George Saul Mottershead (12 June 1894 – 5 May 1978) was the founder of

Chester Zoo Chester Zoo is a zoo in Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England. Chester Zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family. The zoo is one of the UK's largest zoos at and the zoo has a total land holding of approximately . Chester Zoo ...

Early life

Mottershead was born in Sale Moor,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. His father Albert Mottershead was a botanist and nurseryman. He had two brothers Stanley Saul and Charles Saul, a sister Norah and a half-brother Albert. Mottershead was taken to Belle Vue Zoological Gardens in Manchester in 1903 as a childhood treat. He disliked seeing the animals confined in cages, and was determined to create a

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...

without bars. As a youth, he experimented with aviaries, and tanks and runs for pet lizards and snakes. He left home aged 16 to become a fitness instructor.

First World War

After the outbreak of the First World War, George Mottershead joined the

South Lancashire Regiment The South Lancashire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment, which recruited, as its title suggests, primarily from the South Lancashire area, was created as part of the Childers Ref ...

. At least two of his brothers joined the

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th R ...

, and they all served on the Western Front in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. While on leave, Mottershead married Elizabeth Atkinson at St Mary Magdalen Church,

Ashton-on-Mersey Ashton upon Mersey is an area in Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre and immediately adjoins Sale to the east. It gives its name to the Ashton upon Mersey wa ...

, in 1916. They had two daughters, Muriel (born 1917) and June (born 1926). In October 1916, at the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

, Mottershead suffered a bullet wound to his neck, injuring his spine. He was initially paralysed, and recuperated at Highfield Military Hospital in

Knotty Ash Knotty Ash is an area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and a Liverpool City Council Ward. Historically in Lancashire, the population at the 2001 Census was 13,200, increasing to 13,312 at the 2011 Census. Knotty Ash is well known as the hom ...

. Contrary to the expected medical prognosis he eventually recovered the ability to walk (with a limp) after three years in a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

. His brothers, Albert and Stanley Mottershead, were killed in the war. Lance Corporal Albert Mottershead was killed in October 1916 and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial; Private Stanley Mottershead died in December 1916 and is buried at

Douchy-lès-Ayette Douchy-lès-Ayette is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France south of Arras. Population See also *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 887 communes of the ...

war cemetery. Both are also commemorated on the war memorial at St Anne's Church, Sale Moor and the Sale war memorial. His brother Charles served with the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

's School of Technical Training.

Chester Zoo

With his parents and young family, Mottershead moved to Shavington in the 1920s, and operated a successful

market garden A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to s ...

and florist, later selling pet birds. He started to show his stock of birds and his private collection of animals to the paying public. The Mottershead family moved to the Oakfield Estate in

Upton-by-Chester Upton-by-Chester is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and a large suburb on the outskirts of Chester, in the unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It includes the village Upt ...

in December 1930, paying £3,500 for a site including

Oakfield Manor Oakfield Manor was originally a country house in Upton-by-Chester, near Chester, Cheshire, England. Since the 1930s it has been the headquarters of Chester Zoo. The house and its stables are recorded separately in the National Heritage List fo ...

, built around 1885 for Benjamin Chafers Roberts and now a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. They acquired two Himalayan black bears from a wildlife park in Matlock, and added monkeys, chimpanzees, birds, and reptiles. The local residents were concerned about the potential dangers of escaped animals, but, after a public inquiry, the Ministry of Health granted permission to open the zoo in April 1931, and Chester Zoo opened to the public on 10 June 1931. Mottershead founded the "North of England Zoological Society" in 1934. The zoo continued through the Second World War, accepting its first pair of elephants from a circus in 1941.

Recognition

Mottershead was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the 1973 New Year Honours.United Kingdom list: He was also awarded an honorary degree of Master of Science, and served as president of the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (now the

World Association of Zoos and Aquariums The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the "umbrella" organization for the world zoo and aquarium community. Its mission is to provide leadership and support for zoos, aquariums, and partner organizations of the world in animal ...

). After his death, his ashes were scattered on the zoo memorial garden dedicated to his wife Elizabeth who died in 1969. The garden is now the Chinese garden at the zoo. The story of George Mottershead's founding of Chester Zoo is the subject of a 2014 BBC television drama serial, ''

Our Zoo ''Our Zoo'' is a British drama television series from BBC One, first broadcast on 3 September 2014. The six-part series, written by Matt Charman and directed by Andy De Emmony, is about George Mottershead, his dreams of creating a cage-free zo ...

''. Mottershead is portrayed by

Lee Ingleby Lee David Ingleby (born 28 January 1976) is an English actor who first gained attention with his leading role in the BBC Two miniseries ''Nature Boy'' (2000). His other notable roles include Detective Insp. John Bacchus on the BBC's ''Inspector ...

Notes

References

* Obituary, The Times, 9 May 1978, page 21
George Mottershead
Chester Zoo
The History of Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo
Pioneer George barred the bars from Chester Zoo
Manchester Evening News, 15 June 2011
Revealed - the Sale roots of the founder of Chester Zoo
York Press, 10 June 2011
Chester Zoo founder George Saul Mottershead grew up in Sale
Messenger Newspapers10 June 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mottershead, George 1894 births 1978 deaths Zoo directors Zoo owners 20th-century English people Military personnel from Manchester British Army personnel of World War I South Lancashire Regiment soldiers Officers of the Order of the British Empire