Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Lympne Spencer Roberts Room

Spencer Roberts Room

Its walls are adorned with exquisite murals of the natural world, transforming it into an ecologist’s Sistine Chapel.

Lympne, England

Added By
Mictlān Tēcutli
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
View of the Spencer Robert’s mural room, Port Lympne mansion.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Sloth bear, grey mongoose, and red panda.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Tragopan birds, cobras, and a monitor lizard.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Storks , Siamang ,and lar gibbons, left. Lion tailed macaques and golden langur monkeys, right.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Detail showing an Asian short clawed otter.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
A scene showing a herd of Asiatic elephants at a waterhole.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Indian rhino, water buffalo, Malayan tapir, Banteng bull, golden langur, and lion tailed macaque monkeys.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Indian wolf, striped hyena, sambar deer, blackbuck antelope, Indian desert cat, Indian rock python, and onager.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Detail showing a pair of Sarus cranes.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Detail showing Himalayan wildlife: snow leopards, brown and black bears, boar, red panda, Asian golden cats, lynx , striped squirrel, Ibex and Markhor goats.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Detail showing hanuman langurs, mynah bird and monocled cobras with the backdrop of an Ancient Hindu temple.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Detail showing a skulking striped hyena.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Detail showing Asiatic lion, black panther, orangutans, and gibbons.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Detail showing gaur bull, nilgai antelope, Asiatic lion, tahr goats, and langur monkeys.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Hornbill, songbirds , slow loris, fishing cat, Bengal tigers, and leopard.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Detail showing Bengal tiger, a civet, Asiatic leopard, woodpecker, and kingfisher.   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In the early 1970s, when the eccentric millionaire gambler and zoo owner John Aspinall was looking for a second plot of land to house his growing collection of endangered species, he discovered the mansion and grounds of Port Lympne. He decided to restore the house and its gardens, as he had become enchanted with the property.

Part of the restoration involved creating a pair of murals that would capture the awe Aspinall felt for the natural world and particularly the fauna of India where he had been born and spent much of his childhood years. He commissioned a close friend, the artist Arthur Spencer Roberts, to paint a mural that showcased the extraordinary mammalian, avian, and reptilian biodiversity of several of the world’s regions.

Depicted among the forest, jungle, desert, and alpine landscapes is a Jungle Book-esque bestiary of animals. In forested glades and mountain peaks prowl large predators such as Bengal tigers, hyenas, pythons, snow leopards, bears, leopards, wolves and (Asian) lions, while a variety of smaller carnivores such as otters, jackal, red pandas, civets, various smaller wild cats, monitor lizards, and cobras can be spotted too. Cavorting across canopies are troops of apes and monkeys while creeping through thickets and bamboo glades are peculiar primates such as the slow and slender loris. Birds abound within the mural, which shows songbirds, mynahs, woodpeckers, tragopan grouse , pheasants, peacocks, hornbills, cranes, storks, vultures, eagles, and owls. Browsing among the undergrowth is a multitude of ungulates such as deer, gazelle, antelope, onagers, wild goats, boar, and herbivorous heavyweights such as rhino, buffalo, gaur, Malayan tapir, and elephants.

Many of the animals are depicted together and juxtaposed, despite not occuring in the same natural habitats. These forgivable (and intentional) zoogeographical errors, aside this mural is intended to be an unabashed visual celebration of the natural world. Roberts himself experienced some of these landscapes and witnessed some of the creatures while stationed in Northern India and Burma during World War II.

Roberts, despite possessing an incredible artistic talent, was a rather humble and shy man who consistently declined the attention and competition of the commercial art world and instead preferred to focus on his passion for creating visually stunning works of art that captured the beauty of the natural world.

Related Tags

Zoos Murals Art Animals

Know Before You Go

You can find the Spencer Robert's Mural in the Port Lympne Mansion which is located in the center of the zoo and is usually open to the public (unless a private event such as a wedding is in progress). Entrance to the zoo costs £26 and the park is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.   

Community Contributors

Added By

Monsieur Mictlan

Published

August 26, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.countrylife.co.uk/interiors/port-lympnes-breathtaking-animal-mural-art-interior-design-meet-love-wildlife-198020
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Lympne_Mansion
Spencer Roberts Room
Unnamed Road
Lympne, England, CT21 4PD
United Kingdom
51.075674, 0.999665
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Portus Lemanis

Lympne, England

miles away

Saltwood Castle

Kent, England

miles away

Hythe Library Museum

Hythe, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lympne

Lympne

England

Places 2

Nearby Places

Portus Lemanis

Lympne, England

miles away

Saltwood Castle

Kent, England

miles away

Hythe Library Museum

Hythe, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lympne

Lympne

England

Places 2

Related Places

  • ‘Winifred the Elephant’

    Leeds, England

    'Winifred'

    In a small courtyard resides this large mural that draws inspiration from Leeds and its history.

  • Uppspretta.

    Reykjanesbær, Iceland

    Uppspretta

    This wild explosion of color on a disused water tower tells the whimsical tale of a curious puffin.

  • Giant bird.

    New York, New York

    Audubon Mural Project

    Walking around West Harlem reveals a scavenger hunt of beautiful bird murals.

  • The paintings are located in one of the offices at Borås zoo.

    Borås, Sweden

    'Pierre Brassau' Paintings at Borås Zoo

    The art critic claiming that "only an ape could have done this" was in fact right.

  • The Peacock Room.

    Washington, D.C.

    Peacock Room

    This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.

  • “Earth as the Life-giver.”

    Lincoln, Nebraska

    Nebraska State Capitol Mosaic Floor

    An ornate Art Deco tile mosaic representing Nebraskan life, both modern and prehistoric.

  • The mural on Hasenhaus.

    Vienna, Austria

    Wolf and Cow Playing Backgammon Mural

    A silly medieval mural preserved on the side of a Viennese house.

  • Smaller Old Bear Casle

    Helsinki, Finland

    Old Bear Castles of Korkeasaari Zoo

    These historical landmarks stand as reminders of the evolution of animal care and conservation.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.