As one of the most popular tourist attractions in the UK, Chester Zoo is one of the city’s proudest achievements.

Now in its 86th year, the zoo continues to thrive and expand - drawing nearly 2 million visitors last year, a far cry from how it was when George Mottershead first bought seven acres of land of £3,500 back in 1930.

Inspired by a childhood family trip to a Manchester zoo, George had a dream of building the UK’s first zoo without bars, and his dream came true shortly afterwards.

To celebrate the zoo’s amazing success, we’ve delved into the archives to see just how much it has changed over the decades. Many of these images were provided by kind permission of Chester History & Heritage Centre.