Sea Life London Aquarium

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Sea Life London Aquarium
London Aquarium.001 - London.JPG
Entrance, pictured in 2008
Sea Life London Aquarium
51°30′7″N0°7′8″W / 51.50194°N 0.11889°W / 51.50194; -0.11889
Date opened28 March 1997;28 years ago (1997-03-28) [1]
Location South Bank, London, England
No. of species284 [2]
Total volume of tanksMore than 2,000,000 litres (440,000 imp gal; 530,000 US gal) [3]
Annual visitorsOver 1 million [4]
Memberships British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums [5]
Owner Merlin Entertainments
Public transit access Underground no-text.svg National Rail logo.svg Waterloo
Underground no-text.svg Westminster
Website www.visitsealife.com/london/ OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Sea Life London Aquarium is a public aquarium in London, located in County Hall on the South Bank of the River Thames. Opened in 1997, it has been part of the Sea Life chain since 2009 and is operated by Merlin Entertainments. [1] [6] It forms part of a cluster of attractions, including the London Eye, London Dungeon, and Shrek’s Adventure. As of 2025, the aquarium receives more than one million visitors annually. [4]

Contents

History

In 2005, the aquarium displayed three robotic fish created by the computer science department at the University of Essex. The fish were designed to be autonomous, swimming around and avoiding obstacles like real fish. Their creator claimed that he was trying to combine "the speed of tuna, acceleration of a pike, and the navigating skills of an eel." [7] [8]

In April 2008, the aquarium was purchased by Merlin Entertainments for an undisclosed sum. [6] The facility was closed for a £5 million refurbishment, and reopened as part of the Sea Life chain in April 2009. [9] The additions included a new underwater tunnel, Shark Walk, a revamped Pacific Ocean tank, and a complete rerouting of the exhibit, all of which were carried out under the supervision of architect Kay Elliott. [10]

In May 2011, the aquarium opened a new penguin exhibit, with 10 gentoo penguins transferred from the Edinburgh Zoo. In 2015, the aquarium was moved to a different location in County Hall due to the opening of Shrek's Adventure, London.

Conservation and education

The aquarium includes two classrooms themed around the conservation campaigns which the zoo supports, which host up to 40,000 school children each year and are open to the public when not in use by the education program. It is involved in several breeding programs including the Cuban crocodile, seahorses, butterfly goodeids, and jellyfish, and works with many conservation organizations including Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and Shark Trust. [11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Batten, Rhiannon (28 December 1996). "Where to go in '97". The Independent . Retrieved 20 October 2025. The 28 March sees the opening of the London Aquarium at the old County Hall on the South Bank.
  2. ↑ Mance, Henry (12 March 2024). "How Britain's biggest aquarium chain keeps its animal records under wraps". Financial Times . Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  3. ↑ "Welcome to SeaLife London Aquarium". visitsealife.com. Merlin Entertainment Ltd. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  4. 1 2 Hughes, Seren (19 August 2024). "Plea to free penguins from 'pitiful' Sea Life basement enclosure". The Times . Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  5. ↑ "BIAZA Zoos and Aquariums". biaza.org.uk. BIAZA . Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  6. 1 2 Walsh, Dominic (3 May 2008). "Merlin Entertainments tops up list of London attractions with aquarium buy". The Times . Times of London. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  7. ↑ "Robotic fish make aquarium debut". cnn.com. CNN. 10 October 2005. Archived from the original on 13 October 2005. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  8. ↑ "Robot fish swim their own way". The Times . Times of London. 7 October 2005. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  9. ↑ Buchanan, Rhoda (8 April 2009). "A fishy day out at the new London Aquarium". The Times . Times of London. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  10. ↑ "London Aquarium Refurbishment Complete". kayelliott.co.uk. Kay Elliot. Retrieved 12 June 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ "Conservation successes". visitsealife.com. Merlin Entertainment Ltd. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
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