For many people who grew up in Liverpool, a trip to Chester Zoo every once and a while was something to get very excited about.
Despite not being on Merseyside, it was - and continues to be - a staple part of our childhood memories. Whether it was for an annual school trip or to celebrate a special occasion, we all loved running around trying to spot our favourite animals - or having a go on the iconic monorail.
To many kids, it was a soft introduction to a fairground ride and a magical adventure offering views of the animals, habitats and gardens that call Chester Zoo home But that didn't' stop our imaginations running away with us and pretending it was higher or going faster than it actually was.
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Chester Zoo's monorail system first opened in 1991 and for nearly 30 years was a familiar fixture on the site. But things didn't get off to a smooth start.
In July 1991, the ECHO reported how two months prior, on the day it was due to be opened, it broke down carrying the Duchess of Kent. It wasn't the last time the mile-long system - the Zoofari - experienced technical difficulties, but we loved it all the same.
Over the years, families would queue for their turn on the monorail, with many visits being considered incomplete without an aerial tour of the popular zoo. The excitement on the kids faces would be priceless and you'd always be promised another go next time you visited.
But the monorail didn't only play host to the general public. In 2012, the late Queen Elizabeth II looked delighted throughout her first ever visit to Chester Zoo on Thursday, May 17, Cheshire Live previously reported.
At the time, The Queen officially opened the zoo’s new gates to the Diamond Jubilee Quarter, before heading inside for a tour by monorail. Gary Barlow is also among the celebrities to have had a turn on the monorail.
But in June 2019, Chester Zoo visitors past and present were gutted to hear the popular monorail would be closing for good after 28 years. At the time, zoo bossed said the "doesn’t even cover half" of the 125 acres of the tourist attraction, so made the decision to take down the monorail later that summer
What are your favourite memories of Chester Zoo's monorail? Let us know in the comments section below.
In that month’s members magazine, a zoo spokesperson explained that the monorail "no longer fits their vision for a world-class modern zoo." The statement continued: "It has been part of the zoo for nearly three decades but since its installation in 1991 the zoo has grown in size and the transportation system now doesn't even cover half of the 125 acres.
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"Over the last few years we have experienced both system and train failures so this once state-of-the-art system is proving costly to maintain and unreliable for visitors."
At the time, fans of Chester Zoo took to Facebook to express how upset they were with the news. Clare Ball said: "My little one loves this” and Jean Madge added: “So sad to hear this my family and I always go on it”.
Lottie Jose said: "It’s the only reason I wanted to go to the zoo tbh." Lewis John Smith said: "It's what makes Chester Zoo... such a huge loss!".
And Jenny Bennett added: “Awww nooo! I loved going on it when I was a kid and my kids have loved going on it too." The monorail took its final voyage around Chester Zoo just before the zoo closed at 5pm on September 3, 2019.
It was announced that plans were in place for a major new attraction called 'Grasslands' at the site of the monorail. It hasn't been gone for two long - but memories of the monorail span back nearly 30 years and it is still missed by many.
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