Battersea Dogs & Cats Home (now known as Battersea) is an animal rescue centre for dogs and cats. Battersea rescues dogs and cats until their owner or a new one can be found. It is one of the UK's oldest and best known animal rescue centres. It was established in

Holloway, London Holloway is an area of North London in the London Borough of Islington, borough of Islington, north of Charing Cross, which follows the line of the Holloway Road (A1 road (Great Britain), A1). At the centre of Holloway is the Nag's Head, London, ...

, in 1860 and moved to

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

in 1871.'' The non-government funded organisation cares for an average of 240 dogs and 145 cats across all three centres at any one time. The charity has cared for more than 3.1 million dogs and cats over its history.

History

Battersea was established in Holloway in 1860 by Mary Tealby (1801–1865). She called it "The Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs". Initially the home was in her scullery but as the number of dogs delivered to her grew she hired some nearby stables funded by herself, her brother and Sarah Major. In 1860 the RSPCA agreed to assist and the committee meetings were held at the RSPCA offices at 12 Pall Mall. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' ran a story ridiculing the idea of opening a "home" for dogs when there were homeless people in London. It accused Tealby of "letting her zeal ...outrun her discretion". Its most impressive supporter in the 1860s was

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

. He wrote about a "remarkable institution" that had saved "over a thousand" dogs in 1860. He noted that the dogs were cared for but if necessary humanely disposed of. By 1864 the finances were sound and they were handling 2,000 dogs that year. Battersea started taking in cats from 1883, but its name remained Battersea Dogs Home until 2002. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, then manager Edward Healey-Tutt advised against people euthanising their pets because of fear of food shortages. Throughout the war Battersea fed and cared for over 145,000 dogs. In 1979, Battersea acquired Bell Mead Kennels, which is now known as Battersea Old Windsor in Berkshire and in 1999, Battersea bought a centre in Kent, now known as Battersea Brands Hatch. In 2002, the name was changed from Battersea Dogs Home to include cats in its name – Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. To mark its 150th anniversary in 2010, the charity's London Cattery was opened by HRH the Duchess of Cornwall.

Royal Mail Royal Mail Group Limited, trading as Royal Mail, is a British postal service and courier company. It is owned by International Distribution Services. It operates the brands Royal Mail (letters and parcels) and Parcelforce Worldwide (parcels) ...

released a set of stamps featuring a series of dogs and cats that had been adopted by staff. It also launched a commemorative book, ''A Home of Their Own'', which charts the history of the Home. This includes a look at prominent people who have adopted animals such as

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

, who credited his dog Thomas with helping him through a rough period. Starting in 2011, Battersea implemented the "Staffies. They're Softer Than You Think" campaign to educate the public on the misconceptions about the

Staffordshire Bull Terrier The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, also called the Staffy or Stafford, is a purebred dog of small to medium size in the terrier group that originated in the northern parts of Birmingham and in the Black Country of Staffordshire, for which it ...

. On 17 March 2015,

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

unveiled a plaque to officially open the intake kennels named after their founder, Mary Tealby kennels. In 2016, a new state of the art Veterinary Hospital was opened at the London centre. In 2018, the charity rebranded as just "Battersea" "to be here for every dog and cat". The charity's public affairs work involved spearheading a campaign to increase maximum sentences from six months to five years for the worst animal cruelty crimes in England and Wales. Battersea has been campaigning since 2017. The charity also launched the Battersea Academy, and launched a campaign "Rescue Is My Favourite Breed" in 2019. The Chief Executive is Peter Laurie, who took over from Claire Horton CBE January 2021.

Patronage

In 1885,

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

became patron of the home, and it has remained under royal

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

ever since.

Queen Camilla Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. Camilla was raised in East ...

is the current patron, and

Prince Michael of Kent Prince Michael of Kent (Michael George Charles Franklin; born 4 July 1942) is a member of the British royal family who is 53rd in line to the British throne as of 2025. The younger son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Gr ...

is the President.

Media

In 1862,

published an article about the home for his magazine ''

All the Year Round ''All the Year Round'' was a British weekly literary magazine founded and owned by Charles Dickens, published between 1859 and 1895 throughout the United Kingdom. Edited by Dickens, it was the direct successor to his previous publication '' Ho ...

''. He called it an "extraordinary monument of the remarkable affection with which the English people regard the race of dogs".

TV programmes

Battersea has featured on many television programmes and documentaries. The

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

programme '' Pet Rescue'' which aired in 1997 featured Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

programme ''Animal Rescue Live'' was broadcast live for a week at Battersea in July 2007. The programme was presented by Matt Baker and Selina Scott. ITV's '' For the Love of Dogs'' is filmed at Battersea. The show won multiple awards including four

National Television Awards The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and begun in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted o ...

for 'Factual Entertainment' and was nominated for a BAFTA in 2013. Presented by Paul O'Grady from its inception in 2012 to his death in 2023, from 2024 it was helmed by Alison Hammond. In October 2023, Battersea announced that they would be naming a new veterinary hospital after O'Grady, and a "tribute fund" set up in his honour would go towards "life-saving and transformative

medical Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

procedures" for dogs and cats which need specialist care and treatment.

Ambassadors

* David Gandy (2012–2023) * Paul O'Grady MBE (2012–2023) * Dame Jacqueline Wilson (2013–) *

Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English media personality, actress and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the national ''H ...

(2013–) *

Anthony Head Anthony Stewart Head (born 20 February 1954) is an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, ...

and Sarah Fisher (2018–) * Tom Hardy (2019–) * Alison Hammond (2024–)

Notable alumni

* Larry – Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office (2011–) * Palmerston – Chief Mouser of the

Foreign & Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

(2016–2020) *

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

– Chief Mouser of

HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury or HMT), and informally referred to as the Treasury, is the Government of the United Kingdom’s economic and finance ministry. The Treasury is responsible for public spending, financial services policy, Tax ...

(2016–) *Beth – Dog of Queen Camilla

Transport

Battersea Power Station tube station is located adjacent to the site on Battersea Park Road, and is served by the

Northern line The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs between North London and South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. It carries more passengers per year than any other Underground linearound 340million in 2019making it the bu ...

. Battersea Park station for

National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, a group representing passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the passenger services previously provided by ...

and Queenstown Road station for National Rail services are located 3 minutes and 7 minutes walk away respectively.

References

External links

* *
Independent – ''The curious incident of the hungry dog in the night-time''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battersea Dogs And Cats Home 1860 establishments in the United Kingdom Animal charities based in the United Kingdom Animal rescue groups Animal welfare organisations based in London Battersea Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Wandsworth Cats in England Dogs in the United Kingdom Domestic cat welfare organizations Organizations established in 1860