This site is currently under development

The Chester Zoo Collection

Founded by George Mottershead and his family, Chester Zoo welcomed its very first visitors on 10 June 1931. When the zoo initially opened, visitors were so few and far between that they had to ring a bell on arrival at the then main entrance to summon a staff member to take their money - one shilling for adults and sixpence for children.

Three years later, Mr Mottershead registered the zoo as a non-profit-making organisation to be run as a charitable educational, scientific institution. A membership scheme was also launched. In its first year 155 members, whose subscriptions totalled £216, signed up. Today, the zoo has over 145,000 members and welcomes around two million visitors a year, all in support of its efforts to ensure nature can survive and thrive.

What began as a family-run zoo has now grown into a globally renowned centre for conservation and scientific excellence and one of the UK’s biggest and most popular visitor attractions. Over the decades, the zoo has generated hundreds of thousands of records charting all aspects of life at the zoo, from animal and scientific records to business and financial records, historical marketing objects and never-before-seen images - all of which embody the philosophy and diversity of the charity.