The Big Cat Sanctuary
Look for The Big Cat Sanctuary, a zoo, 1.6 km northwest of Smarden. Its operator is Wildlife Heritage Foundation. Our list has 24 more places within 15 km; first among them is Leeds Castle, at 10 km.
Zoo near Smarden
Just outside Smarden
The Big Cat Sanctuary is 1.6 km northwest of Smarden. Towns near it ↓
Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
The weather, month by month
In Smarden, May to September bring the warmest days: highs of 18–23°C.
The Big Cat Sanctuary
Zoo.
It is run by Wildlife Heritage Foundation.
- Type
- Zoo
- Run by
- Wildlife Heritage Foundation
- Town
- 1.6 km northwest of Smarden
- Official site
- thebigcatsanctuary.org
The way to The Big Cat Sanctuary
The map centres on The Big Cat Sanctuary, in orange, with nearby places numbered.
© OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
Towns within reach of The Big Cat Sanctuary
Of the 4, Headcorn is the largest, at 3,293 people. Closest first, each of these towns names it on its page.
Smarden
Headcorn
Biddenden
Frittenden
Compare the 4 towns
| Town | Where The Big Cat Sanctuary is | People | Places to visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smarden | 1.6 km southeast of it | 664 | 2 |
| Headcorn | 1.7 km northwest of it | 3,293 | 3 |
| Biddenden | 4.6 km south of it | 1,345 | 4 |
| Frittenden | 4.8 km southwest of it | 262 | 3 |
More to see nearby
24 more lie within 15 km, 2 castles, 2 heritage railways and 2 historic houses among them.
CastleLeeds Castle10 km away2
Garden · National TrustSissinghurst Castle and Garden7.5 km away3
Castle · English HeritageSutton Valence Castle7.3 km away4MuseumMuseumLashenden Air Warfare Museum1.4 km away5Heritage railwayHeritage railwayKent and East Sussex Railway10 km away6
Historic house · National TrustStoneacre12 km away7
Historic house · National TrustSmallhythe Place14 km away8
Heritage railwayBredgar and Wormshill Light Railway15 km awayWithin 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.
Planning a visit to The Big Cat Sanctuary
Where is The Big Cat Sanctuary?
The Big Cat Sanctuary is 1.6 km northwest of Smarden, Kent.
What is The Big Cat Sanctuary?
Zoo.
Who runs The Big Cat Sanctuary?
Wildlife Heritage Foundation.
When is the best time to visit The Big Cat Sanctuary?
May to September are the warmest months in Smarden, with afternoon highs of 18–23°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).
What else is there to see near The Big Cat Sanctuary?
Within 15 km: Leeds Castle (10 km), Sissinghurst Castle and Garden (7.5 km), Sutton Valence Castle (7.3 km) and Lashenden Air Warfare Museum (1.4 km).
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Leeds Castle: Misterzee, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sissinghurst Castle and Garden: Hans Bernhard (Schnobby), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sutton Valence Castle: Ukiws, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stoneacre: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Smallhythe Place: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway: Penny Mayes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.