My YouTube Big Charlie's Grave vlog is now live!
Link:-
Come and take a walk in my shoes as I do some nosey-parkering around the old Butlin's Filey site, and hunt for the area where the stables and elephant house once sat.
Between 1957-1961 the latter housed Big Charlie; a 5.5 ton Asian elephant who was the largest elephant in captivity at the time. After his devoted mahout Ibrahim fell ill quite suddenly and passed away, Charlie couldn't settle and became difficult to control (elephants and mahouts mate for life). It was decided, with advice from the RSPCA, that Charlie was to be gassed whilst he was in his elephant house and at his most relaxed. His house was sealed off and he was gassed using the fumes from a lorry exhaust- in other words, he died from carbon monoxide poisoning. It sounds barbaric nowadays, but I'm sure at the time they thought they were doing the right thing. A pit was dug at the front of the elephant house and he was dragged outside by a tractor, covered in quicklime and buried right there.
The land is now occupied by The Bay Filey Holiday Park, and where Charlie is buried is now a meadow (I believe it was stipulated, when The Bay acquired the land, that they weren't allowed to build on the area, or exhume Charlie.) His grave his unmarked but he's been found thanks to overlay maps, and Big Charlie's Grave is now referenced on Google Maps.
As you know, first and foremost I am a writer, and you might like to see my blog detailing the remains of Butlin's Filey, which includes details of Charlie. Link:-
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The Miss Elaineous
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