Pidcock's Exeter Change

In The Shows of London by Richard D Altick, Exeter Change was taken over in the 1770s by a Thomas Clark. He let part of it out for entertainments and the large room there was used at the London headquarters of the small travelling menagerie belonging to Gilbert Pidcock, who took it to the London fairs and into the provinces during the summer. At some point Clark himself became a dealer in wild birds and animals and in 1793 Pidcock bought Clark's stock to add to his own. "The exhibits at this moment, housed in rooms whose walls were painted with appropriate scenery, included a "unicorn" (rhinocerous), a zebra, a kangaroo from Botany Bay, an African ram, a "Sagittaire" (secretary) bird that kills the snakes, a "Fiery Lynx", and a "Ravenous wolf from Algiers", along with such timely but unrelated items as a "French Beheading Machine". Four years later they were joined by elephants and tigers".

TheTimes, 1799 The Grand Menagerie at Exeter Change, in the Strand, has the late additions of foreign animals and birds which have arrived there within these few days past. This has become one of the most entertaining promenades in town; it consists of near 200 different species of living birds and beasts. In one apartment is a stupendous elephant and 6 kangarooes, from Botany Bay, which are the latest discovery of quadrupeds. Admittance 1s each. In the great room is added a noble young male lion, 4 bengal tigers, whose limbs are larger than an ox; also 2 royal crown pigeons, which are nearly as large as a turkey, and are the only birds of the kind ever brought to England alive. Admittance 1s each. In a separate apartment is an optical exhibition far exceeding any thing of the kind ever yet invented. Admittance 1s each or the three Exhibitions are 2s 6d - Foreign birds and beasts bought, sold or exchanged by G Pidcock