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Journal / History

History, wildlife & place

A family’s zoo of 1931.
A charity’s zoo today.

The story of Chester Zoo, from a Victorian house and its gardens to a conservation charity’s zoo of more than 130 acres.

Oakfield Manor, a red-brick Victorian house with tall chimneys, at the heart of Chester Zoo
Oakfield Manor, a red-brick Victorian house with tall chimneys, at the heart of Chester Zoo.

A zoo without bars

George Mottershead bought Oakfield Manor at Upton-by-Chester for £3,500 in 1930, and he and his family opened Chester Zoo there to the public on 10 June 1931. He wanted to build a zoo without the traditional Victorian iron bars to cage the animals.

Oakfield Manor, a red-brick Victorian house with tall chimneys, at the heart of Chester Zoo
An Asian elephant with short tusks standing on sandy ground in its habitat at Chester Zoo

A charity’s zoo

Chester Zoo is run by the North of England Zoological Society, a registered conservation charity. From 1991 to 2019 a monorail carried visitors around the grounds, which now cover more than 130 acres.

New habitats

Spirit of the Jaguar opened in 2001 and Realm of the Red Ape, home to Bornean orangutans, in 2007. Islands, with its Lazy River boat ride, opened in 2015, Madagascar in 2019 and Heart of Africa in 2025.

The timber-clad Realm of the Red Ape building rising above bamboo and green planting

Continue exploring

An Asian elephant with short tusks standing on sandy ground in its habitat at Chester ZooA zoo without barsChester Zoo since 1931.An Asian elephant with short tusks standing on sandy ground in its habitat at Chester ZooWhat to see at the zooElephants, jaguars and Islands.Plan your visit

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