My father, Robert (Bob) Butcher was an entrepreneurial man, never having worked for anyone in his life. On my birth certificate in 1964 he was listed as being a self employed window cleaner. Over the years in London he’s been a private detective, an electrician, an ice cream van owner, a restauranteur, a wine bar proprietor and a professional golfer. In 1985 he attended a property auction and saw this rather derelict manor house in North Devon with 28 acres of overgrown land built in a valley. He thought at the time it would make a rather nice Nursing Home. 

Irrespective of having zilch money; that never held my father up at all; he put the winning bid on the property and had to borrow the money from his solicitor to pay for it until he sold his house in Northwood.

After inspecting the property months later, he set about the enormous task of rejuvenating the redundant building and overgrown victorian estate, falling in love with the unusual trees, bamboo, and tropical valley.  He thought it was too beautiful to be hidden away; hence the idea of a wildlife park was born. My father, although a novice, researched through books the various species of animal he wanted to keep; there was no internet in those days to access information quickly. 

He visited various zoos around the country getting advice and networking. Combe Martin Wildlife Park first opened its doors in 1986 and my father, with an abundance of enthusiasm, drove into Barnstaple and opened the park’s first business bank account dressed as a gorilla, to the surprise of the bank’s cashiers and the local press. My loveable father was often referred to as ‘mad as a box of frogs!’ 

Back in those days zoo licensing was a lot simpler. I remember the days a zoo license would be one sheet of paper with conditions; it is now around 15. Of course you still had inspections back then but current zoo licensing is very focused on education, conservation and research. 

Over the next few years the park grew. My father became great friends with Terry Nutkins who presented the Really Wild Show alongside a very young Michaela Strachen and Chris Packham who often all visited the park. (SEE PHOTO BELOW)

In 1992 he felt that the park needed another attraction to bring in more visitors. His light bulb moment was ‘Dinosaurs’ and fortunately happened to be the year before the first Jurassic Park movie was released. This breathed new life into the park and Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park was born. Some very large and very basic animatronic dinosaurs moved into the valley and drew much interest, particularly when the Jurassic Park film came out.