Happy 40th Stratford Butterfly Farm!
- ann-evans
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
It was a day of celebrations on Friday 18 July at Stratford Butterfly Farm as it reached its 40th anniversary since opening in July 1985. And for the Founder and Director of the Butterfly Farm, Clive Farrell it was an incredibly special and emotional day as his long-standing dream to build this amazing facility saw this impressive milestone in its journey.
Clive’s dream of sharing his passion for nature – especially butterflies and moths goes back to his childhood, when as a young boy aged four or five he remembers noticing a big green hairy caterpillar in his garden, so he put it in a matchbox and kept an eye on it.
Clive recalled, “I saw that it made a cocoon and then one day I just happened to be around on the day it hatched. I saw it wriggle its way out of its cocoon, and I watched as it dried and spread out its wings and became this beautiful creature! It was a magical moment that has stayed with me all my life."
Rearing caterpillars became his hobby and his obsession, but, he said, he never dreamed that he would be able to share his passion with so many people.
Clive went on to have a career in the property business in London, but he always felt that something was missing, and his thoughts went back to his old childhood dream of rearing caterpillars. “I thought why not build a massive greenhouse and share my interest with other people.”
With this dream in mind, around the late 1970s he was offered a site at Syon Park, London, and he built the first Butterfly House where people could freely walk amongst these delicate creatures and learn of their habitat and life cycle.
“It was there that I met David Attenborough,” continued Clive. “He made a BBC programme, Wildlife At One’ – Touch of the Butterfly. The day after that went out, there were queues of people all down the road wanting to visit the Butterfly House. And following that, lots of people approached me offering sites all over the world.”
Clive’s work with butterflies has spread far and wide and to many different countries, but the Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm, built on the council’s old nursery site remains the UK’s largest and most successful butterfly farm. Since opening its doors over 5 million visitors and 2 million school children, have walked amongst the stunning, tropical butterflies and discovered the amazing variety of insects, reptiles and other species at home there.
Clive continued, “When I built the Butterfly Farm little did I know it would take over my life! And today, celebrating the 40th anniversary, I feel like I am in a bit of a dream. I can’t believe what the staff have done getting everything ready, they really care about this place – it feels like family. And I feel quite emotional as we celebrate 40 years!
He concluded, “Come and join us over the summer holidays in celebrating this special year, experience the magic, walk amongst the butterflies, and help us continue our mission of inspiration, conservation and education.”
The latest exciting new exhibition within Rainforest Realm at the Butterfly Farm, launched on Friday 18th July, was a pair of ‘Sumatran Pit Vipers’ or Trimeresurus sumatranus. These venomous snakes are native to the rainforests of Sumatra and surrounding Southeast Asian regions. Butterfly Farm Education Officer, John Withers, and members of the Education Team have designed, and rock themed this bespoke new exhibition. They will be looked after by specialist handlers Coogan Middlebrook and John Withers.
The opening of this new display was one of the highlights of the day which also welcomed a number of special guests including Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon, Dani Hunter, and Stratford-upon-Avon MP, Manuela Perteghella.
Mayor Dani Hunter has visited the Butterfly Farm on many occasions. “This is a fantastic place, and I can’t believe that it’s reached its 40th anniversary!” she said. “It’s so fantastic to think of how many young people have benefited from coming here with their schools and families. It’s such a unique place where they can learn about butterflies, and nature and all kinds of wildlife. Plus, the staff here are such a talented and knowledgeable group of people.”
Richard Lamb, General Manager of the Butterfly Farm who has working with Clive these past 40 years added, “What began in 1985 as Clive’s bold vision to bring the beauty and magic of tropical butterflies to Warwickshire has grown into one of the UK’s most beloved nature attractions.”
The Butterfly Farm is appealing to visitors to share their memories or old photographs of the Butterfly Farm over the years. Whether it was a family day out, a school trip, or a magical butterfly moment, they would love to hear visitor’s stories! Please post photos and memories using #stratfordbutterflyfarm40th and location Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm or email them to marketing@butterflyfarm.co.uk The best stories and images will be featured on their website and in social media with the winners receiving free tickets to visit again!
Please visit the website at www.butterflyfarm.co.uk or telephone on 01789 299288.
