Longleat Enterprises set for 2012 Expansion

LONDON, March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Longleat Enterprises, the UK company chaired by British businessman Ceawlin Thynn, is set this year to expand key areas of its business at Longleat House and Safari Park, near Warminster in Wiltshire, southwest England.

Now open for the 2012 season, the Safari Park will include a new addition to Longleat's famous big cats in the form of the Cheetah Kingdom, featuring the world's fastest land animals.

Significant investment has also been made in other new attractions, set to open over the next few months.

A unique, eye-level feeding platform at the Safari Park's new African Village will let visitors come face to face with six-metre-tall Rothschild's giraffes; a brand new Lemur Walkthrough will feature a free-roaming colony of lemurs; and a multi-million pound, state-of-the-art lakeside gorilla enclosure will be home to a troop of western lowland gorillas.

The new offerings are part of a wider brand strategy that began in 2010 when Ceawlin Thynn hired David Bradley, formerly of Legoland, as Chief Executive. The pair have since built on Longleat's pre-eminence as the UK's premier drive-through safari park and have taken the product forward, hiring Hollywood designers to develop new attractions including the 'Jungle Kingdom', 'Monkey Temple' and 'Hunters of the Sky'.

In addition to the latest displays, a series of new family events and activities will take place throughout the year. The first, 'Alice in Wonderland at Longleat', will feature themes and characters from the children's classic and will run from 31 March to 9 April.

Longleat House is available for a range of corporate and private events, including drinks receptions, dinners, conferences, meetings and launches. The Green Library accommodates up to 50 dinner guests, and the 16^th century Great Hall is an ideal venue for a larger party of up to 100.

Longleat House is also due to host private weddings for the first time in its 444-year history. Couples will be able to choose from four locations for the ceremony: the Great Hall, Green Library, the more intimate Banqueting Suite, and the exotic Orangery with its view across the Love Labyrinth rose garden.

Alongside Longleat House and Safari Park, Longleat Enterprises encompasses the commercial activities at the show caves of Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, as well as two newly-acquired luxury country hotels: the Bishopstrow House & Spa Hotel in Warminster and Homewood Park Hotel & Spa near Bath. Ceawlin Thynn has been chairman of the company since 2009.