entrances, explaining the dispute and naming the justices involved in the case.

Herbert Whitley continued to publicly feud with the revenue and magistrates, including raising a petition, and engaging in publicity denouncing the taxing.

Herbert Whitley had some history of clashing with authority, having fought the Paignton Urban District over his refusal to allow surveyors to access his land with a view to placing sewage and sanitation works, which he lost at court and at appeal.

In 1927, Herbert Whitley agreed to reopen the zoo, and pay the contentious entertainment tax.

Herbert Whitley refused, and lost at court, closing the zoo for a second time in protest.

Herbert Whitley continued to collect and breed, along with his brother William.

Whilst Herbert remained involved, Chessington's Reginald Goddard ran much of the operations, with a focus on entertainment and profit which had never been part of Whitley's style.

When Herbert Whitley died in 1955, the Herbert Whitley Trust, later the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust was set up to continue his work, and this was again renamed in 2019 as the Wild Planet Trust.

Herbert Whitley's estates included the site of several local nature reserves in Devon, including Slapton Ley, now run by the WWCT.

Herbert Whitley was keen on practical, working dogs, and bred dogs which were unpretentious and smooth coated.

Herbert Whitley disdained toy and heavy coated dogs as being impractical.

Herbert Whitley kept the setters as gun dogs, being a keen country sports enthusiast, and he kept a line of whippets to keep the rabbit population down on his estates.

Herbert Whitley's kennel produced four champion Whippets in quick succession - Primley Pattern, Primley Raleigh, Priley Neattie, and Primley Niobe.

Herbert Whitley bred Great Danes amongst the other dogs, many of which were kept at Primley House and controlled the feral cat population.

Herbert Whitley was instrumental in improving the foxhounds of the South Devon Hunt, both during his mastership and in the years after when his brother was master.

Herbert Whitley was a well known breeder of livestock, and continuing his blue theme, this included success with now critically-endangered Blue Albion cattle.

Herbert Whitley's cows won at the 1908 and 1909 Royal Milking Show trials.

Herbert Whitley's pigs took top prizes in the Royal Cornwall Show, Devon County Show and Bath and West Show in 1911.

From his original interest in animals from a gift of canaries, Herbert Whitley kept breeding birds throughout his life.

Herbert Whitley was an officer of The Avicultural Society, and its proceedings note a wide range of breeds and crossbreeds that he kept, including Roulroul, Arabian Chukar, South American Rails, Southern Stone-curlew, crossbreed of Necklace and Senegal Dove, a number of Nyasa lovebird crossbreeds, Nanday parakeets, Lorikeets, and Myna birds.

Herbert Whitley kept large birds, including rheas, ostrich and cassowary.

Herbert Whitley was a keen rider, especially for fox hunting, and he maintained a horse stud nearby at Whitehill Farm around a mile from Primley House, at what is Whitehill Country Park.

Herbert Whitley filled the greenhouses at Primley with varieties of plants, and ran a successful propagation business.

Herbert Whitley donated plants to the gardens at Roundham Head.

Herbert Whitley created a range of cultivars - particularly in a blue colour, and named Primley Blue - although some have now been lost.

In 1921, Slapton Ley, a unique freshwater lake separated from the sea by a glacial shingle bank, was at threat of being drained and developed as a holiday resort, and Herbert Whitley stepped in to purchase the land.

Herbert Whitley was a lifelong bachelor, said to be 'terrified' of women.

Herbert Whitley was often reclusive, to the point of hiding in the lofts of the house when visitors came, and only emerging once they had left.

Herbert Whitley was accustomed to sleeping in chair, rather than in bed.

Herbert Whitley is buried in the Herbert Whitley family plot at Buckland-in-the-Moor.