A STATELY home is to close its much-loved bird garden after concluding that it would cost £4 million to bring it up to scratch.

The bird garden at Harewood House, near Wetherby, is more than 50 years old and features a pool with a popular colony of Humboldt Penguins, but now a woodland garden is to take its place.

The Harewood House Trust said the birds’ environment was not on a par with more up-to-date zoos.

"At Harewood’s last zoo inspection, the team were praised for their excellent care and the health of the birds, but sadly they identified many problems with the site’s physical infrastructure that the charity cannot sustain," it said.

"Over the last six months we have been researching options for the charity going forwards, however, with a need for a £4 million investment to just the Bird Garden alone, the Trust has had to make the incredibly difficult decision to close this part of the Harewood experience.

"The Trust simply cannot make the Bird Garden the place that we, and you, all want it to be.

"Over the next six months or so, the birds – many of which are exotic or endangered – will be re-homed at places better equipped long-term to ensure they continue to have comfortable and enriched lives and to ensure their life-long care.

"The closure date of the Bird Garden will be published later in the year once these dates become clear.

"We realise that many of Harewood’s visitors love the Bird Garden and have children who love it too.

"It has been an incredibly difficult conclusion to reach but it is the most responsible and ethical decision to make, to ensure the health and care of these beautiful creatures, but also to ensure Harewood can stand the test of time and be here for as long as it has stood already."