Edward Cross (zoo proprietor)

Edward Cross (baptised 3 February 1774 – 26 September 1854) was an English zoo proprietor and dealer in animals.

Apart from the names of his parents, Walter Cross and Jane (née Callow), his early life remains obscure.

It was visited by Wordsworth and Byron, the latter recorded watching the "tigers sup", being amused by a hyena's affection for its keeper, and the tricks played by an elephant with its trunk.

[2] Cross renamed the collection the Royal Grand National Menagerie, and employed a doorkeeper who was dressed as a Yeoman of the Guard.

[citation needed] The Exeter Exchange was demolished in 1829, as part of general improvements to the Strand, and Cross moved the menagerie to the King's Mews near Trafalgar Square (now the site of the National Gallery).

Edward Cross, painted by Jacques-Laurent Agasse in 1838
The Nubian Giraffe , by Jacques-Laurent Agasse (c.1827), depicts one of the three giraffes sent to Europe by Mehmet Ali Pasha , and its attendants. The gentleman in the top hat is Edward Cross.
Engraving of Exeter Exchange from 1829, viewed from the east, looking west down the Strand